Omaha daily bee., 1893-11-12
COOL And NERVY ROBBERS
They Hold Up a Train on the Illinois Oentrs
in Kentucky,
NO RESISTANCE WAS OFFERED THEM
Engineer Clark Used as n Shield and tho
Messenger Compelled to Open tho
Express ar-Ab $40, 600
Was Secured.

CAIRO. ILL.,, Nov. 1.-THE Illinois Central
train No. y, due here at | 80 this morning.
was stopped at Mayield Bridge, Ky, about
eight miles south of Cairo, by five masked
men, supposed TO have boarded the train at
Bardwell. As soon as the train stopped the
robbers gained an entrance to the express
car aud received 81 in cash aud a valuable
package, the contents of which are not
known, The men then jumped from tho
train and made for the waods.
Inc train was in charge of Conductor
Sheaer and Messenger McNally, both of
whom fired several shots at tho robbers. but
without effect. No clew has been obtained
as yet as to the identity of the men.
The express car was robbed of two money
packages one OF which was addressed to j. s.
Titus, Chicago, and the other, a bag contain
ing an unknown amount of money in trans.
Ter from Memphis to Chicago. The express
messenger saved the remainder Of tho con-
tents of the safe. Second Vice President
Harrahan of the Illinois Central telegra pied
word along the line to spare no money to
bring tho prisoners to tho pcnitentiary and
offered a reward.
story of tho Engineer.
Engineer Clark makes the followins state
mont: "Three men climbed over the tank
while we were leaving Bardwell. One of
them said: Mr.. Clark, pull out as soon rs
you can Grabbing my left arm and pulling
out a 45.caliber Colts revolver and placing
the weapon to my ear he told me to
do what they wanted done; that they
would kill me If | did not obey. About that
time Fireman Butte" ran away and got on
the pilot OF the engine. | went to get down
and put in some coal, but they would not
allow me to get off my seat. One of the rob.
bers did the firing for us from Bard well to
Fort Jefferson. They told me to stop the
express car at Mayfield trestle. | told them
l had passed n train AZ Bardwell, and | in
sisted upon asking them to let me put a
fiagman off TO protect the rear end of the
train. They refused to do so, but | insisted,
claiming that | was afraid of the freight
train running into us when we stopped at
Mayfield ~trestle. They made me get off the
engine and go in front of them to the express
car door, and they told me to open the door.
l called McNeel ana told him to open up and
Tot shoot, as 1 was IN front of the robbers.
One of them went into the express car and
came out with several bundles and put them
into a heavy sack.
Very Cool About 1t.
HE told me to pick up the dynamite on
the platform of the car, which | did, and
put it into the sack. They then had me get
on the engine and carry them to Fort Jeffer-
son, because they wanted to get off ut the
stove factory. They got off on the east side,
about twenty yards from the road crossing
at Fort jefferson. They got behind some
piling and told me to pull out fast. asked
them If they were going to bother the pas
sengers. They told me no. The robbers
carried double-barreied shot guns, with pis.
pistol grips. Two of them also had ten-inch
Colt revolvers, while the other had a five
inch Colt"
Opinions differ as to the amount of money
contained in the valuable package secured.
The express officials say the consignment
consisted of 81, 900, but this Mr.. Harrahan is
inclined to doubt. The only man who knows
exactly what was in the package is The Hi
nois Central agent At Memphis, who con-
signed it to Chicago, and his report probably
will not be made public. The officials of the
express and railroad companies have no
fault to find on account of the surrender of
the trainmen. In fact they are rather
pleased that Men eel concealed all of the val
ua5le packages he could in the short time OF
warning that he had. But few of the pas
hprv