St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-13
BOLD, BAD BANDITS.
Lake Shore Express Car
Blown Up With Dynamite.
LARGE SUM or MONEY STOLEN
Engineer Shot, and Train OF.
ficers Covered With Guns.
THE work OF TWENTY ROBBERS.
Passengers Greatly Alarmed,
But None Were Molested.
DnEnEor nonnr1H 81,
THE work OF TWENTY ROBBERS.
B0LDEST ROBBERY ON RECORD.

| kENDALLVILLE, Ind, Sept. IA
party OF robbers numbering, according
TO various accounts, anywhere from five
to twenty, have increased the actual
| circulation of currency by an amount
estimated between $4,000 and $500, 900.
Inc money was obtained early this
morning from the Atlantic express on
the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
| railroad after the express car had been
| shattered with dynamite, the safe shiy-
cred with the same deadly explosive.
| and Engineer Knapp, of the express
| train, had gone down with one bullet in
his shoulder and another through his
side. The robbery was one of the
boldest, and according to all who
Will give information OH the sub
| Ject, 1t was. as we'll. one of the
| most successful ever committed east
| OF the Mississippi river. The officials of
the United States Express company
claim their loss was under 500 900. but
| they give no figures and will give none.
The statement that the robbers have
| secured 100000 is based upon a report
that one of the Chicago banks had
shipped 100000 in currency to one of
its New York correspondents. This
sum is now said to be riding around
with the men who took it from the
broken express car. 1t is well known
fact that the train which the robbers
deSpolled early this morning at the
lonely hamlet of Kessler, Ind, fire.
quently carries as much as S50O,OO in
currency at one time. If the robbers
u
hciais claim, they will have a hard
luck story to tell each other when they
divide.
THE RAILROAD DETECTIVES
and local police claim that the work was
done by men Inexperienced and new to
the business, but on the face of the re.
turns the figures show that they knew
What-they wanted. wasted no time or
energy lngolng for It, and they have
got what they went after. Their plan
OF operations was carefully considered
and boldly and Systematically executed.
They were all mounted, as the tracks of
horses near the scene of the robbery
show. The Associated Press corre-
spondent saw today places where they
had leveled the fences between the
tracks and the road over which tfey
took their hasty departure. Every.
thing had been as carefully prear,
ranged as possible. The robbers first
turned switch on the side track at
Kessler, knowing that the red light thus
shown would cause the engineer to
stop. The calculation was we'll made.
Engineer James Knapp saw the danger
signal and applied the air brake. The
next instant he was covered by a re.
volver and told to throw up his hands,
while half dozen men climbed into
the cab to emphasize the order. Knapp
instead made an attempt to start his
engine forward, but the next moment
fell with two bullet wounds, one in the
shoulder and one in the left side. He
was subsequently taken to his home in
Elkhart. and may not recover. This
was the only opposition to the robbers.
who numbered, according to the ma
Jority of the stories told, about twelve
or fifteen. Leaving two men in charge
of the engine, they went to the, express
car, and with
DYNAMITE CARTRIDGE
attempted to shatter the door. The firsi
ClIulL ldllCO. DuL a bcCOHu was more SuC'
cessful. and the robbers rushed in on
NJ. NJ. Weist and Byron B. HambIin,
the express messenger and assistant,
who, on looking into the muzzes of a
rife and half a dozen revolvers, obeyed
the order to throw up their hands. One
of the robbers with a heavy sledge
knocked the knob off the express safe,
while another produced a drill and in a
few moments had hole through the
strong box. into which dynamite cart
ridge was inserted. This was exploded
without apparent result, as was another
and another, but when fth was fired
the door gave way. and the robbera
seized the contents, and running toward
little grove where their horses were
concealed, they fired volIey into the
air to intiInidate possible pursuers,
swung into their saddles and rode away
into the night with their booty. The
conductor of the train and his crew kept
very quiet, and the passengers were
not alarmed until the affair was about
over, when there was great scramble
to secrete watches, pocketbooks and
other valuables. In short time the
train moved on. Express Messenger
Weist went ON to Cleveland, while
Hambln went back to Chicago to re-
port. Supt. Alonzo Wygant came I'd
the scene of the robbery and took
charge of the secret service of the COM
pany, which was centralized here.