The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-09-22
DONE BY DARING MEN
Arhs Engineer Wounded. the Express Ca
Shattered with Dynamite, aud the
Robbers Get Away with
Mig Doodle.

Big Doodle.
CHICAGO, Sept. is-Train robbers
sAopped the Atlantic express train ON
che Lake Shore road at kessler, Ind,
about midnight Monday night. shot
she engineer, James Knapp. wounding
aim severely. broke into the express
car, blew open the United States Ex-
prcss Co.'S safe and took its con-
snnts, consisting of four packages.
H.he express officials are reticent
Inn the question as to the amount
tsf money secured by the robbers, but
u czn positively be stated that the
Aotal was 100000. Two bars of gold
valued at $4,000 were overlooked.
The express messenger saved the COM
pany $4,000 in cash by secreting the
money before the entrance to the car
was effected. The number Of the
Aighwaymen was estimated by some
trainnen at twenty, but there were
probably' not half SO many. The
passengers on the train were not mo-
lested
After the robbery the thieves fed
into the thick timber surrounding the
place where the robbing was done, and
che train proceeded on its way. The
railroad and express officials at once
notified the police in all cities from
Chicago to Cleveland and the citizens
In the vicinity of the robbery formed
posses to hunt down the bandits
Kessler near where the robbery took
place, is a small station on the Lake
Shore road about l40 miles from Chi
eago. Just this side of the stopping
place is a sharp curve in the line that
passes through timbered district. As
the train was approaching this point
the engineer, James Knapp. OF Toledo,
o., saw the switch light showing red
and thought the switch was open. He
brought the train to standstill. and
Mt that moment the bandits leaped
from the darkness, leveled rifles at the
heads of himself and his fireman. and
ordered them to throw up their hands.
The fireman obeyed. but Knapp showed
light, and a shot was fired at him, the
bullet tearing through his shoulder.
The robbers having control of the
engine. proceeded to loot the express
car 1t was found afterward that the
switch had not been turned. but the
light only had been changed. II the
train had not been stopped it would
have passed on uninjured. The train
was the Atlantic express, and left Chi
cago at 7:45 p. m. 1T consisted OF
twelve coaches and sleepers. and was
In charge of Conductor NJ. a. Loup. of
Chicago. 1t carried q large number OF
passengers, many of whom were
Worlds fair visitors returning home.
The most vigorous measures were at
once instituted to capture the bandits.
The sheriff of Noble county organized
= posse of 100 men and began a sys'
tematic search of the surrounding
country. Every town and hamlet fol
miles was notified to watch for the
thieves. It was thought that the rob
bers would endeavor to escape to Chi
cago or Cleveland, either of which
places they could reach by daylight BY
trains on other roads.
The robbery is considered one of thu
most daring ever perpetrated east o
the Mississippi The stories told b,
the messenger and fireman show tina
two men held the engine crew while
three others attended to the express
car. Some of the Chicago police arr
Of the opinion that the job was dom
by professional safc-blowers, and Ger
tain ex-convict, who is known to hav,
been for some time in that part Of In
diana, is suspected of having had
hand in the crime, If he was not TIL
rinstigator and leader of it. : The fac
that only the express car was attacked
>andt that train carrying an UNUSUAL.
large sum was selected, argues supe
y-ior knowledge of the express business
or rare good luck on the part of tn
robbers
During the robbery, the passenger
on the train were in state Of wild es
element. Women tainted and me
hid their valuables under the car seat
and in their shoes or in any place tina
suggested safety from the robbers
search. Only few of the passenger
were armed. and as the bandits OUTSIDE
had the drop" on any person VIII
might show himself at door or windov
resistance was not much considered
However. the robbers contented then
selves with plundering the express ca
and did not modest the passengers.
Engineer James Knapp. who wa
badly wounded in the side and shou
der by the robbers bullets was take
TO his home in Toledo.
At the Office of General Manager
III. Crosby, some information was i'm
parted about the work done in the wa
Of pursuit. Within two hours of tn
commission of the crime Capt Byrn
wan on his way to the scene with a d.
'tachment Of detec Ives from his Blu
falo district The first trains out {
Sittsburgh, Cincinnati, Toledo, d.
troit. indianapolis, Chicago and s
Lonis carried squads of detectives
the employ Of the United States +,
press Co. and the confederate
companies The Lake Shor
Threw force of men o
the work from its Cleveland office, Z
f!i-at in the opinion Of Secretary Henri,
t.Dgtl less than 100 trained detectives ar
sAlready on the trail Of the robbcr
He did not believe any gang Of crool