Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-09-27
COLDLEAD FOR BANDITS
Express Companies Prepared to
 Meet Train Robbers.
MESSENGERS NOW FULLY ARMED.

MESSENGERS NOW FULLY ARMED. One Express onicIaI Favors n Federal Law
 to Punish Offenders, Saying In Some Lo-
 ealIties the Robber Is Bigger Than the
 Express Company.
 NEW YORK, Sept. 2I.-A reporter made the rounds of the express offices yesterday to see if, in view of the almost daily rob berries in the west, the express companies were getting alarmed and were taking ex- tra precautions to protect their interests. as the Canadian companiss have done
 Are you afraid of train robbers" eN- Senator Thomas C. Platt, president of the United States Express company, was asked just as he was leaving the office
 No, sir, we are not afraid of them" re- piled Mir. Platt, but we are ready for them, and we are taking extra precautions to protect ourselves. We are putting extra men on the train through to the west on all trains wherever our interests may be. The men are thoroughly equipped, and are ready to look out for our interests and their own
 And they are going to shoot, too, added Mir. Platt, nervously clutehing his fingers as though he had hold of a winchester
 When asked if the other companies were doing the same thing, MT Plntt said hr supposed they were, although he did not know. There had been no conference of the companies to adopt uniform measures for protection.
 Cold Lead For the Robbers.
 When asked what he thought of the proposition To amend the interstate com merce act so as to give the federal courts jurisdiction in case of the robbery of an in terstate train, he said it would have q Salu tary effect in checking the practice.
 From another source it was learned that on n number of routes on which one man had been sent in the past two were now sent. One of the officials was asked what he thought of the proposed federal law.
 Il haven't thought much about it, but cold lead is the only thing that will stop them" the official replied.
 General Manager II. :, Julier of the American company was asked, Are you afraid of themy"
 No, sir" replied Mir Julier
 When asked if special extra precautions had been taken, he said, No more than We have had the last two or three years"
 When questioned further, Mir Julier said, We are all ready for them.
 When asked a second time, he replied They'll find plenty of cold lead if they try to trouble Us" Further than that, as tC the number of winchesters, he didn't care to talk.
 General Manager Dudley Evans of Wells Fargo X Co, was asked, Are you afraid oi the train robberS!"
 Well, said Mir. Evans automatically they've held Ills up morc than they have any one else.
 NIT. Evans Was Reticent.
 When asked if special preparations had been taken, MT Evans said it wasn't q good idea to let the robbers know what he company was doing When asked if spe- cial instructions had been sent to the agents in the west, he said none. except that to take care of themselves and their weapons etc.
 He thought that a federal law providing for hanging or imprisonment in cases where train robbing resulted in loss of life would have n salutary effect on the rob bers. He said that under ra United States law the men would be removed from the immediate scene of tho robbery and tried in some court where the local prejudice would not act. Often in the west he said, the local feeling was with the poor train robbers aS against the greedy eastern cor porations He was very glad that the rail roads in the west were cooperating with the express companies by arming their conductors and brakemen.
 Superintendent William Hoey of the Adams company didn't say that he or his company was afraid of the robbers. When asked if special precautions were being taken, he said they did not care to say more than that they were taking such precau tions as prudent man would to protect his interests.
 You may say, he said, that ill com mon with the other companies We are pro tecting our interests"
 Robbers Bigger Than Express Companies. When asked if he would care to state the number of rounds of ammunition and the number of winchcstcrs and colts the , men had, he replied that he would not and besides. they might prefer remingtons.
 He was in favor of a federal law dealing with Ihe train robbers The trials, he said, would be freed from looGl prejudice which was 50 strong in favor of the rob bers. He remarked that in some parts oi the west the train robber was bigger than the express companies. and the grand juries were afraid to indict the robbers be cause the jurors feared the robbers would shoot them or burn their property If train robbing was made an offcnsc against the government, the work of catch ing the robbers would devolve upon United States marshals, who would do moro ef. ficient work than the local sheriffs, and need not halt at state borders. Mir Hoey | let drop the statement:
 Our men arc all prepared. We have men along the line and at the terminal { points. We send out extra men" | Mir. Hoey said it was remarkable what d fascination the business had for the ex- press agents He said there seemed to be so strong an element of excitement in the ! life that agents who had been in the busi- ness for years often did not want to give up their route for promotion in the service | They never seemed to fear dangerous 1 routes.
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