The evening bulletin., 1893-09-04
A TRAIN HELD UP.
The Express Messenger Shot
and Killed.
EVERY PASSENGER ROBBED

The Crime Occurred on the st. Louis and
San Francisco Road at Mound Valley,
Kansas-The Outlaws Did Not Secure
Anything From the Express Car and
After Robbing tho Passengers Made
Their Escape.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, Sept. About 4
o'clock Sunday morning the eastbound
passenger train ON the st. Louis and
San Francisco road, in charge of Con-
dnctor Mills, was held up by highway
men at Mound Valley, Kan, flag sta
tion, short distance east of Oswego,
Kan, Express Messenger Chapman shot
and killed and every passenger robbed
of their valuables.
The train had stopped to take on a
passenger. As the train was ready to
move, two men. armed with Win
chesters, sprang from the platform onto
the tender and ordered the engineer to
pull out until told to stop. The engi-
ueer obeyed. 1t was at this point that
the messenger, G. A. Chapman, was
killed. One of the highway1nan looked
around the side of the car and saw the
messenger standing in the door of his
car. The robber fired and the messen-
ger fell out of the car. When the train
had gone about two miles the engineer
was ordered to stop and the engine crew
were locked in the baggage car with
the baggageman.
The robbers first entered the express
car, but found the safe locked, the key
being in the pocket of the messenger.
They pried and battered the lock, but
could not open the safe. Time being
valuable to them the three robbers then
entered the smoker, two in front and
one in the rear. The robbers in front
ordered all hands up, which command
was emphasized by the man in the rear
telling everybody to sit still. The col
ored porter was the first man robbed.
The leader of the gang was unmasked
and the other two wore handkerchiefs
over their faces.
After the passengers in the smoker
had been relieved of their valuables the
robbers went back to the first chair
car. where the same program was car
ried out. In the meantime a porter
had made his way back to the second
chair car and informed Conductor Mills
of the stoppage. The conductor went
into the sleeper and locked the door.
Chief of Police Cone of Wichita was in
the sleeper, and started to give battle
to the robbers, but was dissuaded by
the conductor, who told him the rob-
bers were we'll armed and desperate
men, and the loss of life would be too
great. The officer and the porter then
posted themselves at the door of the
sleeper with pistols. The second chair
car was the last one visited by the rob-
bers. 1t was searched in the saAne sys-
tenn and manner as @e other two
The robbers then unlocked the bag
gage car and told the engineer he could
go on. The trainmen Ngan looking
for the missing messenger. 1t was not
until the train pulled back to the depot
that the body of Messenger Chapman
was found. 1t was in the weeds a
short distance from the track. He was
quite dead, Winchester bullet having
crashed through the back of his head
Chapman's body was taken to his home
in Joplin, Mo. He was "a years old.
and recently married. The robbers oc-
cupied only IS minutes, and half an
hours time was consumed in all before
the train again got under way.
The sheriff at Oswego has two parties
in pursuit. 1t is thought that the rob-
bers have gone toward the Indian Ter
ritory. The three men were young,
well-dressed, cool in their work and evi-
IDENTIFY old hands at it. Officers of the
road have had warning of this raid and
have been expecting it for a month
Vigorous pursuit of the desperadoes is
already on foot