The Penn's Grove record., 1893-09-15
TRAIN ROBBERS.
HOLD UP A TRAIN on THE LAKE
SHORE RAILROAD IN INDIANA,
Engineer Shot for Trying to Stait the
Train.
PASSENGERS ALLOWED TO KEEP THEIR
vALUBLEs-DIFFERENT REPORTS AS
TO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY
TAKEN.

WHY
I'D a Lake Shore train, 140 miles from
Chicago, and, after wounding the
gineer, blew open the safe in the eX-
press car and stole its contents. 1t
reached Kendallville, a small station in
Indiana, a little short of four hours
later. 1t went past the town, and had
hardly gone a mile through a stretch of
timber land when the engineer slowed
up near a curve. AS the engine ratified
round the turn the engineer saw a red
light ahead. When the train came to a
stop a dozen men sprang into the cab
and levelled rifles at the heads of the
engineer and fireman. The two rail
road men stood stupefied as the rifle
barrels cleaned in the Pickering light,
and the robbers said: Throw up your
hands"
The fireman was peaceful enough,
and lifted his arms at once. But the
engineer was not SO timid. He paid no
heed to the men nor to their arms, and,
with a cry of warning on his lips,
turned toward the passenger coaches. A
dozen rifles were quickly turned toward
the plucky fellow, and a dozen shots
startled the passengers, who had been
awakened by the sudden stopping of
the cars.
How many of the shots struck the
poor engineer was not determined, but
he fell with the blood gushing from an
immense wound.
AS the train came to a pause there
was a terrible explosion. The robbers
had put dynamite under the train, and
as the stiffness of the lonely place was
broken the express car cracked and
split, and showed a huge cash in its
side.
The conductor and the brakeman
hurried to the platforms, only to be
| covered by Winchesters in the hands
of men, who said they would shoot to
kill if a move was made. The railroad
men became motionless and dumb. A
guard was put at the end of each car
and the express car was attacked. The
messenger behind his barricaded door
refused to obey the command of the
robbers to open the express car entrance.
Shot after shot was fired at the car, but
the robbers soon saw that they could
gain no entrance by intimidation. They
were prepared for resistance. The mes
senger, pouring shot after shot at the
robbers through the opening, was soon
disarmed, and, with a blow in the
head, levelled on the floor senseless.
Halt a dozen of the twenty men then
looted the car. Dynamite was again
used in opening the safe, and the
thieves used their own time in taking
Everything they thought worth carrying
away. The guards at the doors of the
passenger coaches were called off, a few
parting shots were fired-perhaps in the
air-to warn those on the train that
pursuit meant death, and the band Of
robbers disappeared in the wooded
stretch of land that skirts the railroad.
The special officers at the Lake Shore
Depot rushed into the Harrison Street
Station and told the lieutenant in charge
that No. IA had been held up and
robbed while rolling over the Indiana
marshes. . Lieutenant Shepard at once
sent half a dozen officers to intercept
the bandits if they came toward Chi.
cago. The officers were given orders tc
go to South Chicago and wait there
until daybreak.
The Sheriff Of the county in which
the train was held up t~elegraphed Sher
iff Gilbert, of Cook county, to be or
the lookout for the robbers as they wert
coming this way.
A tramp who was stealing a ride OF
the express car of the train said there
must have been 90 or Is men in The
gang. He says that as soon as the
train came to a stand-still the men raj
along the train to the real end ant
when the train men came out on tn,
platform to see what was the matte.
they were confronted by the Winches
tiers. 1t is said that none of the pas
sengers were robbed.
Engineer Knapp and his fireman
were ordered to throw up their hand'
by the men who climbed on the engine
Knapp had one hand on the throttle
tand he attempted to start the engine
One of the desperados pushed a big re
yolver against his shoulder and fired
The bullet passed through, tearing
hole in which a lead pencil could b
laid. The noise causedb by the crashin,
of the express door when the dynamit,
bomb was hurled against it was tn
first intimation that the passengers haC
that the train was in the hands o
robbers.
There was a lively scrmble anon,
the passenger to crawl under seats AM
%secrete what valuables they had il
sight, such as watches and other lew
elry. The express car robbed was on
used by the United States Express Com
pany, and is supposed to have containe,
a large sum of money. The only in
formation had been the mere an
nouncement that the train had beer
robbed. One of the Lake Shore official
FASTENED to the home of Manage
lWygant, who started at once for the
train despatcher's Office at the depot
where . special train was being made III
for the officials of the road.
1t is said that the safe of the Unite
States Express Company containe,
$500 0 in gold, being shipped Eas
by a Chicago bank. 1t is not know
how much of the coin the robbers car
ried away.
Engineer Knapp made a plucky fgh
when the robbers climbed into the cab
He struck one with the coal pick an,
knocked him s~enseless. Anothe
opened fire and shot the engineer in tn
,chest, seriously wounding him. Tn
fireman saw a chance to make his es
cape, and, jumping through the cal
window, ran for his life. 3