The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-15
cid UP In HIS CAR.
A STORY OF THE keNDALLvILLER ROB-
Berry FROM THE INSIDE.

| Al Express utshthEtFb ho'Os
The Robbers Seemed to he Pretty Good
Fellows at Hcart-How They Got Into
the Burglar Proof Safe.
Express Messenger NJ. M. Weist, who
was blown up by the train robbers near
/ Kendallville, Ind, had just returned from a
| trip over the Lake Shore road, and very
readily told of his thrilling experience in
the famous robbery. He has lived in Buff
| falo about a year and has been an express
messenger on the Lake Shore road for IL
years
We were rolling along at good lively
rate My assistant, b. b. Hamlin, and my
self were alone in the car 1t was about
1880 in the morning. The lights were turned
low, and most of the passengers back in the
coaches and sleepers were asleep. just as
we were approaching the switch at Kess-
Ter the emergency brakes were suddenly
applied with great force, and the train came
to a quick stop. | opened the door of the
car and ed ahead. | saw at once that
the red switch light was turned on us,
which caused the engineer to stop so sud
denly. Before had time to look a second
time or shout to the engineer crack"
bang" sounded a pistol shot by the en-
CINE, and / knew what was the matter.
They're after u.s. said to Hamlin, and
closed the door and fastened it as quickly
as possible. Then / went to the local safe
and took out bag of currency and all the
valuables / could get hold of and threw
them over among the boxes and packages
in the freight end of the car. That was the
last l knew for some time When l recov-
cred consciousness, was lying on the floor
of the car, and two of the robbers were in
side at work.
Immediately after stopping the train
they had placed dynamite bomb on the
outside sill of the car door, and the eXplo-
sion, the great conclusion, is what made
me unconscious. When l came to, as l
said, two of them were inside and had the
lamps lighted. The chmneys had been
broken by the shock, and as the car was
full of smoke you can imagine that it was
something like a nightmare to rouse up
from Inconsistencies and see those two
masked robbers in there through that dim,
, smoky light The moment l stirred one of
them, the shorter one, covered me with a
, winchester rifle. Hamlin was guarded in
the same way. They had red handkerchief
, tied over their faces up to their eyes and
, tucked down around their necks.
We're here for business" said one Of
them rs / staggered up to Il half standing
position. 1t was the tall one-the leader
who spoke.
~ see you are, " said |.
, NV here is the money2' he asked.
"In the large safe, most of it," replied
!, What have is in the local safe"
well, want it," he said. | threw the
door open and told him to help himself.
There is nothing in there to amount to
( anything but Niger jewery and valuable
e papers," | said as | opened the door,
$ well, I'll see, and ID quick too" he
r replied, and began to pull the things out
:, of the safe.
+ | want to explain to you that there are
[ two safes in an express car One is the sta
: tionary safe, which has all the greatest val
;. uables, and the local safe, in which we carry
n things of less value and small amounts of
l. money. We always call all jewelry mig
}. ger'i jewelry. The stationary safe we never
4 open. The dial is taken off the lock at one
e end of the route and not opened until it
t gets to the other end-that is, say, between
$ Chicago and New York or between San
S Francisco and Chicago.
!, But to get back to the robber. He pulled
Il out two orthree packages, and after break
ing them open and finding no money in
] them seemed to fly into a most furious
u rage The jewelry he didn't want and
e threw it on the floor In some of the pack
p ages there was some railroad money, but
he didn't know where to look for it and so
Re didn't find it. Then he turned to me, and
r with the most frightful oath that | ever
If heard asked me- Where is the money!"
@ 'In there" said, turning to the station
e AIRY safe.
! open it," he demanded.
< 81 can't" said |.
" "Then you open it," he said, turning to
Hamlin.
&c al ,or,t >, cold uanl;n onJ tLa, I nv,
r planned to him that the dial was off and we
had no way of opening it.
u "Well, I'll open it ID quick" he
" growlcd and ordered some one outside the
car to get him "a pickaX At this point
asked him if | might pick up the freight
bills that he had thrown about on the floor
IS and he gave me the privilege. | gathered
a them up, and we talked all the time BY
IS that time he had got "A sledge hammer and
n told his partner to order us to the rear OF
/. the car and allow us to make barricade OF
the freight boxes. did not know what
, this was for at first, but soon saw. 1t was
lie to protect us from the explosion when he
II blew open the safe We made little bar
n ricade, and the watcher got behind it with
r us, keeping us covered with a winchester
r rifle all the time.
n Then the other man went to work al
n sledge and then, after STOPPING over anC
Le fussing about Il minute lighted a fuse anG
e sprang back near where we We're. Ther
&c came a discharge and Immediately he would
lie rush back again. He put four cartridges il
t, the safe before he blew it open sufficient,
II to suit him. know that he must hav
III been an expert safe blower because wa
I'd told that the safe was burglar proof but III
lie opened it, While he was working at it
ne said to him: You're making pretty lon,
OF job of this. If you don't get away prett,
soon, there'll be posse down here from
Kendallville.'
Never mind" he replied; when tn
~ posse comes We'll CO." and lie said it just a
q coolly as do now.
'h After the safe was opened he took out tn
Id bags>of money and turning to his com
ut panion said, Tom, come on" He got on
III of the car first, and then Tom backed out
II keeping us covered with his winchester al
"A the time. They were at work in the ca
en- just 80 minutes, but we were delayed a
he hour and five mnutes.-Buffalo News.
IL The Deadly Tinto River.
mn H.,