The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-09-22
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Michigan-A Train Held Up in Broad
Light and Robbed of $4,000.
HoUGHToN. Mich, Sept 16.-The ex-
press car of the mineral range passen.
ger train, which left Hancock at
o'clock yesterday morning for Calumet
was held up and robbed by bandits, a
half mile from Boston station, about
half an hour later. The robbers Sc
cured $4,000 in cash, money intended
for the employees of the Calumet and
Hecla copper mine, for whom to-day
was pay day. The money was drawn
from the First national bank of Hough-
top and the Superior savings bank OF
Hancock.
The express car was in charge Of
Messenger d. w. Hogan, and there was
no special guards. The money was
not, according to the usual practice the
day before pay day, at the big mine,
and the thought that there were train
robbers daring enough to make raid
on the valuable treasure in broad day
light apparently never entered the
minds of the railroad officials or of the
trainmen.
The train was going along at the
usual speed and was within half a
mile of the little station called Boston,
five miles from here, when man
stepped into the middle IF the track
and tagged the train. The engineer
quickly applied the brakes, no thought
of train robbers entering his mind.
The man disappeared behind the sta
ton house and as the train stopped
two women passengers got off.
At that moment a masked man
jumped on the locomotive and pointed
revolver at Engineer Nick Schiller
and ordered him to stop. The engineer
thought he was fooling or was a luna
tic, but the gun went off, the ball
whizZing past Schuler's left ear and
the engineer knew he was at the mercy
of a desperate man. The fellow pushed
the engineer into the corner of the cab,
grabbed the air-brake lever to keep the
engine moving slowly. He opened the
throttle slightly, showing perfect
familiarity in handling an engine.
Fireman Sutherland jumped out of
the cab window and was met by two
front of the engine and fred at him,
ordering him back on the engine on
pain of instant death. The fireman
had no alternative but to obey. Two
more robbers had in the meantime got
onto the front end of the express car
and with sledge smashed in the car
door. Express Messenger Hogan then
tells his story.
II was sitting in my chair, he said,
with my feet on box singing when
heard a crash and looking that way
saw masked man covering me with
two revolvers and ordering hands up.
There was another man just behind
him l threw up my hands mighty
quick and the robbers took my gun
away; then they demanded the keys of
the safe. l pretended to be looking
for the right key when they threat
ened to kill me if l did not hurry up.
1 then opened the safe and took
out the four packages of currency,
and one of the robbers scooped them
into bag he carried. Backing out of
the car door again they fired two shots,
evidently as signal to to the robber
on the train, who ordered the engineer
to go on, saying: You will find a rail
pulled up about three miles ahead. ~
The engineer pulled the throttle wide
open and flew for the Osceola telegraph
office when the news Of the robbery
was at once telegraphed here.
The robbers leaving the train passed
to the rear of it and disappeared in the
woods, the one having the treasure
waving his hand at the passengers,
who were ignorant of what had taken
place, so quickly was the robbery COM
pletsd.
The loss by the robbery falls on the
American Express Co., which has or
dered the best detectives from Chicago
Engineer Schiller says the voice of the
robber on the locomotive was familiar
TO him. A large revolver and leather
strap was found near the spot where
the robbers left the train. The sledge
hammer they had with them was left
on the car.
The widest excitement prevails
throughout the county, as this is the
first train robbery in the history of the
copper region.