The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-20
PREPARED FOR WAR
EXTRA ARMED GUARDS CALLED OUT
TO DEFEND A NIGHT TRAIN.
NARROW Visited Yesterday by Four
Suspicious Characters Supposed
to be Train Robbers--A Dal.
ton Lieutenant Recog-
niZed as One.
"Armed to the teetb,D

| ARMED to the teeth"
| That is how the Rock Island train from
the south will come into Wichita this
morning.
Last night message flashed over the
wire to Fort Worth from the Rock Island
management instructing the local officers
| OF the road at that point to secure some of
| the best and most daring men available at
hat point, thoroughly arm them and
| cause them to accompany the north bound
train, prepared to defend it against
| an attack.
The cause of all these precautionary
measures was foreshadowed in the EAGLE
yesterday morning in the article exclu-
sively published in this paper, giving de-
tails of plan to rob the Rock Island sout h
bound train atsor near Miuco the previous
Sunday night.
luis attack was contemplated by men
VINO, evidently. were no novices at the
business, for the plans were elaborate aud
showed that they had been made by mas
ter mind in the art of train robbery.
They failed, however, by reason Of the
vigilance Of one of the guards who de-
tccted cert ain suspicious movements by
man who was not a passenger, but who,
by some hook or crook, managed to be at
every station as the train arrived there.
IL was afterwards learned that be was
riding On the blind baggage of the train.
Upon further Investigation it was found
that four or five other men secretly armed
were passengers on the train to certain
point and that they exchanged peculiar
signs with the mysterious blind baggage
passenger at every station. Their move
ments being detected their plans were
thwarted.
Yesterday morning four men heavily
armed arrived at the little town of
NARROW in the Indian Territory.
station or two distant from where
the suspects left the train Sun
day night. They wanted ammunition
on pretense of going out towards Fort Sill
on "A hunting expedition, but here We're
no cartridges in the little town that would
fit their Winchesters and they hastily left
town and proceeded to another station in
hopes of getting the desired ammunition
there.
They claimed to be Kansas City men
visiting the territory for hunt, but after
they had left NARROW one or two citizens
SdNC IL out IudI tuty were Irdiu EOUDeES.
One of the men was recognized beyond
mistake AS Bill Hartley. formerly a MEM
Der of the Starr gang and at one timet also
member of the Dalton Gang. He is one
of the most blood-thlrsty robbers in the
territory, and it is said hat he is wanted
bot b in Tennessee and Arkansas for train
robbing.
When this information was given cur
rency, which was not till the robbers were
a safe distance, the little town became ex-
cited and the few people who live there
armed themselves for defense; for sus-
picion took hold of them that as the little
city WAS found barren of ammunition that
the robbers might conclude that the peo-
pie were not i'll a position to make a de- |
fensr, and would pillage it last night.
In he meantime the agent Of ths Rock
Island telrgraphed the incident to COM
pany headquarters, and the result was
that extra guards were ordered put on at
Fort Worth
1t is understood also that Doc Ward |
who went down last night. will in the
forces from Fort Worth if he reaches them |
before the attack aud will be in com.
mand. Doc Ward is one of the guard |
on the Rock Island trains and he is "bad |
medicine" when it comes to meeting rob- |
bers He has record-he got his man |
once. When he was on the police force at |
Topeka criminal shot him and while |
stretched on the ground, apparently in a |
dying condition, he lifted himself up on |
his elbow, fired his revolver aud killed the |
criminal who had shot him. 1t is said |
that he is one of the bravest men in Kan
sas, and if robbers ever attack a train |
guarded by him some Of them will bite
I he dust. He will never let them rob a
single individual so long as he has a bull
let left or lie to draw bead on the at
tacking party.
One of the Rock Island men told re-
porter for the EAGLE last night that the
company have had information recently
that an attack on their trains was contem-
plated and that they are determined to
teach the robbers lesson the moment an
attempt is made.