The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-25
TEE TABLES TURNED
A Daring Attempt to Rob a
Passenger Train
Foiled.
TWO OF THE ROBBERS KILLED
The Railroad officials Had Been
ForeWarned and Sent ont
Dummy Train.


Council Bluffs road foiled an attempt to
rob one of its passenger trains. killed
Two OF the bandits and captured three
others at Francis, one and q half miles
from this city, last night. The dead are:
Fred Kohler and Hugo Engel. The names
of those captured are Charles FrederieKs,
N. A. Hurst and William Carver.
Train No. was the intended victim.
1t left Kansas City a5 9:05 o'clock last
night and arrived here at 9:30 O'Clock this
morning. The officials of rhe railroad
had been notified that the robbery of the
road had been planned and they notified
the police. When the train arrived here
dummy was made up and sixteen police
officers, under command of the Chief Of
Police, were put aboard.
THE DUMMY ATTACHED.
In order to thoroughly deceive the r0n-
bers, the train was made an exact dupli.
cate of the train number three and con-
sisted of an engine and tender. an express
and baggage car and the usual coach and
/ Pullmans. When Jheidummy reached q
point two miles north OF ST Joseph the
engineers attention was arrested by
lighted lantern moving to and fro
between the rails, He obeyed the signal
and six masked men surrounded sshe
engine. One of the six mounted the en-
g!ne. and presenting one revolver at the
engineers head and another at the fire.
| mans. held them in subsection while the
other five men hastened to rob the ex-
press car. They ordered the mes
senger to open the door, which
he did forthwith. Three of the bandits
| at once entered the car. leaving two
without to keep guard.
OPENED FIRE ON THE POLICE.
The policemen who were guarding the
train were distributed in the various
| cars, the majority of them being cou-
| cealed in the express car. Immediately
| the three bandits who had undertaken
| the work of robbing the car, entered the
| door the police ordered them TO surrender.
| the robbers were taken completely by
| surprise, but they opened fire as
once upon the police. The police re-
| followed. About twenty-five shots were
| fired on both sides. When the smoke
| cleared awav, the hfeless bodies of
Kohler aud Enpel were found.
| Fredericks, the third robber engaged in
| the fight in the car, was uninjured and
was placed under arrest. None Of the
| officers were injured.
THE WATCHERS CAUGHT.
| While the fight was going on In the
| car, those of the police not engaged In it
| were looking afteE the two robbers who
| had been left outside to Keep watch. The
| police quickly took them in aud Rplaced
! them under arrest The bandit who had
been detailed to guard the engineer and
| fireman quickly realized the situation
when he heard the battle going on in the
| express car aud promptly made his
| escape. A detail of officers was put.on
| his track and quickly took up the pur-
suit with every prospect Of capturing the
| fugitive before dawn.
| THE OFFICERS ESCAPED INJURY.
| A remarkable feature of the fight in
| the express car was the escape OF all the
| officer from injury. The three robb5es
| In the car were each armed with brace
| of revolvers and used them freely, but
| still they did no damage The bodies of
| Kohler and Engel were brought here In
the dummy train, which returned to the
/ city soon after the encounter. They
| were taken to an uDdertaksrs.
/ The prisoners Fredericks, Hurstl and
| Carver were brought here on the same
train with their dead comrades aud were
locked up at the police station. AL Of
the train robbers lived here.
| THEIR FIRST PLOT FAILED.
| The robbers were all residents of this
city, and with two exceptions were des'
| perate men. They formed q plot LAST
| week to hold up and rob the Omaha ex-
| press at Roy's Branch, one mile above
| this city. Friday night was set for the
robbery. but owing to the fact that the
robbers got trains mixed up. the train of
that DAY escaped. Yesterday the officials
of The railroad company were notified by
| Hurst, who turned traitor, that another
attempt would be made at one o'clock
this morning at the same place. The
officials quietly side>tracked tue regular
| train, and, with train made up like the
regular, the two rear coaches darK-
ened to add TO the eoncep-
lion, started for the place. In tho
| baggage car were fifteen armed
police commanded by Chief Broder,
Sheriff Carson and four deputies, all
heavily armed. General Manager Brown
and Superintendent Hohl wers also in
the party. At the place stated by Hurst.
red light brought the train to q stop.
The result is narrated above.