Passaic City record., 1893-09-30
TRAIN ROBBERS TRAPPED.
TWO OF A BAND KILLED AND
FOUR IN CUSTODY.

A Dummy Train Sent Out From st.
Joseph, Mo-, With a Force OF
Men Inside-A Battle in the Ex-
press Car-One Bandit Betrays
His Fellows.
The Kansas City, st. Joseph and Council
Bluffs Road foiled night attempt to rob one
of its passenger trains, killed two OF its rob-
bers and captured four others at Francis, one
and half miles from ST. Joseph, Mo. The
dead are Fred Kohler and Hugo Engel. The
names OF those captured are Charles Fred
erick. N. A. Hurst Henry Gleitze and VIII
liam Carver
Train No. left Kansas City at 9.05 o'clock
n. M. and arrived at 1890 a. No. The of1-
cials of the road had been notined ina. Ine
robbery had been planned, and informed the
police. When the train arrived dummy
train was made up and sixteen police officers,
under command OF the Chief OF. Police, were
put aboard.
In order thoroughly to deceive the robbers
the train was made an exact duplicate OF
train No 8, consisting of an engine and ten
der an express and baggage car and the
usual coach and Pullman. When the dummy
train reach a point two miles north OF st.
Joseph. the engineers attention was arrested
by a lighted lantern moving to and fro De-
tween the rails. He obeyed the signal, ana
biz masked men surrounded the engine One
of the six mounted the engine and pre-
senting one revolver at the engineers head
and another at the flreman's held them In
snbiection while the other five fastened to
rob the express car. Ihey ordered the
messenger to open the door, which he did
forthwith Three of the robbers at once
entered the car, leaving the two outside to
keep guard
train were distributed in the various cars,
the majority of them being concealed in the
express car As soon as the three bandits
who had undertaken the work OF robbfng
the car entered the door, the police ordered
them to surrender. The robbers were taken
completely by surprise, but they opened hre
at once upon the police. The latter returned
the fire, and general fusilade followed.
About twenty-five shots were fired on both
sides. When the smoke cleared away. the
lifeless bodies of Kohler and Engel were
found on the floor of the car. Both had been
shot through the head. The bullet which
struck Kohler produced instant death. Engel
was still breathing, but he died soon after
ward. Frederick, the third robber engaged
in the fight in the car. was uninjured and
was placed under arrest. None OF the police
men was injured.
While the fight was going on in the car,
those of the police not engaged in 1t were
looking arIer the TWO IOUpSIS WIZ utu UCSu
left outsideto keep watch. The police quickly
placed them under arrest. The bandit who
had been detailed to guard the engineer and
flre.nen quickly realized the situation when
he heard the shooting in the express car, and
made his escape. His name is Henry Gleltze.
Several policemen were promptly put ON has
track and he was caught.
A remarkable feature Of the fight in the
express car was the escape OF all the police
men from injury. The three robbers in the
car were each armed with brace of reyolv-
ers and used them freely, but they did no
damage.
Kohler's body was pierced by forty-tEree
bullets, yet while he lay on the ground he
managed to fire four shots before he died.
Engel was struck by fourteen bullets, yet
lived short time. The coaches were rid
died with bullets and all of the windows were
shot out. Kohler married an estimable
young woman about three weeks ago.
The robbers had two sticks of dynamite, to
each of which was attached a fuse about
three feet long. 1t was known to the officers
on the train that dynamite might be used
and it was at first proposed to let the robbers
explode some of it before firing on them. Be-
lore leaving ST. Joseph, however, Chief Bro
der decided it would be a dangerous risk and
he instructed the messenger to open the door
before the robbers had a chance to ex-
plode it.