The Forrest City times., 1894-04-13
BRAVE JACK HARMON.

. Exprcss Messenger Who Deserves w.,I of His Employers-A Train R obber s.nt TO Kingdom Come-The Tragic Out
 ,.r,e to the Robbers, of an Attempt to uo,d In and Rob Rock Island Train Near Poud Creek, Okla.
 WICHITA, Kas.. April 1.-The Dal- .o,s or other train robbers attempted Monday night to hold up the Rock rsIand train Nc. 1, miles below Pond Creel, in the Oklahoma territory. They met an unexpected resistance at the hands of Jake Harmon, the Wells Fargo express messenger, who shot the first man who tried to break in the ex. nress car by the use of dynamite. The otber men in the gang tried to escape, hut the traiEmen succeeded in wound inc and capturing another of the men and two horses The other bandits succeeded in getting away, but with out any booty.
 THE TRAIN WENT THROUGH POND CREEK, which is a new town in the strip. about Il o'clock. It was evidently at this point that two men mounted the front platform of the express car next to the locomotive. The train had gone about miles from the town when one of the men with a revolver in each hand clim bed on the tender and com peled the engineer to stop. No sooner had the train come to standstill than three or four men suddenly appeared out of the darkness.
 THE MEN ON THE LOCOMOTIVE
 kept the engineer and fireman from giving the alarm, while the rest of the gang went back to baggage car and ex- press car. They tried to open the door, but the messenger had become alarmed and had the door securely fastened The bandits then fired through the car and brought out stick of dynamite with which they blew out the end of the ear. They then tried to enter the car, but Messenger Harmon was ready for them.
 HK SHOT AND KILLED THE FIRST MAN to put his head in sight This was more than the other members Of the gang expected, and they attempted to beat hasty retreat. By this time other trainmen had come to IIarmon's relief. and another desperate was wounded. The other masked men ran .O their horses, which were waiting, hastily mounted and rode away in the darkness, leaving their wounded com panion on the ground. He was picked up by the trainmen, put in one of the cars and his wounds cared for as we'll as could be under the circumstances.
 TWO HORSES CAPTURED.
 Two horses which had been left for the victims were also captured. The train then backed up to Pond Creek from which point the alarm was sent out and arrangements made for the pursuit of the bandits. Telegrams were sent to all the sheriffs in this part of the country, and every effort will be made to bring the robbers to jus tice. Among the passengers
 THERE WAS THE GREATEST EXCITEMENT. few attempted to go out and see what was the cause of the sudden stop, but the firing led them to stay in the ear. One man stuck his head out of the window, but when he saw re- volver pointed his way he quickly withdrew it. As soon, however, as it became known that the bandits had been defeated in their efforts to hold up the train, the passengers went out and lifted up the bodies of the dead and wounded men on the train.
 THE ROBBERY WAS WELL PLANNED.
 The region is wild one, in which the bandits, who are we'll acquainted with the lay of the land, would have a great advantage over any posse that should attempt to follow them. Each enc of the masked men had his specific duty assigned him in true bandit style, and the horses were ready for escape and for carrying off the booty. Had it not been for the unexpected bravery of Jack Harmon the hold-up would have