The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-08-11
A DIAB0LICAL SCHEME
70 Wreck a Frisco Express Train
with Dynamite.
The Explosion Preceded by an Attack Up
on the Express Messenger ON His
Car by One OF the Gang. Whom
the Messenger Drove ON.


ATTEMPTED EXPRESS ROB3ERy.
ST. Louis, Aug. Frisco passenger
train No. ,. which left st. Louis al
s:25 Thursday evening. was attacked by
-obbcrS about | mile west of Valley
Park.
A few minutes after leaving Valley
Park the express messenger. f. ID. Fer
yuson. passed from the forward car to
the express car in the rear. as he says,
TO get some way bills. and upon return
ing to the forward car a moment later,
he was confronted by 4 man. who
,pranged from behind a safe. revolver
IN hand.
THE MESSENGER SEIZED THE WEAPON.
which was at that moment discharged.
the ball passing through the mcssen-
gers thumb and entering the left
shoulder nea- the joint. The messen-
ger rcturne1 the fire. both with re-
Volver and carbinc, but in the confu-
sion and excitement under which he
was laboring is unable to say whether
his shots took effect. The would-be
cobbcr pulled the air whistle and run
ming to the north side of the car jumped
off into the darkness.
No WAS SECURED
by the robber. and if others were asso-
ciatcd with him that fact can not be
asccrtained at this time.
The train proceeded on its way west
after the shooting occurred.
Messenger Ferguson was carried to
Pacific, where his wounds were at
tended TO. The bali wasextracted and
the wound pronounced serious. though
not dangerous.
HuISTED L II DYNAMITE.
The train, after the shooting at Val
ley Park. met with another mishap
which in regarded as part of a pre-.
arranged plan to wrccI; and rob the
train. Som OF the gang forced open
4 car of dynamite that stood on
the side track below the station ut
Eureka and stole two big dynamite
cartridges that were intended for hcavy
blasting in quarrieS and mines.
Each cartridge was capable of tear
ing TO pieces Ions of solid rock. They
tverc placed by the dastardly bandits
On the rails, the intention being to de-
Stroy the wcSt-bound California ex-
press train and plumber the richly
laden express car and probably the pas
Sengcrs.
s!MPTY 4 MIRACLE.
1t is Il miracle that the entire train !
was not hurled to destruction. for the
m~iscreantS who attempted to wreck it
placed the cartridges within a few feet
of the car containing ten tons of dvna-
snitc. Then they secreted themselves
and waited for the train that was due
to arrive a few minutes before 10. The
train left st. Louis at S:36 o'clock and
only n few minutes behind. the de-
lay having been caused by the shoot
ing of the express messenger. When
the forward wheels of the engine rolled
on the cartridges there was
4 TERRIFIC EXPLOSION
which lifted the machine from the
tracks and tore The massive pilot from
the steel bolts with which it wa
to the engine. All the forward
part OF the machine was wrecked and
twisted, and, although it was able to
carry the train a few miles beyond. it
'"' 49, '''' "INNAOt III dIlpIilCE
had to be procured. The entire
was severely shaken, windows
and packages of letters thrown
from the boxes III the mail car. 1t is
how
rIIE CARLOAD OF DYNAMITE SCAPE
Thc explosion tore a great hole in
the earth, wranched the rails from
fastcnings and flung the ties in
every direction. ], tore open one side
of the dynamite car and exposed to
view tons of the powerful explosive,
vet for some u~naccountable reason this
great mass of dynamite. with energy
enough to blow the entire city of st.
Louis off the face of the earth, did not
If it had not n person in all
those 1873 passengers would have es-
capped.
Detectives have been set to work on
the casc. but beyond 4 general descrip-
ton of the man who attacked Messcn-
ger Ferguson there is not known to be
any tangible clew to the would-be rob