St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-14
Police Believe the Robbers
Had Accomplices on
Board.
ONE SUSPECT ARRESTED.
Passengers and Officials Tell
the Story of the Hold
Up.

received this afternoon from Quantice
says that large force OF officers is OF
the ground searching for clues to the
train robbers, but that there are no new
. developments. Ii has been established
however, that the robbers crossed the
Potomac to the Maryland side.
The police authorities are inclined to
blame the express messenger for failing
to offer resistance, and the belief is ex-
pressed among them that the work was
accomplished through the cooperation
OF some one of the train crew.
A suspect was arrested here today by
the police. The man possesses high.
shrill voice, and those who were on the
express train recall the fact that a
noticeable trait of one of the rob-
bers was his penetrating falsetto
voice. While in the lodging house
at which he was arrested, the man
intiInated that he had been con-
cerned in robbery and had not been
treated fairly in the division of pro-
ceeds. claiming at one time that he had
been ignored by his associates. Later
he denied this statement. Soon after
city were notified and they, accompa-
MED by Messenger Crutchfield, who was
in charge of the looted car, hurriedly
rode to the station. They had a short
conference with Lieut.. Amiess, but soon
afterward left without visiting the
prisoners cell.
Local representatives OF the company
a Of
bers gained probably cannot be learned
accurately until tomorrow. but they in-
cline to the belief that $3.50. .00o is large
exaggeration of the loss. One theory
here as to the identity of
the robbers is that they were
formerly members OF some one or the
other of the numerous bands of so-called
"industrials," who were attracted to
the national capital by the Coxey move
ment. The local police believe that they
were not professional thieves, but were
men familiar with the train service.
The demand for the manifest" they
believe. indicates that at least one OF
them was railroad man.
Capt. Arthur Barnes, of North Caro-
lima, member of the force of sergeant
alarms of the senate. was passenger
OH the held.up train. He says that the
first intimation the passengers had of
any unusual occurrence was when the
firing began, which was almost
simultaneously with the stopping
of the train. There we're three
shots fired by the robbers, and the pas
sengers Immediately reached the con-
clusion that the firing was intended 10
caution them to remain on the inside.
They took the hint and kept their seats.
Some of the male passengers wanted to
attack the robbers, but when
they discovered that there was
only one pistol in the entire
party, this idea was abandoned. There
were about seventy-five passengers
aboard. Capt. Barnes says that the
express messenger. with whom he
talked, told him that the safe had not
been blown open, as at the time
the train was stopped the messengers
were engaged in asserting the
money packages and arranging them
according to their destination, and had
them out of the safe for this purpose.
The messenger, with whom Barnes
talked, told him that the greater part
of the money was from Jacksonville
and Richmond. and he estimated that it
amounted to between $50. 900 and $780,
600.
The taking possession of the engine
was entrusted to one man. who held a
revolver in each hand and covered the
engineer and fireman. After they had
completed their work, the robbers COM
manded the engineer and fireman to
detach the engine, fill the tank with
water and coal up.
The engine was then boarded by the
robbers who were near it, and after pro-
ceedlng about 200 yards stopped TO take
on others VINO were on the embaukment
above the train. The trainmen put the
number of robbers at from six to eight.
The place of the robbery was
inteligently selected. being in
a deep cut with no houses
in sight, and field on one side of the
road and forest on the other. The moon
was only partially ooscured by clouds.
but the robbers wore masks over the
lower part of their faces, and their feat
ures could not be clearly distinguished.
They told the engineer and fireman, as
well as the messengers, that they only
wanted the express money.
I'VE want no packages" said one of
the robbers to the messenger. and the
messenger took advantage of this to toss
two packages of bonds. QUE containing
$4,000 and the other $4,000. into a pile
of packages.
1--WE don't want any of yours" he
also said, when he learned that watch
hanging in the car belonged to the mes
senger. "Afe you afraid of losing your
job?" he asked. "Well, quit the bust.
ness and get into ours. There's more
money In it," The robber also cut
the packages open like mau who
understood the business. He handled
everything as if he was acquainted with
the business of eXpressage. mo jew
elry. watches or packages" he said, as
the messenger was getting out the stuff
in the safe. I'VE want nothing put the
money of the express company"
1t has been impossible to ascertain
how many robbers were engaged in the
hOld'up. Two stood guard over the
engineer and fireman and one went
into the express car. There was
more or less shooting about the
train and the talk heard by