Mexico weekly ledger., 1894-10-25
MISSOURI PACIFIC HOLn.UP.
coaches lsiidied With bullets and
Passengers Injured and Robbed
Cooks Gang The Outlaws

FORT SMITH, Ark, Oct. 22.-The
south bound Kansas City and Mem
phis express on the Missouri Pacific
was held up and robbed by the Cook
gang of outlaws at Cowetta, a small
station between Wagner and Fort
Gibson at 10 O'Clock Saturday night,
arriving here nine hours late.
When the train was within Il few
feet of the switch a man darted from
behind the embankment and threw
the switch, running the train into
the siding. 1t collided with a string
OF empty cars which were standing
on the siding and was brought to a
sudden stop.
The moment the train stoppedthe
bandits began firing into the for
ward cars. There were eight or ten
men in the gang, who distributed
themselves along the side of the
train.
Two of them mounted the engine
aud forced the engineer and the
fireman to alight. They were
marched to the express car and
threatened with instant death unless
they compelled the express messen-
ger to open the door of his car. The
messenger refused to open at first,
but rs the robbers kept firing a
fusillade of bullets through the side
of the car he finally complied with
the commands of the robbers and
the entreaties Of the engineer and
fireman and threw open the car
door.
Two robbers Immediately entered
and secured all the money in the
local safe. They commanded Mes
senger Ford to open the through
safe, but whom he axplainad-tha
the combination was only known at
the main office at the end of the
line, they left the "a
Meanwhile the other robbers had
been going through the train de-
handing the money and valuables
of the passengers. Before they had
completed their work a freight train
which had followed the passenger
closely out of Wagner drew in sight
and Cook ordered his followers out
of the train.
The gang instantly remounted
their horses and firing a parting
volley at the train, rode off in a
northerly direction. While the rob
bers were at work inside the car
their confederates on the outside
kept up a continual firing, which
had the desired effect in soaring the
passengers and trainmen and pre-
venting resistance.
Two men were wounded, one of
whom, John Mahara, advance agent
of a minstrel company, may die.
He was wounded in the forehead
and taken back to Wagner on the
freight train for medical attendance.
VIM. Brown, of Van Buren,, Ark,
was grazed in the cheek by a rifle
ball. Detectives Dickinson and
Helmick, of the Missouri Pacific
special force, were among those who
were robbed. The entire train was
riddled with bullets, every window
being broken.
Twenty deputy marshals from
Little Rock passed through here
this morning on their way to the
scene of the robbery. Express
officials here say that their loss will
not exceed $1,000. The train a r
ried a small amount in the local safe
and the robbers were unable to
break into the through safe.
All the cars excepting the sleeper
were riddled with bullets, one coach
containing 43 bullet holes. H. C.
Cox, the station agent at Fort Glib
son, who has been held up five times
during the past month, was. among
the passengers. He tells a thrilling
story of last nights robbery.
WAGNER, l.. T., Oct. 22.-The
Cook gang, which held up the Mis-
souri, Pacific train at Cowetta, rode
through this city Sunday, going in
a westerly direction. They were
heavily armed and no effort was
made to capture them. Indian po-
lice have been ordered to this place
and will begin pursuit at once.
Fine Pianos.