Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-08-09
A DIABOLICAL SCHEME
To 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 ROBBERY.

ATTEMPTED EXPRESS ROBBERY.
ST. Louis, Aug. 4.-Frisco passenger
train No. 3, which left st. Louis at
s:25 Thursday evening, was attacked by
robbers about l mile west of Valley
Park.
A few minutes after leaving Valley
Park the express messenger, f. d. Fer
guson. 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 man, who
spranged from behind a safe, revolver
in hand.
THE MESSENGER SEIZED THE WEAPON,
which was at that moment discharged,
the ball passing through the messen-
gers thumb and entering the left
shoulder near the joint. The messen-
ger returned the fire, both with re-
volver and carbine, but in the confu-
sion and excitement under which he
was laEoring is unable to say whether
his shots took effect. The would-be
robber pulled the air whistle and rum
ming to the north side of the car jumped
off into the darkness.
NJ MONE1 WAS RED
by the robber, and if others were asso-
ciated with him that fact can not be
ascertained 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 ball was extracted and
the wound pronounced serious, though
not dangerous.
HOISTED BY DYNAMITE.
The train, after the shooting at Val
ley Park, met with another mishap,
which is regarded as part of a pre-
arranged plan to wreck and rob the
train. Some of the gang forced open
a car of dynamite that stood on
the side track below the station at
Eureka and stole two big dynamite
cartridges that were intended for heavy
blasting in quarries and mines.
Each cartridge was capable of tear
ing to pieces tons of solid rock. They
were placed by the dastardly bandits
on the rails, the intention being to de-
stroy the west-bound California ex-
press train and plumber the richly
laden express car and probably the pas
sengers.
SIMPLY A MIRACLE.
1t is miracle that the entire train
was not hurled to destruction, for the
miscreants who attempted to wreck it
placed the cartridges within a few feet
of the car containing ten tons of dyna-
mite. 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 $3.50 o'clock and
was only 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
A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION
which lifted the machine from the
tracks and tore the massive pilot from
the steel bolts with which it was
riveted to the engine. All the forward
part of the machine was wrecked and
twisted, and, although it was able to
carry the train few miles beyond, it
was so badly wrecked that another
engine had to be procured. The entire
train was severely shaken, windows
broken and packages of letters thrown
from the boxes in the mail car. 1t is
wonderful how
THE CARLOAD OF DYNAMITE ESCAPED.
The explosion tore great hole in
the earth, wrenched the rails from
their fastenings and flung the ties in
every direction. 1t tore open one side
Of the dynamite car and exposed to
view tons of the powerful explosive,
vet for some unaccountab BILE 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
explode. If it had not a person in all
those 1873 passengers would have es-
capped.
Detectives have been set to work on
the case, but beyond general descrip-
ton of the man who attacked Messen-
ger Ferguson there is not known to be
any tangible clew to the wOuld-be rob-