The Monticellonian., 1894-10-19
THE RO8BER CHIEF.

Cp-A Switchman's PromptnesS saves O Train-Load of Passengers.
 l WAsHTNGroN. Oct f5.-Therc is every reason to suppose that the leader of l the gang which perpetrated the bold | train robbery st Acquia creek, in Vir- l ginia, on Friday night has been iden- 1 tified, He is George Carter. former I resident of the neighborhoc,. and an eX-convict of Sing Sing, q railroad en- 1 gineer and man who has been asso- ciated with many scenes of robbery and bloodsited. Carter is about 3i l years of age. i've feet ten and a half inches high, weighs 16o pounds, and in all respects resembles the man who fired the shot through the door at the express messenger, and subsequently, threw the stick of dynamite which shattered the sides of the Adams ex- press car and made the robbery an easy matter.
 Descrpt lon of the Suspect.
 Carter is described as man of dark Complexion with high cheek bones, brown hair, deep-set eyes, large ears. and a sharp aid angular face with two moles on his left cheek and one on the under lid of his right eye. These marks should be sufficient to identify him anywhere, but in addition thereto the thumb and index finger of his right hand have been shot off in one of his I manN desperate adventures and alto gether these marks would seem to make any Bertillon system of identi- tieation in his case quite unnecessary.
 An Old offender and a Jail Breaker.
 Carter was sentenced to a seven years term of imprisonment at Sing Sing, x. Y, in 1893, for robbing the house of the superintendent at Black wells island. This was purely ma licous act on his part in revenge for some injuries he considered he had received from the superintend- ent while confined upon the island. He escaped from Sing Sing, as he had previously escaped from one of the Vir- ginia jails, where he had been impris- oned awaiting a trial for burglary. Indictments are also pending against him in other parts of Virginia and iu Pennsylvania. In short he is known as one of the most desperate of criminals, fully competent to organize and carry out robbery of the audacious char aeter of that perpetrated on Friday night.
 The Plan Of the Hold Tp.
 The supposition is that he associ- ated with himself some one familiar with the manipulation of matters in the Adams express car. His own ex- perience as railroad engineer enabled him t0 dc the rest, with the assistance of three or four men to stand on the bank of the selected cut and go through the usual process Of firing WinchesterS in the air and terri flying the passengers
 Was Familiar with the Surroundings.
 Carter lived for a number of years near the spot where the robbery WAS committed, and was thoroughly famil- far with the surroundings. The rail- road regulations require the train to come to a dead stop just before cross ing the Aequia creek bridge. It was undeu btedly here that two of the ban dits boarded the train just back of the tender, and after the train had crossed the bridge crawled over into the cab and at the pistols point compelled the engineer and fireman to stop the train. Their four associates were already in ambush at the point selected This was deep cut so steep on the side next the river as practically to inelose the train and on the other side sufficiently steep to shut ont the light, especially as it was wooded by dense growth of pine trees. Consequently, although else- where the full light of the moon was shining, in the spot chosen by the robbers absolute darkness prevailed at the time.
 A Ready Means of Escape.
 About a mile from the point where the robbery was committed was road leading to the Potomac river, and af- fording q ready escape by boat to Mary land. The robbers undoubtedly stopped the engine at this spot, threw open the throttle and turned It loose, expecting that it would run into some other train, and, by d general wreck, prevent pursuit, and then at their leis- ure proceeded by the light of the moon to divide their plunder and separate. Some of them. it k thought. may have crossed ny boat 10 Mary yiand, but it is not at all certain that this was done. They had ample time to make their es- cape in any direction they chose before the alarm was given.
 A Switchman's Nerve Prevents an Awful
 Wreck.
 The original report that a signal man saw the flying engine coming along the track and telegraphed to Quantico to look out for 1t is incorrect. The engine was rushing into Qauntico station unannoHneed at the rate of u mile minute when a switchman named O'Leary, by a happy instinct, came to the conclusion that something was wrong and instantly seized the switch bar, threw the target and sent the engine flashing up steep grade into coal dump where it smashed three or four coal ears and up-ended it. self il, miraculous wreck. But for his promptitude the engine which the robbers had turned loose would have dashed into the Atlantic express which was then standing at the station with over ROO passengers on board many of W lom would undoubtedly have been killed.
 Rewards Offered.
 TEt governor of Virginia has offered rewards for the arrest of the robbers; Haer rewards have been offered by th,. evprrsS company and by the rail