The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-01-11
The Mail and Express Cars
Robbed.
THE WORK WE'LL DONE
Passengers Badly Frightened
but Were Not Molested.

last evening and the sale IN the e2-
press car rided Of its contents. The
ELI" is the fast train between this
city and Chicago and makes but
few stops. all the local business being
done by the ST. Louis train which
follows it shortly afterward. Last
evening just as the train was get
ting under good Roadway the engineer
was startled to hear the explosion of
three torpedoes. which had been
placed on the track at the same time
a red lantern was swung across the
track ia the regular style of 3 brake
man. The wheels OF the locomotive
had hardly ceased revolving when the
engineer and fireman heard q grun
voice from someone beneath the cab
saying: .'Come do vn from there, we
want to use You for a little while. .
The train men got off the cab and
were at once covered by several re-
voivers ia the hands of masked men.
There We're five Of the robbers, for
such they We're, and one Of them said:
Come along with us and have your
friend, the exp ress messenger, open
the door; he knows you better than he
does us. and we want to make a q all Z
Thus covered bv the wea pons the en-
gineer and fireman walked back to
the express car and asked the mes
senger to open the door Having no
uspicion as to the cause Of the delay
the messenger readily complied and
was at once covered with a long rifle
in the hands Of one Of the masked
men. Two more of the robbers fol-
lowed The one with the rifle into the
car. each Of them having a pistol a
each hand
s.Wel. I guess you had better open
the safe, and be mighty quick about
it. for we want what's ia it, p sand one
Of the men, and the safe was opened as
requested. The rob0er then took all
the valua bles in the safe. and wanted
to know If that was all that was to be
had pom being assured that 1T was
they elm bed out Of the car and told
the trainmen to proceed. Then firing
their revoIvers in the air thew disap-
peared ia the darkness, the whole af-
fair occupying only a few minutes.
The train was run on to Saxton the
first station out of this city. from
which place the first report was mrde
to the officials in this city
When the train first stopped
brakeman thinking the delay was
some serious matter and knowing
that the ST. Louis train was closely
following took his lantern and went
back to flag IT, lie had gotten sew
eral hundred yards down the track
when he heard shots and then it
dawned upon him for the first time
that the train was being robbed.
Shortly after he heard the shots he
saws the train started OIL Ar high
rate of speed and the shots were no
doubt the ones fired by the robbers to
brighten the trainmen INTO starting
The brake man secured a horse and
returned TO town and reported the
affair, and shortly afterward left on
the following train u hopes of over
taking the one on which he belonged.
a more extended re port was made to
r. III. HouIahan, superintendent of the
Hannibal and St. Joseph road at
ErOolz6eld. who at once notified the
officers OF surrounding towns of the
affair. and gave a cescri ptiOn of two
of the robbers. who were ia the ex-
press car. The descriptions are as
follows.
One is tall and slim and wore a light
brown suit, with double breasted
wore q black suit, black overcoat and
black derby hat The engineer and
other tralnmen were una bic To give
description Of the other three men.
who remained on the outside while
the robbers were rihing the safe i'm the
express car
All Of the trainmeu are Or the
opinion that the robbers were anna
teurs. for during the whole proceed
ings they appeared nervous and very
seemed very much bungled. From
Cameron Junction the express messen-
ger. who had time 10 look over his
bills, telegrap hed to w H. Morley OF
the Adams Express company that the
total amount secured was but $40.
Superintendent Hohl Of the Kansas
city. st. Joseph and Council Bluffs
road commenced work on the matter
ia this city and soon ascertafned chat
the robbers had two teams. and the
sheriff aud a posse are securing the
country for the robbers aud am neigh
boring towns have been notified to be
on the lookout for them
slight clue has been obtained in
this city. and the police force is make
ing an efort to find from whom the
rigs we're engaged, as 1t IS thought
thev were taken from this city.
There have been innumerabie hold
ups lib the city this winter. and the
officers here think the robbery last
night was the work of some OF the
more ma bitiOus thieves who have been
satisfied heretofore with stopping
lone pedestrian and demanding his
money and valua bles it has hardly
been four months since the attempt
was made to hold up IA train on the
Council Bluffs road in which two Of
sent ID the penitentiary The failure
made ait this attempt and the un-
timely end Of the would be followers
o the James gang. was thought sul1i-
cient to be an aHfnl example to all
law breakers in this city. but the
event of last night shows thai they are
folly Is bold as We're the ones who
made the failure, for last nights rob