Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-18
Unsuccessful Attempt to Entral
Train Robbers.
THE LATTER SHOT THE ENGINEER
Then Firing Became General and
They Escaped.
But TWO FINALLY CAPTURED

GoRIN. Mo-. September 1s.-The Colorado
and Utah express on the Santa Fe was held
up by robbers at 80 am. today. Owing
to the fact that the railroad and express
officials had a spy the trail of the
bandits whea they stopped the train. they
met hail of buckshot and bullets, and Ii
is said at least two lie dead In the surround
ing woods while as many others rode for
their rendezvous. twenty-one miles away
filed with leaden pellets. They were nov
ices ia tie art OF train robbery, and brutal
ones at that. for they shot Dad" Pres
cott. tie engineer. before they even gave
him chance to hold up his hands His
wo and. 1t is believed. viii not prove fatal.
The raid was planned three weeks ago. but
was not put into execution till this morn
ing.
When the train left Chicago az 6 O'Clock
last evening. railroad and express detec-
tlNes, all Walking arsenals, climbed on at
every station. Chief Detective }. J. KEN
ney OF the Santa Fe, with G. c. Mont-
gomery. his right-hand man, boarded Il at
Joliet AT Streator they were joined by ty,o
more men. who have been pstroiling the
line Tor twenty days. J. A Matthews, who
mas been acting the spy for the last two
weeks and getting the news of their plars
put IN an appearance at Galesburg.
he brought news that the robbers met
early In the day and decided TO leave their
u
last night and make their third attempt TO
get rich at the expense Of the express conn
pany. They expected TO make a haul Of at
least 10000. the Monday run being always
week
When the train reached Fort Madison.
Iowa. shortly after midnight Division
superintendent Stockton OF the Wells Fargo
Express Company got into the treasure
car. lie carried a sawed-of Winchester
with a history. II belonged to Biii Dalton,
ana II was TO be poetic justice to turn Il
loose Upon followers in the footsteps of the
Kansas desperado. With him were four
men. Their arms were i'm the car and had
been for several DAYS
Then a council Of war was neld II was
first proposed to ambuscade the force be-
hind barricade OF trunks and boxes in
the express car and allow the robbers TO
enter. The messenger was to throw up his
hands and kneel down to open up the safe
Then he was to fall on the floor and then
why, he sawed-on Winchesters would COM
ton IN the engine to protect the train
me ?isd another was 10 guard the rear.
Tn sseseme was finally abandoned.
TE Glan adopted was this:
DET tvcs Kinney and Montgomery board
ed :ngine. Superintendent Stockton aud
two <lis good shots tarried in the express
car ~ II was in the forward end of the
smUAl car that the forces were massed.
IA ZION and door inclosss half a dozen
seais I'D shuts OF the rest Of the car from
Tlsr{ the men. a dozen of them. were
plarfAt Each had one of the sawed-offs,
every Partridge loaded especially for the
eveiE. with two dozen buckshot by Super
inteSa3nt Stockton. There was only one
passfnker in that compartment. and he
was rSsIuested by the brakeman to take a
seatsirt the chair car. as they were ',going
to sSesp at 2 O'Clock" When Sheriff Mat
theys " Scotland county climbed on beard.
al seiaiis OF the surprise party were ar
ranged
TIER. was one man. however. who had
to fe looked out for and protected. He
was, Lse spy. According to the report
broJgl.t in by Matthews, the spy would en-
deatorS to be the one who tagged the train.
II st. sne torpedo would precede the swing
ing -ofsthe lantern.
In atother there would be q couple Of TIE
The orders were that no matter II every
one of the guilty cnes got away there was
to be mo shooting to endanger the life OF
the nsn who had. in fact, taken his life in
to kis hands in order to Illustrate the at
tempt at robbery. And SO. the minutes
spea ON. an unwonted silence settled down
on The train.
Pullman car conductors and porters
sought places OF safety and even the train
men di1 not expose themselves unneces-
sarily.
In the little compartment. filled with
armed men. the lights were out. the win
dows were up. In each scat were two men
sitting sideways, the muzZles OF their guns
protruding just q trifie over the sills- Be
hind them stood others, seemingly statues.
with Winchesters at half cock resting on
their arms. They were waiting for the
torpedo Out from between two high enl-
bankments Just one mile from CORN sped
the train. One minute more and the anX-
ious watchers would know whether they
again had their labor In vain.
Then came the crack OF the looked and
longe3-fo signal This was but one. A
momert, and shrill. sharp whistle gave
token the engineer had heard, and almost
before his hand left the valve. across the
tracks not fifty yards away. swung a red
light. A grinding of wheels along the rails
told the afr had been applied. and within
twenty seconds from the explosion OF the
torpedo the train was at a standstih.
Out from the dense underground north
of the track came four forms The face or
each was hidden by a black mask. one,
more agile than the rest. rushed to the en-
gine almost before his companions could
reacn the express car. He carried rine.
brought II to his shoulder, pointed Il at
Dad Prescott. the white-bearded en-
gineer and as he shouted Hold up your
His ann was true. and Dad" fell 10 the
floor of his cab with a bullet In his right
breast. With a bound, Kinney gained the
top Of the tender. and bringing his gun 10
his shoulder. sent 4 shower OF shot almost
into the face of the masked individual How
on earth the fellow ever managed TO move
six inches is mystery. But he did and
made fo- the woods.
The shot which laid Engineer Prescott
low was the signal for a fuslllade and was
echoed and re-echoed from bank TO bank
and through the woods. IL was also the
signal for a hasty retreat TO the shelter OF
timber on the part of the greatly surprised -
individuals whose features were hidden by
masks Not until they reached the timber
old they answer; then they only fired two
shots But their aim Was not good. and al
though men were leaning from the car VIM
dows and pulling triggers as fast as possi-
ble while others had jumped to earth and
were after them on foot, they failed TO hit
a man.
According to the program. their horses
were hitcked not over loo yards away.
When the fosse from the train reached the
spot they saw one animal a gray. galloping
north. A weil-cirscted shot brought IL low.
but there was rider on its oack.
The place where the horses were tied was
soon found, and cut hitching straps showed
that one man, at least, had life enough left
to make his escape. Sheriff Sailing took
the saddle, blanket and bride from the
dead gray, and says by their aid he viii
have no trouble in Identifying the owner.
The search for dead and wounded vas
postponed until daylight, but the chase OF
the one, or ones. who escaped was started
within ten minutes after the shooting