The Green Forest tribune., 1894-04-19
BRAVE JACK HARMON.
AN EXPRESS GUARD WHO DESERVES WELL
OF HIS EMPLOYERS TRAIN HoLDuP.
An Outlaw Sent to Kingdom Come-Tragic Result
to tho Robbers, Of an Attempted Hold Up.

the SOuth-bound Rock Island train be-
tween Pond Creek and Round Pond,
Ok, about midnight last night, was re-
ceiyed in this city to-day. The express
car was in charge of ex-policeman Jake
Harmon of this city.
The train left here about o'clock last
evening; when 1t reached Round Pond
the trouble began. Round Pond and
Pond Greek are only five miles apart,
and it was between these points that
the robbers made the bold play to cap
ture the train.
A robber had secreted himself in the
tender and between these two towns he
captured the engineer and fireman, and
made them stop the train. Then from
out of the darkness rode number of
masked desperadoes, who at once di-
rected their attention to the express
car, and began to hammer their way in.
The door fell with crash, and the
leader of the gang made dash for the
inside. During this time Harmon was
aw aiting the assault, rifle in hand, in-
side his car. AS soon as the first rob-
Der dashed through the door, Harmon
at once opened fire with his Winches-
ter, laying the bold robber dead on the
floor, with bullet through his brain.
This was the signal for duel to the
death. and the brave guard never falter-
ed in his determination to hold that
train or die in the attempt.
He answered the hail of bullets with
well-directed shots from his Winches-
ter, and eventually drove the band back
to their horses. In the melee another
one Of the outlaws fell, badly wounded,
and before his fleeing comrades could
get him away out of harms way, the
guard had captured both him and his
horse, as we'll as the animal that had
been the property Of the man who lay
dead in the car.
The excitement on the train was in
tense. Passengers crouched down be-
tween seats and women screamed.
The battle was ended before half Of
those present realized that the fight
had been fought to finish. and the
train saved by the bravery of the ex-
press guard.
The dead man was taken to Round
Pond and recognized as farmer own
ing a claim near the scene of the
trouble. The wounded outlaw will be
taken to Kingtisher and locked up for
safe keeping. 1t is believed the robbers
were settlers holding down claims near
these places.
How 1t happened.
FORT WORTH, TEX, April 10.-The
officials of the Rock Island on the re
port of the train crew furnished the
following account of the attempted
hold-up of their south bound train at
Round Pond, Ok. last night:
cat Pond Creek two men got On the
train, climbed on top the sleeper. They
crawled over the coaches to the engine
and, at the road crossing, a mile from
Round Pond, with emphatic pistols, or
dered the engineer to stop the train.
He did.
Conductor Joe Read went forward to
learn the cause of the stop, but as soon
as he acquired the sought for informa-
ton he retreated, warned the passen-
gers and sent brakeman back to flag
and get help at Round Pond. A third
robber was at the crossing with three
horses. Using the engineer and fire.
man as shields the robbers dynamited
the combination express car door and
did it thoroughly, for it was blown into
kindling wood.
Train Guard Harmon was in the car
and he got out and went back to the
smoker. Around the side Of this he
Pol<ed his gun and fired several shots.
One of the robbers named Pitts came
out of the express car and returned his
fire, but Harmon shot and killed him,
and the other two ran up the track
towards the town.
The brakeman had made good use of
his time. and he with a party Of about
60 armed men were returning to the
train when into the party ran the Hee-
ing robbers. One was bagaed. The