Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-11
ROBBED THE FAST TRAIN "ELI.,
Masked Men Operate ON the Hannibal
and st. "JO" Road.

Masked Wen OpefOte on the h0mnlD0l
and St. 'JO'' Road.
Five masked men stopped the Hannibal
and ST. Joseph railways fast train, the
Eli" about $40 last evening, four miles
east of ST. Joseph. Mo-, and robbed the ex-
press and mail cars. The men placed tor
pedoes on the track and swung a red Ian
tern to stop the train, and as it slowed up
three of them climbed into the engine cab
Reviewers were thrust into the faces of the
engineer and firemen, but they were not
told to throw up their hands.
1t was an fashioned robbery, but II
was successful in every detail. The engi-
neer and fireman were forced to walk back
in front of the robbers to the door of the
express car and ordered to tell the mes
senger to open the door.
Express Messenger G. b. Wetzel did not
suspect that there were robbers outside.
and when he heard the engineer calling he
opened the door. AS he did so two of the
robbers leaped in. They secured the keys
to the safe and went through it in jiffy.
but officials refuse to say how much was
in the safe. They say, however, that the
amount was not large. AS 1t was a
through" safe, bound to Chicago. it is be-
ieved that the robbers got a good deal OF
money, notwithstanding the denials Of the
officials.
The mail car was entered in the same
manner as the express car. The mail agents
were unarmed and made no resistance. 1t
is reported that a registered pouch was
carried off by the robbers. Other mail
pouches were cut open and rified and every
thing of value In sight was taken. The
passengers were not disturbed.
AS soon as the train had been robbed.
the masked men ordered the engineer to
proceed. The rear brakeman. John Ryan,
had been sent back to flag approaching
trains when the robbers stopped the train,
and when they released it Ryan was left
behind. He secured a horse and rode back
to the city, where he reported the affair at
once to the officials.
were standing beside the track near the
spot where the train was robbed. This
leads to the belief that the robbers were
from st. Joseph.
Conductor Frank Murray, who was In
charge Of the train, confirmed the report
brought in by Brakeman Ryan. Only three
shots were fired by the robbers. and they
were fired in the air to intimidate passen-
gers. Express Messenger Wetsel opened
the safe. with two revolvers pointed at his
head. He saw but two of the men. The
robbers carried two revolvers each, and
there were two rifles in their possession.
Wetsel says one of the men was short,
derby hat The other one wore double
breasted coat and no overcoat, and was tall
and slender. The three other robbers stood
out in the darkness, and could not be de-
scribed. All wore masks. Four wagon
roads reach this city from the place where
the train was robbed.
1t is believed that the robbers came back
at once and are now hiding at st. Joseph.
The Hannibal and ST. Joseph Company has
offered rewards of 500 each for the cap
ture of the robbers.
An attempt was made to rob a Burlington
train near the city on September %, 1893.
and two of the robbers were killed. The
railroad officials believe that the robbery
last night was committed by some of the
same gang which was concerned in the
Burlington robbery.