The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1894-03-17
DESPERATE, BUT FUTILE.
A Well Laid Scheme For Liserating Two
Convicts ON T.teIr WAY to PRISON.


A Well Laid Scheme For Li,eratin~ Two
Convicts ON T!teIr Way to Prison.
81 never understood" remarked u gen.
eral passenger agent while discussing II
recent train robbery, chow it was that a
whole traiaful of people would allow
themselves to b. hold NJ ly II n two
bandits TIL some years a-.o, when | WIS
making u trip over the Michigan Ceutral
road. Then tho mystery was explained
to lae. | was on my way from Detroit
to Chicago and had taken n seat in tns
smoking car TO enjoy iny cigar.
AT the lime the smoking cars of the
Michigan Central were equipped with
comfortable revolving chairs. Shortly
after taking my seat | noticed that there
were two convicts aboard. They were
in charge of two deputies and We're be-
ing conveyed from Detroit to the state
prison at Jackson. They sat there talk
ing to their guards comiIlacently as il
they had been going to some more agree
able entertainment. All went well I'M
til Ypsilanti wa5 reached. Half way be-
tween that place and Ann Arbor is a
small road crossing named Geddes. As
we approached it an ordinary looking
passens ger went through the car in acare-
less manner, rolling lis eyes from sideto
side. casually inspecting the occupants
of the car. When he reached the pris-
oners, he pulled u whisky flask from his
pocket and in an offhanl way remarked:
Here, you fellows, have "a drink. 1t
will be Il long time before you have an
other
1.-THE convicts accepted the invitation.
took a good long pull from the bottle
and handed 1t back to their apparently
chance acquaintance, who pocketed 1t
and passed into the next car. Hardly
had he disappeared when the convicts.
with n motion quick us flash, pulled two
revolyers from somewhere on the seats
beside them and presented them at their
guards. Before any one in the car had
time 10 realize what WIS taking place
those revolver3 We're going bang! bang!
just rs fast as the triggers could be
pulled. The only men who appeared 10
have any presence Of mind were the two
deputies. They had seen the two re-
volvers coming, and by some dexterous
move managed to strike up the convicts'
arms SO that the balls, instead of strik-
ing the victims for whom they were in
tended. passed through the roof of the
car. Will" the scuffle was at its height
the bellroo p was puliedia some mysteri-
Gus mlnner, and the train came to a
dead stop at the crossroads near Geddes
station, where IL fast team of horses
hitched to II light wagon vas standing.
Ey tho time tho train stopped. though.
tho convicts hal been overpowered by
their guards, but not until 10 shots had
been fired.
The whole thing was evidently a con-
certed scheme to libcrate the convicts.
The man with the whisky flask was an
ally. and his tender of the whisky was a
signal that everything was ready and
the time for action had com. The at
tempt at escape fortunately failed, but
il you had seen that car while the shots
We're being fired you could readily have
understood how easily II few armed rob-
bers overpow,r Il train. Every chair in
the car was vacant, aul the former oc-
cupants were crouching in corners or
wherever they could hide themselves be-
hind some OBJECT that might stop Il bull
let. When everything was quiet again
and the couyicts were i'll irons, no less
than II men were counted coming from
the dressing room Of that smoking car"
Chicago Iost.