The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-13
WERE RICHLY PAID.
Train Robbers Get About
100000 in Virginia
Seven Masked Men Hold Up a
Night Express.
THEY USED DYNAMITE
Express caT Is Shattered and
Door Broken In.
The Robbers Make Their Escape
on the Engine.

New York, Oct 13.-The northbound
passenger train on the Richmond, Fred
ericks burg & Potomac railroad was held
up near Quantico. Va, last night The
engineer and fireman were forced from
their engine and the engine was cut
loose and sent ahead. The express car
was then entered, the messenger covered
with pistols and the safe robbed The
runaway locomotive was stopped at
Quantico by Instructions placed on the
track. IL is thought the robbers got be-
tween $l5O,OOO and $2O0,OO0
The train reached the Pennsylvania
depot at j ersey City At S:05 this morning
bringing with it badly shattered ex-
press car. The Adams Express com
pany's messengers left the train and pro
ceeded at once to the headquarters in
New York City.
They reported that all their safes had
been rifed by the robbers. It is sup
posed that the bandits obtained between
&l5O,00O and $200,O00.
Seven men composed the gang. After
the engine was uncOupled, it was
boarded by the robbers and run by them
until near Whitewater station, a short
distance from the scene Of the hold up,
where they abandoned it and sent it
ahead running wild Express Messenger
Crutchheld thinks the booty secured was
$4,000 or more. He gave this account
"But one robber entered the car. He
was heavy built and dressed like a far
mer, although he seemed to thoroughly
understand the express business; he had
a red handkerchief over the lower part
Of his face. When the train was stopped
1 opened the door of my car. The robber
fired a shot at me. 1 fired back and
closed the door. He called: Open the
door I did not do it. Open that door
or I'll blow the whole car 70 pieces with
dynamite he called.
s.Ihen he threw y stick of dynamite.
1t struck the door and shattered 4 it and
the casing. The force knocked me
on my feet / then opened the
door. One robber came in aud made
me open the safe. He took everything
There was one package which he must
have thought contained only papers for
he threw it into the box. 1t contained
$4,000 Then he said, open that other
safe
THAT is simply a dead head safe,v 1
said. The -- it is he roared
Show me your way- bill for it.
~ started to get the bill, and he said,
Keep your hands up Show me the pa
per, Ill get it,
"He looked at tie safe. and was salts
fed that the second safe contained moth
ing, which was true. The man was very
cool all the time. He had seven or eight
through express pouches, each containing
packages Of moneys how much, / cannot
guess The man cut a small slit in every
pouch and took every package"
s-They then cut the engine loose, piled
their plunder into the cab and then the
whole crowd piled in upon top of it.
They turned on steam and started for
Quantico station as fast as the engine
would run leaving the train stalled in
middle Of the road The conductor and
engineer pursued the engine on foot as
fast as they could run for several miles
Reaching Quantico station they found
that the desperadoes had turned the en-
gine loose, that it was running wild and
that through the cleverness OF the opera.
tor il had been side-tracked and dtched
just in time to prevent collision with a
south bound train