Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-10-18
BIG HAUL BY ROBBERS.
Two Hundred Thousand Dollars lr
Cash Taken from an Elk
press Car.

New York. Oct 13.-Two hundred
thousand dollars in the coin of the realm
was taken from an Adams express car by
seven robbers in a hold-up on the Rlch-
mona Fredericksburg q Potomac rail-
road The train was the north-bound eX-
press between Richmond and Washing
ton. and was held up at Aqua Greek,
forty miles from Quantico, Va. The rob
bers tagged the train and when the en-
CINE was stopped the crew were covered
with reyOlvers and compelled to dlsmount
The express messengers We're taken by
surprise and were forced from the car
which was uncoupled from the tram,
and ran up the track about mIe. d. :
Crutchfed and II. Murray, the mes
sengers, were then forced to open the
safe, The robbers secured their booty
and then started the engine on toward
Washington with no one on board. ne
frightened express messenger telegraphed
to Alexandria and half a dozen empty
cars were put on the track, into Whlch
the engine crashed, causing complete
wreck.
1t is customary for all trains to stop at
Aouia Greek, several miles below Quantl-
60. for water. The train was 2oO or ooo
yards this side of the creek at 9:26 p.
m. when the engineer got signal 10
stop. The porter went forward TO see
what had caused the signal, and was con-
fronted by the robbers. who, 1t was
learned, had given the signal. There
were seven of them, and as soon Us the
engine stopped they walked back toward
the train and commenced to hre thelf
weapons. at the same time warning every
body TO keen inside the cars. \ number
of shots were fired. but by the greatest
chance no one was hurt. for by this time
the passengers had become excited by
the fuSlade, and some of the more dar-
ing ones threw open the windows to learn
the cause of the firing. But on seeing the
masked men they became aware that
the train had been held UP by desperate
men and sought cover. The robbers by
their bold course thus inundated the pas
sengers and the train crew, and thereupon
quickly came clamoring upon the express
car They found the door tightly barred
and were unable to force an entrance
10y persuasion and threats. Their time
was precious, and they were well nAed
10 do their work rapidly.
The robbers were supplied with dyna-
mite and by its use the door of the eX-
press car was shattered and an entrance
gained. The messenger was in the car
at the time and they told him they would
blow him up if he did not open the door
of the safe. The messenger appreciated
that he was in the hands OF desperate
men, and after demurring he obeyed
their demands and opened the safe. The
men got every cent OF money that was
in the car. No one knows just how
muCn the Sdle contained.
The safes are brought from various
places along the road, and frequently
three or four are taken aboard at Rich
mond After looting the car of all the
money the robbers uncoupled the engine
from the train and ran it several miles
up the road until it was wrecked. The
train was left standing until an engine
was brought from Quantico.
The train remained at the scene of the
robbery fully two and Il half hours.
Later it proceeded to New York. The
door of the express car showed evidence
of the dynamite and all the glass panes
in it were shattered. 1t was. however,
allowed to proceed to New York and the
expressman, Crutchted, who was in
charge, accompanied it, The robbers es-
capped with their booty and have not been
unprecedented. 1t is thought that the men
escaped across the Potomac river to the
Maryland side of the river.
Richmond Va, Oct. 13.-Three police
men leave here today for the scene of
the train robbery near Quantico. Twen-
ty thousand dollars was the amount of
money sent from this city by the train,
and most of that was in bonds. Gov.
O'Ferral has offered $1,000 reward and
telegraphed the governor of Maryland
asking his cooperation.