Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-14
ALL THE TALK
Is the Robbery of the Express Gar of R. F. & PA Bigger Haul
 Miss sed-Reward Offered.

RICHMOND, Va, Get. 13.-No event that has taken place in Virginia for many years created so much excitement as the holding up and robbing at Aquia creek last night of the northern bound mail and express train on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad.
 The affair was literally the town talk here today aud there was good deal of wild rumor as to the amount of currency on board from Richmond.
 None of the Richmond bauks had cur rency on the train. As one of the cashiers said, the robbers might have been well up on train rob bery, but they were sadly off in laws of trade, for at present all the ship ments of currency were southward. If, however, the hoid-up had taken place Thursday night good haul of mutilated currency would have been made.
 The Merchants National bank sent north by express this night package of drafts and other papers valued at 5000. This supposed, as the robbers could not make use of the contents, 1t was thrown away. At any rate the payment of the paper has been stopped by telegraph.
 The two express messengers, Mir. J. 8. Crutch field and MT. H. Murray, will not return to the city until tomorrow morn ing, and until their reports are made aud the several points from which packages were shipped are heard from it will be inn possible to give the exact amount of booty.
 MT. Andrew Walsh, the agent of the Southern Express company here, said this evening that there was sent on the Rich mond traiu S5000 in currency and $16, 800 in listed bonds. The bonds had been re- ceived at the Richmond office from another road and the currency was in miscel laneous remittances of $50 and less. He knows of $14 800 that was going through from the south, also that there wss in the express car light pouches from Savannah, Ga., Jacksonville, Fla, and Charleston, &. o. He did not think that the aggregate amount stolen amounted to more than $25, ,000. It is said that if the robbers had made their raid on the eouth bound train, No. 403, they would have struck a bonanza. There was in charge of the express mes- senger one shipment of $100, GOO in cur rency.
 AS soon as Governor O'Ferrall heard of the affair he issued proclamation offering & reward of 5000 for the arrest of the rob- bers, and sent the following telegrams to Governor Brown of Maryland, the district commissioners at Washington and the mayors of Philadelphia and Norfolk:
 "At about 9:30 o'clock this night the north bound train on the Richmond, Fred ericksburg and Potomac railroad was held up by robbers, supposed to be seven in number, at or near Aquia creek, county of Stafford, state of Virginia. The door of the and the express safe was robbed of large sum of money, the engine then turned loose and a collision with the southbound train, which would necessarily have caused great loss of life, barely averted.
 ssI have offered 8 reward of $10O0 for the arrest of the robbers or S160 for the arrest of any of them, payable after trial and con- viction.
 1T respectfully request that you call upon the officers of your state or city gen. orally to be on the alert and to use their best efforts to secure the arrest of these men. They are supposed to have escaped by boat. '
 Major Myers, president of the railroad company, has offered a reward of $1000 for the arrest of the outlaws or any one of them. Mir. Welsh, Richmond representa-. tive of the express company. said that he had no doubt that his company would fol- low suit. sSa
 Major Myers ordered Messrs. Birdsong. conducto r, and GalIager, en gineer, of the robbed train, to report at his office this af- ton, one of the attorneys of the road, made a rigid and close inquiry into the proceed ings of last Friday,
 Captain Birsdsong was then called upon for statement of what he saw and heard.
 THE CONDUCTORS STORY.
 ssI was back at the rear of the smoker counting out my tickets, '' he said, "when the train was brought to a standstill. Charley Munford, my porter, rushed past me and out of the door. followed him, and just as got to the front end of the car heard two reports, which took to be from torpedoes. Charlie came running back into the car and exclaimed that the train was being robbeds then went out on the platform, and he advised me to come back, sayihg I would be shot. Just then l saw man fun up by the platform. and stopping just in front of,me fired bis pistol
 lOontin6ed oS Fifth Page.1
 .