The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-10-17
A TRAIN ROBBERY.
AND NEAR WASHINGTON, TOO.
Over sl50,00o Secured by the Mask
ed Bandits Last Night.

WASHINGTON, Oct. l3.-All Washing
ton was astounded this morning 10 learn
that seven masked men had held up a
train last night within few miles of the
National Capital, captured a sum sup
posed to be in the neighborhood of $780,
600 to Sls0,0o0 and escaped on the engine
with their booty. This crime will proba-
bly, be made the subject of proposed leg
islation at the next session of Congress to
provide fitting punishment for attempts
TO imperil inter State commerce. The
train "held up was the north-bound ex
press ON the Richmond, Fredericksburg
and Potomac railroad, which left Rich
mond, Va, at Z o'clock last night The
robbery occurred near Aqua creek, be-
tween Brooks Station and Wide Water,
wild part of the country suited for the
purpose. 1t is not known where the rob
bers boarded the train, and the first inti-
nation anybody had that trouble was
brewing was when two men jumped
from the coal car into the cabin and level
ing revolyers AZ the engineer and fireman
ordered them to stop the train, which was
running forty miles an hour. The engineer
hesitated, but when informed that he
must stop or be killed he closed the
throttle.
The fireman and engineer were COM
PEELED to sit quietly on the bank along
side the track. Then the bandits, all
| masked, made for the express car, which
was in charge of Messenger J. ;. Crutch-
field. One of the robbers fired at the
messengers and then threw a stick of dy
Mantle, which shattered the front of the
car. Then they opened the door. One
robber came in and made Crutchfield
| open the safe. He took everything, but
threw away a package containing 5000.
The robber made the messenger open an
other safe, which contained nothing.
Crutchfield thinks there may have been
S2JO,0OO in the packages stolen. The rob
| berry occupied about twenty minutes.
The night was dark. The bandits COM
PEELED the engineer and ciew 10 uncouple
the locomotive, jumped aboard and made
good their escape in the direction of the
Potomac river. The robbers are suppos-
ed to have left the engine before it passed
Wide Water after opening the throttle.
The train dispatchers at Wide Water
comprehended that something was wrong
and telegraphed ahead To Quantico TO
look out for wild engine. n switch was
| thrown open just outside of Quantico, and
| when the engine arrived it was run onto
| a switch and crashed into number of
empty freight ears. The engine and ears
are a complete wreck. The long Atlanta
special was standing on the main track
at Quantico and narrowly escaped being
struck by the runaway engine. The de
| layed train arrived in Washington at l:l7,
| a little over two hours behind time. There
were seven postal clerks in the ear ahead
of the express car. The postal car had
many sacks of registered mail, but no
| effort was made To touch them. When
the robbery had been completed and
within ten minutes rifle express car
had started form New York. The railroad
company has offered a reward of 81 ,9b0
each for the capture ofthe robbers.
THE TRAIN ARRIVES IN JERSEY CITY.
NEW YORK, Oct. 23-The train which
was held up last nigh; near Quantico
reached the Pennsylvania station in Jer-
sey City at sos this morning, bringing
with it a badly shattered express car.
The Adams Express eompany's messen-
| gers left the train and went at once 20 the
headquarters in this city. They reported
that all of their safes were riiled by the
robbers. 1t is supposed that the robbers
obtained between slJ0,OoO and s2o0,OJO
The officials of the Adams express com
pany, i'm charge of the car at the Jersey
City station, claimed that only the pouch
es and safes had been ransacked, and
other packages in I'll" esr remaining in
tact.