The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-01-19
TRAIN ROBBERS
BOLDEST RAID
Successful Exploit Of Five Masked Men in
Vicinity Of St. Joseph.
EXPRESS messenger Held At BAY
A Tall Man With a Black Mask Led
the Party Which Rifed the Safe,
While the Passengers, Engineer,
and Trainmen We're Frightened Into
Passive Witnesses of One of the
Most Daring Robberes on Record.
ST JOSEPH. Mo. Jan. II.

OT JOSEPH, MO, Jan. lS
TIVE masked men held up train No.
L on the Kansas City, st. Joseph
and Council Bluffs road near
u this city at an early hour
this morning. All the contents
of the safe IN the express car were se.
cured by the robbers. Soon after the
stop had been made man came run
ming out of the brush alongside the
track and, covering the engineer and
fireman with a revolver, shouted
"Throw up your hands !" Then he
ordered the engineer, Davis, aud Bax-
ter. the fireman, to step down from
the cab. They complied.
While this was taking place four
other men came running from the rear
Of the train toward the engine. and all
the time firing their revolvers in the
air and shouting at the top of their
voices to passengers, telling them to
keep their heads inside the car or they
would be hurt. The five men then
marched the engineer and fireman back
to the express Car aud one of the rob
bers pounded on the door of the car
and told the messenger TO open it.
COVERED WITH A REVOLVER
AS soon rs the messenger showed his
head he was covered with revolver
and told to stand back from the door
Then three of the robbers forced the
engineer and fireman in ahead of them
and entered the Car. On the inside of
the ear besides the express messenger
was the baggage man He was ordered
to hold up his hands, and with the two
men from the engine, twas stood against
the wall with his hands above his head.
A tall man with black mask over his
face, wearing q duck coat and dark
trousers, stood in the car with a revol-
yer in each hand He pointed his wea-
pons first at one man and then at an.
other, and kept close watch of their
movements
When the safe had been emphed of
its contents, the trainmen were COM
PEELED to leave the car and the robbers
followed them. They were marched
ahead of the bandits down half the
length of the train and stood in row
| at the west side Of the track. When
the looting of the express car was 60
ing on, the remaining two robbers were
on the east side of the track, occasion.
ally firing their revolvers to prevent
the passengers from interfering with
their work
PASSENGERS ARE TERRIFIED
All the occupants of the coaches had
been aroused by the shooting and
began to hide their valuables, expect
ing the coaches would be entered, and
several of the passengers crawled down
between the seats. A stay shot from
the pistol of one Of the robbers struck
the car, tearing hole in the side but
did not enter. The postal clerks in the
mail car had heard the firing and bar
ricaded the doors. and then crawled
under the mail-sacks so as to be ont OF
the way of any stray bullets. No at
tempt, however, was made to enter the
mail car
When the trainmen had been ranged
in line about midway of the train on
the west side, the robbers called to the
men on the east side of the train, and
they climed over the platform anC
joined them. Then they walked away
westward, going out of sight In the
dense thicket Of willows.