Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1894-01-20
ST. Joseph Again Chosen for Op.
erations.
THE SCENE A FATAL SPOT.


masked men held mp passenger train
No. $ on the Kansas City. st. Joseph Il
Council Bluffs railroad at Roy's branch,
two miles north of the city, at l2:20
o'clock this morning. broke into the
express car and forced Express Messen-
ger {. r. Baxter, ut the muzzles OF re-
volvers. to stand back from the safe.
One of the robbers took the packages
out Of the safe and dropped them into
sack. not even leaving Il scrap OF pa
per Two Others stood beside him and
covered the baggageman the engineer
and the fireman with pistols In less
than five minutes after the train
,topped it had been robbed and the
bandits were gone.
The robbers could not all be de-
scribed. but are supposed to be the
same men who held up and robbed the
Eli branch train on the Hannibal just
a week ago tonight. Two Of the men
answer the description given OF two OF
those robbers.
The train left the Francis street
depot at 1880 o'clock in charge of Com
ductor William Haywood and Engineer
Ed Davis When it reached Roy's
branch torpedo exploded under the
wheels of the engine and u red lantern
was swung across the track, just as in
the last raid. The engineer put on the
air brakes and the train slowed up,
coming to a standstill at almost ex-
actly the same spot on which the
dummy train stood on the night of Sep
TENDER %, when two robbers were
killed by officers,
The train ran past the place where
the robbers intended it should stop and
the men were left behind the engine.
Shortly after the stop had been made,
however, man ran out OF the brush
beside the track and covering the
engineer and fireman with revolver,
shouted: Throw up your hands"
Then he ordered engineer Davis and
Fireman Baxter to leave the cab and
as they were covered with a revolver
in each hand Of the masked men they
readily complied.
While this was occurring four other
men came running up from the rear of
the train toward the engine, all the
time firing their revolvers in the air
and shouting at the top of their voices
to the passengers. telling them to keep
their heads inside the cars or they
would he hurt.
The five men then marched the en-
gineer and the fireman back to the ex-
press car and one of the robbers
pounded on the door and ordered the
messenger to open it. This was done.
AS soon as the messenger showed his
head he was covered with revolvers and
told to stand back away from the door.
Then three OF the robbers put the en-
gineer and fireman in front of them and
entered the car. On the inside of the
car, besides the express messenger, was
the baggageman. He was ordered to
hold up his hands and with the two
men from the engine, was stood against
wall with his hands above his head.
Once he tried to return to work. hut he
was stopped with an oath.
The news of the robbery spread rap
idly over the city. The sheriff and po-
lice were on the spot in less than an
hour after the robbery occurred. IL
the robbers went into the willows. as
the direction they took indicated that
they would. it will be almost impossi-
Bile for them TO escape. unless they
cross the river This they will prob
ably do.
The men who did the work have dis
appeared as completely as did the Eli
robbers. and the sheriff and police have
very little ground To work on. The
Adams Express 60 has half dozen OF
its best men at work on the ease.
Superintendent Sanford, of the
Adams Express Co. says that the
amount secured by the thieves would
not exceed $500. but an official of the
railroad company states that the
amount secured was nearer $50. 600, as
the train left here always with the
safe full. Some time ago General Man.
ager Brown. of the Burlington. asked
the Adams Express Go. to put armed
men on the night trains going north
and south. hut the company refused,
saying the messengers would take care
of the money in their charge.
Officers who visited the scene of the
robbery early this morning found that
the robbers had a spring wagon or
buggy hitched near where the train
was stopped, and as soon as the job
was finished all nf them returned to