Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-13
HE SAW 1T ALL.
The Graphic Story Told by a Passen-
ger to ..Star" Reporter

A graphic description of the scenes at
tending the robbery was given to a reporter
for The Star this morning by Mr.. Rudolph
Krobitzsch of Norristowu, Pa, who was a
passenger on the train:
I'VE left Fredericksburg on time and
when we got between Brooks station and
Wide Water the train "ame to a sudden
stop" said Mr.. Krobi.zsch. Several shots
were fired and the first thing we knew we
were told that robbers had held up the
train. OF course everybody was terribly
excited and commenced to hide their money
and jewelry. The colored porter went
out to see If trampS had stopped the
train. and a shot was fired at him. He
came running back and he and the news
boy locked themselves in the closet That
seems comlcal now. but 1t wasn't very
laughable when IL happened. Our con-
ductor behaved certainly very brayely
With little bit of pistol he borrowed
from passenger he started out to meet
the robbers. and it was only by the exer-
else OF almost main force by the passengers
that he was restrained. He stationed him
self at the door, however, and swore ne
would kill the first man who put his foot
on the platform. The first thing l saw
when opened the window when the train
stopped was three men running. down
the bank of the deep cut in which the
train was stopped.
looking out of the windows to take our
heads In. and a shot was fired.
Believes Two Were on the. Train.
Il counted eleven shots during the af-
fair, besides the dynamite explosion. At
this time, upon reading the accounts in the
morning papers and learning that seven men
were engaged In the robbery 1 believe that
only two men were the train when 1t
stopped. while the others were waiting at
the point where we came to a standstill.
After the robbery ] saw the express mes
senger. Mr.. Crutchfield. He was certainly
a badly scared man. He said that as soon
as the train stopped he looked out of the
door, when shot was fired at him. He
jumped back and locked and bolted the
door. He was commanded to open the door,
and said the men threatened to use dyna-
mite IL he did not do II. AS he and his
assistant. whose name / forget, did not
comply with the request, a stick of dyna-
mite was thrown against the car, brea king
a pretty good sized hole In the lower part
of the side door and smashing all the win
dOws In It. After this the messenger
said the men outside again told him to
open the door. saying IL he still refused they
would bloY the car to pieces. He thought
it best then to open the door, when a man
with red handkerchief tied around his
face came in. He was of medium height
and very stoutly built.
"Crutchfield says he made him open the
safe al cut open the pouches 1t contained
and, finally, collecting all ths stuff In one
bundle, the man left the car. The messen-
ger Did the robber got about $l5O,OoD. He
then cCmI eiied the fireman to uncouple the
eng ne and fix the fire in the locomotive for
him. Then all the robbers got on the en-
CINE, and IL was started off In the direction
the train was going when We were stopped
The Leaders Appearance.
4 saw the man who appeared to be the
leader OF the crowd, and who fired the first
shot when he came down the bank with
two others. He was quite tall; and what
struck me was his particularly shrin voice.
There were a number of ladies on the train
in the rear car. and they certainly behaved
nobly. Both whites and blacks kept their
seats. and but one female an old white
lady, about seventy years of age lost her
self-possession. At the time of the robbery
the moon was just rising. The robbers
could rot have selected a more appropriate
spot Tor such crime in order to be free
from interference. The whole affair lasted
about ten minutes. and the train was de-
layed just an hour and hfty-fve minutes
The passengers were nightly relieved
when the robbers went of without paving
US visit. There was lots of brave talk
among both passengers and trainmen after
the affair was over. but the conductor was
the only man who showed any courage at
the time II actually happened Another
Thing struck me forcibly. The southern peo-
pie are not such a gun-carrying crowd as so
many people imagine. l was astonished last
night when among all those passengers only
one had pistol, and that was a little bit
or thing, which a young man handed to
the conductor"
HUNTING nowx rs.u caxc