Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-29
BOLD TRAIN ROBBERS.
AOLD-UP ON THE CHICAGO AND
WEST MICHIGAN.
Train Was Running Light and the
Villains We're Badly Fooled--Got
$3.50 and Two watches-Passengers
Badly Scared but Not Molested.


Bandits Near New Richmond.
Five desperate bandits dynamited the
express car ON the Chicago and West
Michigan passenger train, due at Grand
Rapids from Chicago ut 1890 p. m, near
New Richmond, Tuesday night. The rob
bers secured only two watches and $3.50
in money, but their intentions were good.
The Allegan County officers were noti-
fed, and with daybreak the Woods in the
vicinity of the hold-up were thoroughly
secured, and liberal rewards offered for
the apprehension of the robbers. Not only
the Allegan County. but also the sheriffs
of Ottawa. Van Buren,, Kent, and Kala-
mazoo Counties have been notified. and
the officers say that, unless the robbers
have boat and escaped across Lake
Michigan, they will be caught The train
was bowling along at a rapid rate. When
rounding n curve at place in the road
that is lined with forest growth En-
gineer Debble caught the CLEAN of a
white light waved across the track. He
saw by the reflection that the track was
Obstructed and brought the train TO n
stop.
As the train was stopped a volley was
fired into the cab, one shot narrowly miss
ing the fireman, and the two men were
ordered to come down. They refused to
comply with the demand, and the robbers,
only two of them in sight, did not insist
upon it. The rear brakeman, Timothy
Murphy, jumped off the train and ran
back to flag any train that might be fol-
lowing. The robbers saw him jump and
fired at him, inflicting a flesh wound in
the thigh. Conductor Il. Il. Rice stepped
out upon the platform to inquire what
was the matter and was fired upon, but
not touched. The passengers were not
molested, but were dreadfully afraid they
would. be. Women were in. Mysteries.
The men looked for places to hide their
valuables. Even if the robbers had de-
cided TO work the train they would not
have found much without careful
search. The passengers were mostly tour
lists bound for the northern resorts. Jam s
Cannon, of Rock Island, and Herman
Pew, of Chicago, were on board, and they
gave vivid descriptions of the wild scram-
BILE for places to hide valuables.
Conductor Rice thinks the robbers were
amateurs, as they were not disguised nor
masked and made no effort ut conceal
ment. The leader was q middleaged
man about five feet six inches, with a
full beard. The other three were younger,
and all were roughly dressed.
Brakeman Murphy was taken to Gland
Rapids and had his wounds dressed. He
is not seriously hurt. The passengers
were in desperate panic. The women
crawled in behind seat backs and tie
men got in as inaccessible places as they
could The brakeman hastily returned tp
the coaches and locked the door after him
With the decks clear for action, the roll
bers turned their attention to the ba,-
gage and express car.
Dynamite Is Used.
The firing had alarmed Baggagemm
V. n. Nannetta and he had locked lis
door against the intruders. The robbers
ordered him to open up. He refused.
Then they applied a stick of dynamite
To the side door and blew the bottom of
the car open. Mr.. Vannetta concluded
that he had done all that valor demanded
and opened the door. The robbers m
mediately demanded the key to the string
box, and when Mr.. VaEnetta declared he
did not have it they used up another dyna-
mite cartridge and burst it open. The
strong box was empty and did not even
contain a cent. The train did not cary
any express.
The robbers left the car in disgust and
held q heated argument whether or not
to go through the passengers. They final
~ concluded not to do so, Conductor Rice
representing that the passengers were
mostly poor people who could MT afford
10 lose what little money they had. The
robbers relieved Mr.. Rice of what small
change he had. about $50, missing the
well-lined pocket-book which Rec had
thrown into the wood box. They also re-
lieved the fireman and engineer OF their
watches and then with a pleasant fare
well to the conductor they gave MIN per
mission 10 move on and disappeared in
the woods.
This train is patronized every day bS
wealthy citizens of Grand Rapids ant
Northern and Western Michigan, who's,
business calls them frequently TO Chi
cago.
The express messenger went out with
'feint' car in the afternoon and was re
turning on q dead" trip. There wer
forty-two passengers. To make sure of
halt ties had been piled on the track hal
a length ahead of where the engin
stopped The baggage car was not dis
abled and the train proceeded, arriving a
Grand Rapids half an hour late.
Albert Antisdell of Chicago, superin
tendent of the American Express Com
pany, said his company had lost nothing
by the hold-up. I'VE had no messenge
on the train," said he. Our night mes
senger went out on the train that leave
at Has" m
"Wil you send any detectives to th
scene of the robbery
''Yes, Wen send some men over to hcl
the officers in pursuit of the robbers"
The train was composed of an engine
baggage car, two passenger coaches, an
parlor car.