The Daily Texarkanian., 1895-05-03
M'NEILL TRAIN ROBBER.
Run Down by a Southern Express
Deteotive---Story of the Captur-
ed Bandit.


ed Bandit.
January 18th last the state was
startled by the report Of a bold hold
up at Mcneil station, on the Cotton
Belt in Columbia county. After
determined chase lasting several
months and extending into four
states, Thomas N. Jackson, the well
known Southern Express detective,
finally run the robber down at
Southwest City, Mo- His compan-
ion William Johnson, alias Burns,
was seriously wounded The king
bee gave his name as Charley Jones.
The story as told by Detective Jack.
sou to the Meridian News reads
like chapter from a narrative of
the James brothers exploits. That
paper says, in part.
"There is no record in history or
fiction of any police pursuit car
ried on so doggedly in the face of
serious obstacles as was this one.
From the time that Jackson entered
upon the pursuit at Macon, Miss,
until the close at Southwest City,
the course Of the robbers was never
lost sight Of, save for a slight di-
version in Alfalfa county, Missis-
sippi, where the detectives was mis-
led by the presence Of man who
bore bad reputation, Over the
country, horseback and afoot,
through swamps and across swollen
streams, over hills and mountains
and cultivated fields, through rain,
and blizzard, sleet and snow, across
frozen rivers by night, such expert
ences as these did Jackson pass
through, and still held on his
course. Sometimes he would be
two days behind his game, and
again he would find evidence that
they were only a few hours ahead.
After crossing the Mississippi river
and getting into Arkansas and Mis-
souri,, where the robbers appeared
to have a knowledge OF the lay of
the land, they succeed in holding up
two trains and an express agent be-
fore they were overtaken through
in each instance they secured but
triaing booty
After recounting his eventful life
and various crimes in a written con-
fession Jones says;
Leaving Macon we went west
and crossed the Mississippi river
two aud a half miles above Arkan-
sas City, We walked to Walnut
Lake, Ark, There we sold the ham
merless gun, got on freight train
and went to Pine Bluff. This was
the first ride we took after leaving
Macon Miss, We got into Pine
Bluff on Saturday night and remain
ed until Sunday night, when we
got on a Cotton Belt train and beat
our way to Mcneil Station, where
we robbed a train on the night of
January II 1895, We got just SIG
in money and some cheap watches.
"We struck across the country
afoot until we struck the Iron
Mountain at Prescott. We decided
to go over and hold up an Iron
Mountain train near Little Rock,
but ON reaching the spot there was
snow on the ground, and consider
ing that 1t would be so easy to track
us in the snow we decided to defer
the operation, We decided to at
tack a train on the Fort Smith road
near Conway, but when we got
there the snow was still on the
ground We then put out Tor the
Frisco road to make a hold up near
Venra, where we had been success
iul in a similar undertaking pre-
viously We struck the Frisco
road near Aurora, Mo-, and there
robbed train on Friday night,
February %, but got nothing from
the express car The messenger
ran out of the car, and we did not
know how to open the safe,
''l3y this time, what with our
expenses and our unfruitful hold
ups we were out Of money, and to
make a stake to get back home
we held up the depot agent at
Purdy, Mo-, on the night of Feb
ruary 23, We got $ll in cash and
two watches,
"Tbis was our last exploit, as we
were overtaken at Southwest City.
After all my efforts, had, when
cantprpd onlv 900 40 Tho huainnea