The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-13

Omaha, Jan. PA special to the Bee
from Ottumwas Iowa, says:
Highway1nen got in their work to-
might It was one of the qnost darling
train robberies ever attempted. 1t was
|executed on the Burlington passenger
|traln No. 4 near this city flouligtht No. 4
lis the Burlingtous through passenger
trtafn from Denver ITO Chicago and car
ried large quantities Of mail and bag
gage 1t was mot known that the
train carried a more valuable cargo of
mail or express atondght than usual. or
lie 1T was. 1T was kept quiet, but it
seems THAT two bold robbers knew that
the express would make a valuable haul
and they planned to bag it. They held
up the train, but qnolested nothing but
the express CAR. though, afher they
had finished this job, they stood for
ten minutes and Waited for the train
TO stop. long enough to have robbed
the mail cars or the passenger coaches.
rThe agent at Cllallicotile, q. sTnan viii
! 1age several miles west of here, says
he saw two men about the depot In
the afternoon, and when No. arrived
at $50 they were ON the platform, but
disappeared while the train was
standing ait the Station When ti1e
heavy string of cars began to move
out of the station, the two express
messengers and baggage man shut the
side doors of the car, for the wind was
blowing strong and cold. Express Mes
senger John Page stepped to the emu
door at the front Of the car, wniel,
though usually secured and fastened,
was left unlocked by some one passing
through 1T. He meant to lock 1T and
WAS Just stepping to do 1T, when the
door opened and two men sprang in
side. They cried: Hold up your
handsp one running to the rear OF the
car to cover the assistant and bag
aagenan, Ed Wright. The trahn1nell,
taken by surprise. threw up Sneir
hands. The robbers compelled them
"a sshllnch' in a, corner of the car, and
cine kept them covered with two Dig
pistols while the other bound and
gagged them He then turned ms al,
Tention to the safe, which he unlocKsu
with the keys taken from rage
noclSets. stuffiug the contents INTO
hfo. sack they had with them. Al Dil9s
iunetllre the mail clerk sn the adJolniie
apartmenlt came in. attracted Dy lie
noise and he Immediately received Cue
bind and gag treatment and was lhIoWA
in the corner with the others. After
fi-7ine the sack the robbers quietly
waited until the train WhiS,!so snu
Stacked speed for the Milwaukee raj
road crossing, a mile west OF town
showing by every action pertecl
familiarity with the lay of the land and
the habits of the train. When the tram
stopped for the crossing, they poeI
Jumped to the door, sprang out ind
started on a run across the Des MONIES
river, BY this time the bdggageLnaI
had worked himself loose from the
thongs which bound him and he re
leased his companions just as the train
was pulling into the Qttumwa, depot
The alarm was given, and an engine
with posse sent out to ChiE1cothe
where no night agent is retained by
the company. Another posse was lee
by a Burlington detective, Jim Harvi'
SON, who recently had a desperate tiga
with bandits at Batavia, in which on:
was killed. This one started from
OttumWa, and the search for the rob
| bers is a hasty one. 1T is believed they
escaped to an island in the river from
where it is thought they crossed to tht
opposite side of the river and escaped
by horses hidden in the woods. From
there to the abandoned coal mines neal
Abba, where there is no question that {
lSdIlS VI illCOuOIlIneIS lllGht LllSli 2IGtO
quarters. It was the theory of the
railroad men that the two men belong
to this gang, members of which as
saulted Deputy United States Marsha
Wray with shotguns a short time ago
and released one of their number under
arrest, near.y killing Wray.
The robbers were medium sized men
They wore caps with drop masks t.
them. One had on grey jeans and tn:
iouher overalis and both wore brown
overcoaits. Adams Express officials il
this city dlsclaim any knowledge Of
the amount taken, but it is believed
to be several thousand dollars. Tht
train men think from the GOODNESS dis
played by the bandits, that they arr
old hands at the business, probably
lrecently from the territory. wht
planned this raid after careful study
Local officials at a late hour est
mated the amount taken at $1,000. Blu,
on account of it being a habit O.
banks in small towns to send money IL
Chicago on Saturday night, it is be
lieved the amount is much larger.