Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1895-11-22
HELD UP.
Express Train on the Great North
ern In tho Hands of Robbers.
The Deed Was Committed Near St. Cloud
The Thieves Fail to Secure the Big
sum that Was In the
Strong Box.

st. Cloud, Mimi, Nov. 10.-Last
night when four miles west of Clear
Lake and about IL miles east of st.
Cloud at about 10 o'clock the train men
on the Great Northern passenger train
had an experience. The fireman had
just turned around for shovel of coal
when he saw the CLEAN OF a gun barrel
and he was ordered to ''let up" He
did and as he stopped the man at the
end of the gun climbed up over the
tender and covered him fairly.
At the same moment man with a
Winchester came up over the other side
of the tender and covered the engineer.
He yelled to the engineer stop her."
and the engineer. aided by the rifle,
understood what was demanded and
stopped her.
The leader of the gang demanded of
the engineer that he cut loose the en-
CINE and express car. This he done,
and under orders from the robbers be-
gan to prepare to pull out for St. Cloud,
leaving the rest of the train standing.
The conductor and some of the brake
men began to show little curiosity at
this point as to the cause of stopping at
Clear Lake. The robbers, in order to
frighten off the officials of the train,
began to fire some shots. and this was
the first. intimation the trainmen had
that a real holdup was in progress.
Tho conductor went back through the
passenger coaches and notified the pas
sengers of the situation and advised
them to prepare to protect themselves,
as robbery was in progress.
Some difficulty was experienced in
getting into the express car. The ex-
press agent was finally persuaded to
open the car and let them in. This car
contained the through express safe and
the express agent, William Woods, did
not have the combination of the safe.
The robbers demanded this but were
finally persuaded that the agents de.
claration that he did not have the COM
bination was true.
They opened several express packa-
ges but obtained nothing of value.
The engine and car were now nearing
st. Cloud, the engi6eer having put on
speed with the idea of running the rob-
bers right into the city. They evident
~ saw his design and just as they
passed the reformatory gave him an
order to stop. They dropped off the
engine and car and disappeared in the
darkness
The express cars at this time OF the
year'carry on an average from SIS, 900
to 500, 900.
Six men are under arrest on suspicion
of being, implicated in the attempted
holdup.
1t is now belived that only two men
were engaged in the hold-up. Otto
Sparland, the man arrested last night
near the scene, says his home is in
Fergus Falls. He says that at Elk
River he met two men waiting around
for n.train. Sparland wanted to take
4 freight, but the other two men said
that the freight cars were all sealed
and they had better get on the blind
baggage or passenger.
I'VE got on, says Sparland. ION the
first baggage and express car just back
OF the tender. A little way out of
Clear Lake one Of the two men climbed
over the tender. 1 asked the other
man, where's your partner going?"
He replied, "To see the engineer"
Soon we stopped, and, looking at
the man beside me, was he had a
mask on. The train stopped and ran
back, telling the brakeman, whom
met, that the train was being held up.
At Elk River ] noticed the men had
something wrapped in a blanket, but
never thought it was guns"
Minneapolis, Now 2O.-An inspector
of police attached to the Minneapolis
furnished what may prove
to be a valuable clue to the unraveling
of the train robbery at St. Cloud Mon
day.
The clue referred to concerns the
identity of the men who did the deed.
A detective connected with the Mime
apolis police department has informed
the Great Northern officials that IT
might not be time lost to keep look.
out for two we'll known desperadoes
who have been in st. Cloud recently.
These men are George and James Bell,
two Montana toughs and professional
highwaymen. The Bell brothers were
seen in ST. Cloud by the Minneapolis
detective referred to but few weeks
ago
The Bell brothers are we'll known
among the sheriffs OF Montana. Each
has q record OF many men killed.
They started their career as cowboys
on ranch at the junction of the Potte,
and Yellowstone rivers and for years
We're the tcrrors Of the whole county
They committed constant depredationl
and ran off horses and cattles from
other ranches. From this pastime they
graduated into the stage robbing bust
ness. and from their record it appear!
that they were highly successful
Soon after Montana train robbery
in which they were thought to be i'm
| pllcated, they came East, and wer,
arrested on suspicion by Minneapolis
detectives two years ago. and forced t.
leave the city The officers lost sigh
of them until few weeks ago. whe1
the Minneapolis detective mentioned
saw George Bell, the older one in St
| Cloud.