The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-24
HELD up IN OHIO.
Four Masked Men Rob a
Lake Shore Train of
$4,000.
PASSENGERS NOT DISTURBED
Smashed the Interior Of the Ex-
press Car Into Kindling Wood
With Dynamite.
PASSENGERS NOT DISTURBED


CHICAGO, July "a. 1Ss5.-Conductor
Darling of the Lake Shore. Chicago and
New York express train which was held
up at Reese station last night, arrived
with his train in this city at 1885 O'Clock
this morning He said. regarding the
holdup:-
81 was sitting in the first-class coach
when the train was stopped. They turned
switch at Reese, a place in Ohio, be-
tween Stryker and Archibald. They
stopped the Engineer with red Light
and 1t was afterwards found THAT pile
of ties had been placed across the track.
AS soon as We came to stop l heard
firing up at the forward end of the train
and guessed the trouble. After sending
brakeman to the rear of the train with
a lantern to protect us from anything
which might be coming from behind.
went forward into the baggage car and
watched what went on from there. Once
stuck my head out but bullet went
whizzing by and 1 didn't try it again.
There appeared to be four men in the
attacking party, but it was terribly
dark and we could not see very dis
tinctly One of the men was short,
heavy set fellow with a sandy beard
and moustache and about forty years
old They got into the express car and
opened the safe. but could not get into
the big safe. They made the engineer
climb down from his cab, and one of the
men kept him standing beside the en-
gine in the ditch. The fireman, H.
Boardman. was under guard next to the
express car.
After about forty minutes they disap
peared in the darkness. The amount
taken was I believe. about $4,000. The
passengers were in a panic, but they
We're not interfered with. The explosions
woke them up, and the women began
screaming and crying. while the men
poEed their heads out of their berths
asking what was the trouble. and getting
their clothes on with all possible haste
Watches and money were tucked under
mattresses and into corners. and all
prepared themselves for a raid
THREE DYNAMITE EXPLOSIONS.
Express Messenger Nettleton said. in
regard to the hold-up:-"I was doing
in my chair near the safe about twelve
O'Clock last night and the train WAS
making about forty miles an hour. 1
knew there would not be another stop
for half an hour, so 1 was surprised
and startled when the brakes began to
jar ON the wheels. The train came to
stop and I suspected something was
WRONG. 1 had no sooner come to that
conclusion when there was a shock and
report under the forward end of my car.
The glass in the window next to my
corner was shattered into thousand
pieces.
81 grabbed my Spencer "a little short
shotgun) and stood at the door, which
was unlocked and had been partly open.
In the darkness 1 saw two men with
guns pointed at me. 1 doged back into
the car and raising my gun let them have
it, as 1 thought, full in the face. Appar-
emily it did not hit. and after that they
couldn't stand any nonkeying."
"If you put any value on your life
you will put down that gun and let US
in" one Of the men said. Then I gave
up and they came in and went to work.
They got into the way safe easy enough,
but after exploding six charges of dyna-
mite against the other one, they had
to give it up. Three times they left
me in the car while they exploded the
dynamite and three times they took me
up. They kept me covered all the time
with their guns. There were two who
were working in the car and two who
stayed on guarQ outside. Inc men mad
handkerchiefs tied over their faces and /
could not recognize them. I was not
| frightened until it was all over
BLOWN INTO KINDLING WOOD.
AS soon as the train arrived in Chicago
this morning the express car was run on
| the SIDE track next to the United States
| Express freight Office. Every window
| had been smashed and the side of the
car next to where the safe stood has one
/! board missing. The inside wall was
smashed to kindling wood. The big safe
showed a circular concave dent about
| six inches in diameter where the dial had
been. The dial itself had been blown off
and fragments of lit lay about the car.
Among the other trophies left by the
| bandits was four-inch stick of dyna-
| mite.
The way safe which was opened is a
| small affair and is no more than an iron
| bound chest about this size of a steiner
| tarunk. The fcts as to the actual loss
are hard to get ait, inaslnuch as every
| thing given out has had to pass the ap-
proval of Superintendent Wygant Twice
| when Telling his story the messenger
| stopped and appealed to that gentleman
| to kIcw whether his narrative war
meeting with approval. A rumor that
| found some currency was to the effect
| that $4,000 worth of jewelry had been
was known to the robbers, and that the
raid was planned With this in mind
I Superintendent Wygant, OF the United
| States Express Company. today at places
| the loss at $780,