Great Falls weekly tribune., 1895-05-03

| CHICAGo, May 2.-Oificials of the Alton
road deny emphatcally today that there
WAS any attempt to hold up their train
at Carlineville laet night when Engineer
Frank Holmes was killed. The shoot
ing. they say, was done by tramps. OH
cals of the road think they have the
murderer of Holmes in the man caught
leaving the tender. However, the mail
clerk, }. p. Keevers, tells the following
story: "Ihe train LIFT Carlinsvile at
ll:l0. Hardly had it got under way
when two tramps, lying fiat on the coal
in the tender, were startled by the ap-
pearance of the masked men crawling
over the tender. I'oking two big revolv.
ors into the faces of the trampa, the new
comer, enJOined their silence ard strict
attention to their own business. Pass
ing on to tho engine cab, ono Of the
armed men ordered the two iiremen, one
man being an extra lrarning the road, to
put up their hands, whilo the other
covered Engineer Holmes and ordered
complied Then the desperate or
dered him to give her full
head and to be lively about it, Holmes
made tho pretense Of doing So and the
robber, apparently satisfied, stepped
back foot or two. Engineer Holm os
was on the alert FOR the opportunity
presented, and, sci2ing the tireman's
pick, dealt the robher two blows on tho
head. Both robbers opened fire and
plucky Frank Holmes fell dead in the
gangway Of his engine V Gh at least
three bullet holes 10 his breast. The
fireman shut oil steam, put on the air
brakes. and the heavy train slowed down
to Il RtandstlIl. AS il did so the two
robbers swung of. A number Of men
had been riding on the rear platform OF
the mail car and ct the first report tire
two mail clerks heard one eXclaim: !,
There, they are shooting. iet us get |
off, Jumping of, they started to fee
The mail clerks, who at first supposed !,
the firing was done by the brakeman as |
menace TO defiant tramps, heard the
fireman shouting, "Frank Holmes ia
dead" Mail Clerk Confe1ey and Bag
gage Man Logan, in charge Of weighing
the mails for the government and the
railroad company, proceeded to assist
the trainlnen in the search for the slayer
of Holmes. fIurrying around the en-.
gine Logan stumbled over man lying
prone in the grass and commanded him
to arise. Reluctantly complying the
man protested earnestly against arrest
and claimed to be in no way connected
with the trouble. Corferey pushed on
and came upon a man with repeating
rifle and belt full of cartridges His
back was turned and Conferey covered
him and ordered him to come along
The man demurred. strongly claiming
that he had been on hunting expedi-
tion. Conferey refused to parley and
getting his revolver in line with the sus-
poets head convinced him that he had
an earnest man to deal with. Logan
and Conferey turned their men over to
The conductor and the passengers Con-
iuctor Conlin meantime had secured the
;wo tramps who had been on the tender.
The man with rifle put up so convinc-
ng story to account for his presence
hat Conlin permitted him to go. The
passengers belisve Conlin made serious |
mistake as the man with the Winchester q
vas the counterpart of an ideal desper- |
ldo in appearance and attire. the three !
men detained were turned over to dep i
'ty sheriff when the train backed down ]
o Carlinville, a mile away. Train No.. 3 b
3 said to carry at times large sums of Il
money, and the object of the bandits was t
probably to loot the express car. Chief f
agent Kane of the Chicago and Alton is
vigorous search for the
obbers.