The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-13
HELD Up By BANDITS.
Robbery Of a Train on the
Burlington.
ONLY ENTERED ONE CAR.
They Knew What They Wanted,
and Took 1t.
PASSENGERS NOT MOLESTED AL ALL.
The Outlaws Had Spotted the Saturday
Night Express for Haul
Rich in Booty.
PASSENGERS NOT MOLESTED AT ALL.

| OMAHA. N6UE.s u dLs SpoOi"i w ''S
Bee from Ottumwa, Iowa, says: High
waymen. got in their work Tonight. IL
was one of the most caring train robDerles
ever attempted. 1t was executed on the
Burlington passenger train No. 4. near
this city tonight. No. is the Burlington
through passenger train from Denver TO
Chicago, and carries large quantities OF
mall and baggage. 1t was not known that
the train carried a more valuable cargo OF
mail or express tonight than Usual. or II
it was it was kept quiet, but 1t 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 molested nothing but the express-car,
though, after they had finished this job,
they stood for ten minutes and waited for
the train to stop long enough to have
robbed the mailcars or the passenger
coaches.
The agent at Chillcothe, small village
several miles west of here, says he saw
two men about the depot In the afternoon,
and when No arrived at 80 they were
on the platform, but disappeared while the
train was standing at The station. When
the heavy string of cars began to move out
of the station the two express messengers
and baggageman shut the side doors of
the cars, for the wind was blowing strong
and cold.
Express Messenger John Page stepped
to the end door at the front Of the car,
which, though usually secured and fss-
tened, was lett unlocked by some one pass
| ing through it. He meant to lock it and
| was just STOPPING to do it when the door
opened ana two men sprang inside. They
cried, "Hold up your hands!' one run
ming to the rear of the car TO cover the as
sistant and Baggageman Ed Wright.
The trainmen, taken by surprise, threw
up their hands. The robbers compelled
| them to bunch in corner of the car
and one kept them covered with two big
pistols, while the other bound and gagged
them. He then turned his attention TO the
safe, which he unlocked with the keys
taken from Pages pockets, stuffing the
contents of the safe into big sack which
they had with them.
| At this juncture the mail clerk in the
adjoining apartment came In, attracted by
the noise, and he Immediately received
| the bind and gag treatment and was
| thrown in the corner with the others.
| After filling the sack the robbers quietly
waited until the train whistled and
Stacked speed for the Milwaukee railroad
| crossing, a mile west Of town, showing by
every action perfect familiarity with the
| lay of the land and the habits of the train.
| When the train stopped for the crossing
they both jumped to the door. sprang out
and started on a run across the Des Moines
! River.
| By this time the baggageman had
worked himself loose from the thongs
which bound him and he released his COM
panions just as the train was pulling into
the Ottumwa depot. The alarm was given
and an engine with posse sent cut TO
| Chillicothe, where no night agent is re-
| tanned by the company. Another posse
was led by a Burlington detective (Jim
| Harrison), who recently had q desperate
| fight with bandits at Batavia. in which one
was killed. This one started from OF
iumwa, and the search for the robbers
was q hasty one.
1t is believed they escaped to an island
In the river. from where 1t is thought they
crossed to the opposite side and rode
away on horses hidden in the woods,
going to the abandoned coal mines near
Abba, where there is 10 question that
gang Oh mOoDSHinoIo mahc tHciI ueau-
quarters. 1t was the theory OF the rail-
road men that the two men belong to this
gang. members of which assaulted Deputy
United States Marshal Wray with shotguns
| a short time ago and released one of their
number under arrest, nearly killing Wray.
The robbers were medium-sized men.
They wore caps with drop masks to them.
One had on gray jeans and the other over
alls and both wore brown overcoats.
Adams Express officials in this city dis
claim any knowledge of the amount taken,
bat it Is believed to be several thousand
dollars. The trainmen think, from the
GOODNESS displayed by the bandits, that
they are old hands at the business, pro ba-
bly, recently from the Territory. who
planned this raid after careful study.