Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-08-01
OUUW1TTIED THE ROBBERS
An Incident in Which a Conductors
CoolneSs Proved Invaluable.

Il had an interesting adventure
with train robbers about a dozen years
ago, said j. B. Edwards of the treas
ury department, formerly a resident of
MlchlSan. IN company with NV
brother, who was Ill, went to Denver.
We had considerable cash money with
us, and neither of us had had munh
experience Us travellers. At Omaha
we proceeded to bry tickets for Dem
yer over the Union Pacific. AS nv
brother and l stepped up to the win
dow big, roush-iooking fellow. who
saw Us display a roll Of bills, brushed
up alongside and asked where we We're
going. Like two country lads that We
We're we told him our destination.
Inc depot was crowded with people
ana we soon lost sight of our friend.
out before the train started | was sure
that L saw him again, and he was evil
gently watching us. When we cot on
the train, aboard with us were a num-
Der OF others, as desperate looking men
as ever cut a throat. Something told us
these men had not got on the train for
any good, and during the Journey we
became convinced that we were nor
the only persons on the train who had
this suspicion.
1T was evident that they were going
to rob the passengers, and that it was
not done was entirely due to the ac-
! ton of the train crew. The rough
looking customer whom we had seen
at the ticket window was a passenger
! III our car. His confederates were in
/ the smoker, and he was apparently
waiting for a signal from them to be-
gin operations. He took q position
near the front door of the car. from
, where he could look into the car ahead.
We watched him for a long time, ex-
pecting every moment to see him make
a pass for his Colts and command
everybody to deliver The conductor
and the brakeman must have been APP
prlsed of his game, for they kept pass
! ing in and out of the car where the big
fellow stood, and prevented him from
J communicating with his pals. Doubt
j less their coming and going also dis
concerted the men in The smoking car,
and nothing was done by the gang that
= night. Once i saw the rutfian make a
motion as if to draw his gun, but evf,
IDENTIFY he had not received the right
signal and deSiSted.
THE next day was Sunday, and ex-
actly the same performance occurred,
the train crew being kaenly on the
alert for every movement the men
/ were making and leaving them no
time to signal each other. Late in the
afternoon the gang left the train at >
station in Colorado. A day or two
after we read in the Denver papers of
a big bank robbery at the town where
they had left lis, and few days later
still the papers recorded the arrest N
Denver by the sheriff of the county in
which the robbery had occurred of a
man who answered perfectly the de-
scription of the ruffian who had ad-
dressed Us in Omaha, and. who had
kept us in a state of terror on the
train. He turned out to be a noted
train rObber and desperate who had
! long been wanted by the authorities.
81 am satisfied that the only thing
that saved us was the vigilance of the
conductor and the crew, coupled with
the fact that the gang had no real
leadership. "-Washington Post.