The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-16
AN EXPRESS ROBBERY.
The Story as Told by the Detoo-
tive and Thief.
DETECTIVE LAwroN's STORY.

DETECTIVE LAWTON'S STORY.
81 received an official notification"
said Detective Lawton. ''of the New
England 'eXpress-car robbery from Bos-
ton, and, as the details had not been
fully gathered owing to the dazed con-
dition of the car messenger, 1 got
aboard special engine and was
whislSed off to Boston at mile Il min
ute. found the mcssenger-his name
was Hartwell, 1 thinlx-suffering from
several severe wounds on the scalp.
and the doctors were of the opinion
that his Skull had been fractured by a
heavy, blunt instrument.
lie was then just able to talk, not
in very connected way, but suffi-
GENTLY well to give me an idea of how
the robbery happened. 1t was to his
credit that he did not conceal the fact
that he was sleeping in the car along
side of several hundred thousand dol
lars worth of property when the
thieves gained an entrance. He did
not hear or see anything, therefore.
until the thieves woke him with
bang ON the head and tied
him before he could make any
show of resistance. lie did not
get good look at any of the
crooks, and about all that he knew
was that there were three in the party,
oil large and heavily built men. The
men had on black masks when he first
saw them, and after they had gagged
and tied him n towel or bag was put
over his face.
An examination of the car gave me
an idea as to the methods EMPLOYED by
the thieves to get in, and confess
that my first impression was that the
work had been done by some persons
familiar with the construction of cars.
presumably railroad employees. The
car was divided into large and small
room by partition and the outer door
opened from the platform to the small
err room. The messenger was locked
in the car in thu city by one of the ex-
press agents andl.e had to be released
by an agent in Boston. This kept the
messenger from getting out, and tho
car door was sealed, SO as to show if
any attempts were made by the mes
senger to get out by collision. The
only inside protection to the door was
heavy iron rod, which was suspended
from tho center of tho door and the
end dropped into>a slot when the door
was closed. A hole had been made in
the door on line with this inside bar
and all the thieves had to do after
knocking off the outside lock was to
lift the inner rod and walk into the
little room.
'Ilartwell confessed that he had
often gone to sleep because there was
no danger of the car being robbed,
owing to the fact that no one knew
except those directly interested in the
safe carriage of the money when it
was sent. In the car was coupling
pin with blood on it, which rather con-
hrmed the notion that railroad men
were in the deal, for this is a weapon
used more frequently by railroad peo-
pie than n club or revolver Hart
well said that there was no display of
weapons. The burglar-proof safes and
the hre-proof safes were simply
wrecks, and thought from the work
on the smaller safe that professional
craftsmen had been with the party,
as the blow-pipe and putty had been
used to get powder into the safe.
"Hartwell had not the least idea ut
what part Of the road he was attacked,
and all that he could recall was that
shortly after the thieves loft he heard
cries of fire and the ringing Of what
sounded to him like cracked church
bell. The thieves had pounded his
head before leaving, but he was not
unconscious. When the crooks left
they fastened tho door with the lock-
on tho outside. and stuffed black hat
into the hole in tho door to prevent
the light from shining FROM tho inside.
My first work was 10 Dry and locate
the place whore tho thieves lett tho
train. and my only Glow as the cracked
bell and fire. wont BY train along
the road. stopped at all stations, but
did not strike any thing until Preached
Now liavon. / learned there that just
before the night Boston express
reached tho depot hro had broken
out in tho lower part of tho city. and
tho bell rang from G Presby terrain
church. This was the last thing which
liartwell romembe until he was
aroused in his ear in Boston, and con
cludod dhAt the thieves got off az New
haven My Judgment IN this was con-
hr1ned by the anding OF new BIZ end
auaer a quarter OF milo from The
depot. which had boon uned to bore o
hole In the ear door.
The train had made only ono stop