The herald., 1896-12-24
BOLD MARAUD[RS
COPY JESSE JAMES
On the Ground Long Since
Made Famous
THE Blue GUT, NEAR KANSAS CITY,
The Scene of a Fourth HOld.up
of Trains
MISSOURI MEN EN- MASQUE
Tackle an Express Train Loaded With
Christmas Presents
The Passengers Were Badly Scared but Not
Moiested
The Express Car Looted and Large
Amount of Plunder Secured.-TE>n
the Robbers Drop Completely
MISSOURI MEN EN- MASQUE
Tackle an Express Train Loaded With
Christmas Presents
The Passengers Were Badly Scared but Not
M0iested
The Express Car Looted and Large
Amount of Plunder Secured.-Th>n
the Robbers Drop Completely
Out of Sight.
Associated Press Special Wire

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Dec. 2S.-Blue
Cut, made historic through the opera
tjons there of the James and Younger
bands, when they were pioneers in the
train robbing industry, was the scene
tonight of it's fourth hold-up by road
agents.
At 920 o'clock tonight the st. Louis
and Chicago express, which left Kansas
City at S:45 was tagged at Blue Cut
and came to a standstill. Masked men
Immediately covered the engineer and
fireman and compelled them to get down
from their cab. At the same time an
other member of the band uncoupled
the express car from the rest OF the
train, The robbers quickly climbed
aboard the engine and express car ana
before the surprised trainmen had had
time to collect their wits, the bandits
were speeding down the steep grade be-
yond Blue Cut with the engine and ex-
press car. The express messenger. A. j.
Frier of st. Louis, was prisoner in the
express car.
At midnight no word had been received
here of the train or the robbers. From
independence to Glendale. the next sta
ton beyond. is six miles, and the suppos-
tion is that the robbers have looted the
car and left the train somewhere in the
woods between the two stations. The
fate of Messenger Frier is causing con-
siderable anxiety.
Kansas City officials of the United
States Express company state that the
train carried very little cash. but the
car was filled with an enormous amount
of miscellaneous express of considerable
value, Christmas boxes making up the
larger amount of the treasure OF EN-
Eriar all the officials
will say is that he is heavily armed and
is dead game" but they admit that the
chances are all against him.
When the robbery became known at
Independence a posse of county offlcers
set out for the scene of the hold-up
and at midnight County Marshal Kesh-
lar was arranging to send out a force
of officers from Kansas City.
1t was at Blue Cut in 1881 that the
James gang held UP a Chicago and
Alton express train and made one OF
the biggest hauls in the history of
train robbing. A few years later an
other big train robbery was committed
st the same place, and two months ago
tonight, October 49, the hold-up a Blue
Cut occurred The men who planned
the robbery in October were local nov
ices, and got shot. Two members of the
gang have since been arrested and are
now in Jail. Their accomplices are known
and are fugitives.
Though Blue Cut is less than fifteen
miles distant from Kansas City, it is
in wild and unsettled section, and is
an ideal spot for such outlawry. II is a
deep cut through solid rock. and ex-
cept in broad daylight is almost as
dark as a tunnel. For long time it
was patrolled day and night. but few
years ago, after the bandit gangs about
here were supposd to have been broken
up. the guards were withdrawn. 1t is
predicted that two train robberies there
within as many months will result in
return to the old precautions.
At 1 o'clock this (Thursday) morning
telephone message was received from
Glendale stating that Engineer Meade
and his fireman had arrived there. I'M
mediately after the robbery they set
out towards Glendale in search of their
locomotive. They found the locomo-
tive about one mile east of Glendale
dead" with the express car, but moth
ing is said of the fate of the express
messenger. Engineer Meade is reported
to have said that there were three rob-
bers, and that he identified them as
three Of the men who held up the train
two months ago. Engineer Meade was
in charge of that train.
The first definite information from
tne passenger train was received from
independence at 80 o'clock after the
arrival there of Marshal Keshlar's re-
ilei Train sent out from Kansas City.
Beyond independence this train pick
ed up the passenger and baggage coach
es that had been left by the robbers at
Blue Cut and pulled them back to In
dependence.
Conductor Nichols, in an interview al
Independence stated that when the
train was brought to a standstill at the
cut he stepped out upon the rear plat
form, only to have pistol thrust under
his nose.
"Just keep your mouth shut, -:
don't want to hurt anybody" was what
the road agent said to him. He had
nothing to say.
A moment later the bandit said: Look
here. young fellow, have you got any of
the conpany's money!
The conductor dug up 81 and displayed
them in front of the robber.
The robber took 81 with the remark,
well, I'll just divide it with you.'
None of the passengers were molested
but the greatest confusion prevailed
aboard the train when it became known
that they We're in the hands of robbers.
There was a wild scramble to hide VAL
uables
After taking the stranded train into
independence Marshal Keshlars re-
lief train went Oh to Glendale to pick
up the locomotive and the express car,
which were left some distance east Of
that station.
At 2:S0 a. m. no word can be had of