Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-12-31
ROB AN EXPRESS CAR.
Bandits Detach the Engine anu
Car and Run Away VITA
the Outfit.

the Outfit
E.,sos civ. Mo-, Dec. 24.-it was
ok n,n,ock this morning before the Chi
49, 49, 6. A,ton train, held up and robbed
p1,o Ont near Independence last
a;oht was finally gotten together. after
Ia,-;no hnen cut in two by the rooDcrs,
and the trip to st. Louis resumed. ms
made it fully six hours OIL scheuuie IN ~.
Up to 10 o'clock this morning io.tl' ON
a;o1s 10Th of the United States Express
enr,nany and the railroad hath received
nothing definite regarding tneir renpGe
two losses and nothing positive VIII pc
known till the train arrives at oe. Louis.
1rho axnress officials feel SATISFIED fhat
the through safe was not open,eeu al M
even if it were, they say, but niue on
yalue would have been obtained by the
rohhers as the bulk of the packages was
made up of Christmas packages. Inc
yalue of these, many of which were car
ried off or despoiled by the robbers, can
not be estimated.
Searching for the Engine
Marshal Kcshlar. who started IN puI
suit of the robbers with numper VI
deputies last night has not YET retuIne r
The proba biities of immediate c3p!utt
of the robbers. however, are not prlsn'
as they had every opportunity 10 escaps'
When the excitement among the paro
sengers and crew, who had been cut VI,
from the engine and express ea.' -
abated, a number of the trainmen VIM
had been left with the train 3starteu W
foot to find the balance OF tine Tail i.,
1t was fully two hours alter tne Iopu;ii
occurred that the crew came UP 49,
the engine and express car, luiis hner
miles from where the train had peeli
stopped. When the door OF the naS-
gage car was opened by one OF the crew rev,
EXPRESS Messenger ]. A. Fryer, VINO
had been left by the robbers WIN INC
command not to move uhder pam ~
position and aided the others Ill patch-
There was evidence of money pa ckages
having been opened and it is the sen
eral opinion that several THOUSAND o2l1 ,
lars was taken. Messenger Fryer couid
give no estimate of the loss, however:
He had IA good view of the robbers ana
described two of them as Delng quite
tall and. he thought, smoothly shaECn.
They were about IS years of age. The
third man. the one that attempted to
blow open the safe, was about 80 years
old and had a small moistache. 1he
robbers had all evidently left the scene
Immediately after concluding that 1t
through safe. although Fryer remained
in the car alone two hours after they
left 1t seems positive that the through
safe. which ordinarily carries thousands
of dollars. was not opened. Had the
robbers succeeded in opening it they
would more than likely have made Il
rich haul. Notwithstanding the express
company officials statement that 1t con-
| tanned but little.
George T. Griffin, depot agent Of the
company. who knows the contents of the
safe. refuses to make a statement. 1t
will be remembered that George E. Ross,
the company's local cashier, now under
arrest charged with embezzlement, ham
died over 100000 on the day before he
left. and it was Sunday. The belief is
that just at this time even that amount
was exceeded and that this plum was
what the robbers were after.
Details of the Robbery.
The details of the robbery as given
by Express Messenger Frcyer are as fol-
lows: About five minutes after his car
was detached from the train he heard a
rap at the side door, and, thinking it was
| the brakeman. he opened it. A man
with shotgun compelled him to retreat
| into the car while two others followed
with revolvers and ordered him to throw
up his hands. The men then pulled him
from the car, and asked him if ne had
any money. He was too excited to an
swer. They then picked him up and
| threw him bodily back into The car and
one of the, men, who wore mask, as
did the others, climbed IN. The man
| who got into the car proceeded to the
| large safe and threw down a kit Of
| tools in front OF 1t. The other two held
guns at Freyer's head. while the third
one proceeded coolly to break open the
| safe. Freyer told the man who was at
| work on the large safe that it was use
less for him to blow it open as there
| was no money in it.
One of the men stood G the door cover
ing Freyer all the time with revolver;
| then he said: We'll. you give us the
keys for the small safe Freyer refused
to do this and the two men who had re-
manned on the outside Ieaped into the
car. They jumped on Frcyer, pinned him
! to the floor and took the keys of the
small safe away from him. He was then
chucked up into corner with two guns
| The third man then took the keys, opened
the small safe and took from it a number
of packages of money and after the rob-
hers had secured the contents of the
small safe they again demanded that the
messenger open the big one. He an
swered thath could not and that it would
| be useless for them to blow it open At
| ter paving over the loose packages for a
time the robbers departed, warning the
| messenger not to move under penalty of
| being shot
| Chicago, Ill. Dec. Pat the offices
of the Chicago 4 Alton railway here it
| Blue Cut train robbers foots up between
$4,000 in cash and may reach $4,000
| Kansas City. Mo-. Dec. 24.-At noon
word was received from Crack Neck.
small place near Blue Cut, that a man
| believed to be one of the robbers had
been held there. A special train bearing
| officers was soon started from Indepnn-
! dence to make the arrest No ,Iesc1jl,-
| ton of the man is given.