The true northerner., 1896-10-28
FOOLED THE ROBBERS.
Esp.ess Messengers Quick Wit
Saves His Cash.
THROWS 1T INTO A CHICKEN COOP,

Hold-Up on the Alton Near Independence,
NO., Results in the Robbers Securing
Little More Than the Engineers "Ron
The Messenger One Two Many for the
Bandits- The Express Company's Loss
Not Known, but Believed To BE Small.
Kansas City, Oct 26-Four men, wear
ing IN SKIS and armed with rifles, held up
Chicago and Alton passenger train Fri
day afternoon ut the Blue Cut, five miles
west of independence. Not a shot was
fred and the bandits got little booty.
They were baffiel by quick-witted ex-
press messenger, who, suspecting why the
train stopped, snatched the cash from his
safe, threw 1t into some chicken coops in
the express car and closed the safe door.
He made show of objection ut the point
of the menacing rifles and opened the safe
with apparent reluctance The outlaws
found in the safe two small boxes sup
posed to contain jewelry, and they stole
s25 from the pocket of the vest left by the
engineer in his cab. None of the pass
engers were molested. A posse Of officers
is pursuing the bandits.
The train was due in Kansas City at
$3.50 o'clock at night, and the robbery oc-
Cured at 5:40 o'clock. The train was
running about forty miles an hour and
was within few hundred yards of the
Blue Cut, where robberies have occurred
before. The James brothers "held up a
train at the same place in 1881
The engineer obeyed n red signal and as
soon as he had brought his train TO n
standstill four masked men with rifles APP
peared and took charge of affairs. The
engineer and fireman were driven from
the engine and the engine and express car
uncorpled from the rest of the train.
Money in the Coops.
The express messenger readily complied
with a request that he open the car door,
and later, under persuasion of the rifles,
opened the safe, which was found TO con-
tain nothing, the messenger having pre-
viously opened the safe and taken out all
the cash, which he threw into some
chicken coops which constituted part of
the expressage. The express officials re-
fuse to say how large h sum was thus
saved from the bandits, but il is supposed
TO have been very large.
The robbers were disgusted at finding
nothing but did not suspect that they had
been tricked Without attempting to go
through the passenger coaches the robbers
boarded the engine and ran it toward In
dependence. One of them was evidently
an experienced engineer, for he appeared
to be at home on the engine and handled
IL with the grace of an old railroader
The engine was run TO Pacific bridge, only
a mile the other side of Independence and
only eleven miles from Kansas City,
where il was abandoned and the robbers
took to the woods, having taken S25 from
the vest of the regular engineer of the
train, who had left it in the engine.
Marshal Ross, of independence, organ
lied posse 20 pursue the robbers.
Follow Their Engine.
The engineer and hremen, who had fol-
lowed their stolen engine on foot, took
possession of IL as soon as IL was aban-
doned and ran IL back TO the train, which
they brought into Kansas City about two
hours late. Cononel ID. >. Twitchell, who
was on the train, said that for quiet,
gentlemanly hold-up he mad never heard
of the like bef re
1T must have been about $50 o'clock I"
he said, when we We're entering the cele-
brated Blue Cut, few miles east of Inde-
pendence. The train slowed up and then
came TO dead stop As this was unusual,
many of the passengers got out, suppos-
ing, of course, the engine had broken. AS
we neared the head of the train every
thing was as quite AS "A graveyard. Sud
denly we heard he valves of the engine
being tried, and voice called out: All
right; you fellows come on Three
other men jumped on the engine and
away they went, leaving the train where
il was The conductor ran back to Glen
dale and gave the alarm. The engineer
and fireman followed their machine on
foot and after about two hours returned
and brought us to the city.
stopped a Danger Signal.
1T seems the engineer stopped on a
danger signal Four masked men with
rifles compelled the engine crew to get
down and have the express car door
opened. The express messenger in the
meantime had smelled rat, opened his
safe, taken out the money and thrown IL
in some chicken coops in the car. As a
consequence the robbers found nothing" I"
John J. Allgaier, "a travelling man for
George Fowler 81 Son, told practically the
same story as Colonel Twitchell Mr..
Allgaier, however, was one of the first
ones to the engine. AS he approached a
masked man showed rifle to his face and
said: you, you get back in the car,
this is no place for you" Mr.. Allgaier
sought the smoking car. The train boy
also went ahead on the opposite side of
the train. He saw man sitting on the
track with rifle on his knee "Huntin' rab-
bitY" asked the butcher" The man an
swered that he was not and the CONNER
cial por ion of the trains crew took a