The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-24
BANDITS like
BLUE CUT.
Fourth Train Robbery i'm Blue
Cut Near Kansas City.
The Robbers Say That They
Made Good Haul.
MUCH MONEY ABOARD.
Many Christmas Packages Ri
fled--Passengers Badly Scared.
Black Crook Scenery and Trick
Mule In Express Car.

IA AAC III In press OdEa
Kansas City. Mo. Dec. 24-Blue Cut
made historic through the operations
there Of the James and Younger
bands when they were pioneers in the
train robbing industry, was the scene
last night of its fourth hold-up by road
agents.
The train that was robbed was the
St Louis and Chicago express on the
Chicago & Alton. It left Kansas City
at 8.45 o'clock and left Independence
at 9.15. About mile east Of Inde-
pendence. where the road crosses the
Missouri Pacific, is a deep cut, and last
night as the train entered the cut En-
gineer Witten, who was at the throt-
tie, saw man standing in the middle
OF the track, wildly waving a red Ian
tern. He at once brought the train to
q standstiu and Conductor 6. S. Mich
OILS jumped from the train and ran for
ward to see what was the matter. AS
he came up to the man with a red lam
tern the man threw his lantern down
and covered the conductor with a. re-
yolver
Hold up your hands and be -
quick about it" said the man, and the
conductor lantern dropped to the
ground and his hands went up above
his head as high as he could get them.
Another rOb5er came out Of the dark
third man was discovered up on the
side Of the cut, covering the engine
crew with q dOuble-barreled shotgun.
None of the robbers seemed the least
excited, and the leader of the gang,
who was the man who had tagged the
train and held up the conductor, said.
Now. you fellows be careful, and
do just what we tell you. for we do not
want TO have to hurt anybody
Then remembering that the con-
ductor might have some money, he
said. Have you got any of the COM
pany's money. young fellow p,
The conductor said that he had not,
but the robber was a doubling Thomas
and he proceeded to Investigate. He
dug his hand into the conductors
pocket and brought out S4-
TN split it with YOU he remarked,
and handed back 81.
He then demanded that the conduc-
tor uncouple the express and baggage
cars from the rest of the train-there
were two baggage cars, one being an
extra. carrying the baggage of the
Black Crook company, which stranded
in Kansas City some time ago. The
conductor said that to do this he
would have to go to the rear of the
train to fix the brakes, but the excuse
did not go with the bandit for a mo
ment
cut those cars apart and be quick
about it" he commanded, and the three
guns enforced the command.
Conductor Nichols took out his knife
and cut the pipe of the air brake and
the bell cord and cut off the train. In
the meantime the second rObber had
ordered the engineer and fireman
out of the cab, and they had
climbed out without stopping to argue
the matter The man up aloft with
the double barreled shotgun acted as
lookout. and the big gun he held was
an able second to the commands of his
partners When Gateman Matthews
stuck his head out to see what was
going on the lookout promptly called
his attention to the fact that he was
getting vulgarly inquisiuve.
Take that -- head of yours in, or
something viii blow it off" yelled the
man on the bank The mead Went IN.
After the part of the train they did
not care for had been cut off from the
part they needed in their business, the
robbers climbed into the cab or the en-
gine and showed that they knew some
thing about running locomotive. as
we'll as about stopping one They
pulled away with the two cars, the bag
gage and express and the extra bag
gage without any delay in getting the
engine started IN the express car was
Express Messenger j. a. Freyer Of St
Louis and big through safe OF the
Pacific Express company
The express company officials, with
that wonderful ignorance which is pc
culiar to them when robberies occur,
say that they do not know how much
was i'm the safe last night, but lt IS SAID
that the safe contained a large sum OF
money
After cutting loose from the train the
rObber crew Of the impr0Vised special
ran their train as far as the Glendale
cut two miles this side of Glendale, to
fha very spot where occurred the fam
Gus Glendale robbery, one Of the most
famous Of all the exploits Of the James
boys Here they stopped and rified the
express car
After the robbers had stopped their
sDecial in the Glendale cut they raped
on the door of the express car. Tx
press Messenger Fryer did not know
what had occurred, and when ne heard
fhe rap ait the side door, thinking ii
was the brakeman, he opened 1T. The
man with the shotgun compelled him
to retreat into the car, while the Two
others followed with reVolvers and or
dared him to throw up his hands. The
men then pulled him from the car. They
asked him if ne had any money He
was TOO excited to answer. They then
picked him up and threw him bodily
into the car. and one of the men, who
was about 35 years of age and now
wore a mask, climbed in The man
who cot into the car proceeded to the
tools in front of it, The other two held
guns at Flyers head. while the third
one proceeded coolly to break open the
safe
Fryer told the man who was at work
on the large safe that it was useless
for him to blow it open, as there was
no money ia it, One Of the men VINO
stood at the door. covering Fryer all
the time with a revolver, then said.
the small safe =
Fryer refused to do this. and the two
men who had remained on the outside
leaped into the car. They leaped on