Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-10-31
HELD UP A MISSOURI ThAlN
The Deed Done Within Twenty Miles
of Kansas City,

KanNas City, Mo-, Oct. 2I.-The pas.
senger and express train on the Chicago
and Alton railroad due here from Chi
ago n st. Louis at Z o'clock was held
up n robbed by -four masked men last
evening at Blue cut, between Independ-
tnce and Glendale, Mo. The scene OF the
robbery is less than twenty miles dis
tant from Kansas City. The train was
Tagged at the entrance to the cut.
While two of the robbers stood guard
over the passenger coaches the other
two covered the conductor, engineer
and fireman with their pistols and COM
PEELED them to so to the express car.
There the robbers commanded the mes
;enger to open the door of the car, threat,
ening TO break the door should he re-
fuSe. After some delay the robbers
were admitted 10 the express car. They
compelled the messengers to open the
safe and extracted from il several pack
ages.
The express messenger. however, a
surmised what the trouble was. While
the bandits had been demanding adj
mission he had quickly opened the safe,
taken out the money packages and
Tossed them into a chicken coop. When
he finally admitted the robbers TO the
car and opened the safe for them the
strong box contained but two or three
packages of jewelry. Even at the point
Of the robbers pistols and Winches-
ters the messenger insisted that he had
carried no currency. .,
Taking up the very little booty at
hand the outlaws %uncoupled the ex-
press a from the coach following il
and then marched their prisoners for
ware TO the locomotive. where they
compelled them to sit Town on the bank
alongside the track. The leader climbed
into the cab, tried the air and the steam
ana then called to the men who were
back guarding the passenger coach to
come forward. At this juncture the en-
Blneer cautioned he bandit to be care
ful with the locomotive, warning him
that they were on a hill and that If he
left the engine improperly guarded at
the top of the hill it would crash back
into the train OF else, If left on the OPP
pcsite grade, crash down into the train
supposed to be in waiting at %lndepend-
ence. The bandit said he would AXE
care of the locomotive. With this the
outlaws pulled out, having held up the
train without having fired a shot. They
ran the locomotive to within a mile of
Independence, where they abandoned
1t. 1t was W. hours before the robbery
became known. The passengers on the
train did not know what had caused the
delay until nearly two hours afterwards
and amused themselves during the long
stop by taking a straw presidential bal
lot.
As soon as a party of trainmen could
walk to Independence the alarm was
sent out. y deputy sheriff II posse
left Independence about 9 o'clock last
night and about the same time a squad
Of policemen We're detailed from here
and left for the scene of the robbery on
n special train. 1t is thought, however,
that the outlaws are now safely out
of the way. So far as can be learned
the robbers ed only the package
of jewelry and S25 in currency which
the fireman had left in his vest hanging
in the cab. How much money the mes
senger saved by throwing il into the
'hicken coop the express Company's
officials will not say. There have been
.hrce holdups in Blue cut. The James
gang held up n train there in 1881.