Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-04-09
MISSOURI TRAIN ROBBERS
Held Up the Frisco Fast Express
Twenty-Five Miles East of Leb-
anon and Got Over $4,000.

express from the west, which left Leb-
anon, Mo-, 1872 miles west of st. Louis,
a little before O'Clock this morning,
was held up by three masked men
near Richland, % miles east Of Leb-
anon, about two hours later.
When the train was nearing Rich
land the engineer saw bright light
down the track. Ho reversed the
lever applied the air brakes and stop
ped the train. The engineer and fire.
man poked their heads out of the cab
window to see what the trouble was.
At that instant there was a fash and
a bullet whizzed past the engineers
head and buried itself in the wood
work.
A man sprang into the cab with a
Winchester rifle and commanded the
engineer and fireman to hold up their
hands. Then he compelled the engi-
neer to get down and help the robbers
get into the express car.
They made the engineer mount the
platform and, with Winchesters prod
ding him from behind, call loudly to
the messenger to open his car. 1t was
not until several volleys had been
poured into the car through the door
that the terrified messenger unbolted
his door and admitted the robbers
The messenger declared that every
thing in the car worth taking was Sc
curely locked in the through safe, to
which he did not possess the combina-
ton.
The robbers produced from bag
package of dynamite and went tc
work to blow the safe open. They
worked for nearly an hour firing theil
guns all the time outside the train tc
intimidate the passengers and the
trainmen. The messenger was badly
hurt by being struck on the head with
the butt end of a gun. AT last the safe
was opened, the booty secured and the
robbers mounted horses and gailopeo
off in the darkness.
A posse left Lebanon early this
morning in pursuit. The express Of
ficials claim not to know how muci
the robbers got, but one of the passen
gers says he heard the messenger say
there was over $4,000 in the safe.
One of the three robbers was 1
youth of II, who stood guard over th'
trainmen while the others did th'
work.
| In blowing open the safe they use'
a pillow slip and some clothes belong
ing to the trainmen, to deaden tn
noise. The loss may be anywhere from
$40, 900 to 100000. All the way bill
were destroyed. In their haste th'
robbers dropped one package of 81,
700.
After some time consumed in drill
ing the safe the first charge was ex
ploded, creating faint shock. In
few minutes a second and heavier on
did the work. The bandits cut tn
engine loose and started down tn
track. Engineer Price offered to g
with them to take care of the engine
but they said they did not need him
as they knew something about engines
An eighth of mile east of the trail
they left the engine and mounte'
their horses, which were pickete
near by. Good descriptions are give
of the robbers, and as the country
aroused and pursuit is active, it
thought they cannot escape.
The St. Louis agency of the Wells
Fargo Express company refuses IN
, formation as to the amount of none
in the through safe.
SECURED ONLY $1,277.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, April 1.-The Wells
, Fargo & 90. express officials here sa
, the amount of money secured by tn
robbers who held up the st. Louis an
San Francisco train near Lebanon tn
morning was only s1,277. About II
mounted men are in pursuit of tt
robbers. Road Agent Broadway is
Lebanon experimenting the hun
t Bloodhounds will be put on the trai
and every means known to the raj
road and express secret service,
= we'll as the local authorities, will
Y used to capture the outlaws.