Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-25
BAD, BOLD BANDITS.
Steal a Whole Train and Rife
the Express, Co.'S. Safes.
Turn Train Crew Adrift and Run Ex-
press Car off Several Miles.
Blow Open Safes and Leave Engine Dead"
Search Party After Them.

Kansas City. Mo. Dec. 2i.-Express
| Messenger I'rier. who was carried OFF in
an express car by the robbers who held
up the st. Louis d Chicago express. n
mile from Independence. near the famous
Blue cut. last night, arrived at Indepen-
dcnce. this morning.
1t appears that the bandits ran the sec
non OF the train they had cut off about
two miles. and stopped right in the old
Glendale cut, made famous as the scene
Of one of the james boys robberies. Here
they stopped and rificd the ears
After completing their work they cut
the engine loose and ran it to a point a
mile east of Glendale. whore they dis
abitd me engine so that it could not be
used. and then deserted it.
At 10 this morning. the passenger
coaches We're still standing where the
robbers mad left them when they cut the
train in two. At 20 the express ear was
brought back to Independence. and Ex-
press Messenger I'ricr told the story of
the robbery as follows:
About five minutes after the express
car was detached from the train. he said.
ne heard a noise at The side door. and
thinking il was the brakeman. he opened
it. A man with shotgun compelleh him
to retreat into the car while two others
followed him with reyolvers and ordered
him bs to 'hr0 ,ss up t hii nd
and asked him II he~had any money. He
picked him up and threw him bodily back
into the car, and one of the men. who
wore mask. did the Others
climbed in.
The men proceeded to the large safe
of it, the other two held guns at Frier's
head. while the third one proceeded
coolly TO break open the safe.
frier told the man who was at work
on the large safe that it was useless for
him to blow it open there was no
money in it. one of the men who stood
at the door, covering Frier all the time
with a revolver, then said: We'll, d-n
YOU, give us the key. of the small safe
t'rier refused; and the two men who had
remained on the outside leaped into the
him to the floor. and took the keys of the
small safe away from him. He was
thrown into corner and with guns held
to his head, told to stay there.
The third man then took the keys.
opened the small safe and took from it
a number of packages of money, and
tents of the small safe they finally blew
open the big safe with dynamite and Sc
cured all il contained.
frler says the money in the small safe
ran away up into the thousands. and the
big safe had more money and valuables
than 1t usually carried.
City and brought the stranded train into
Independence at go. Engineer Mead and
his fireman walked to Glendale arriving
there at | o'clock. this morning After
the robbers had made Mead and his fire
man leave the engine, the latter followed
it on foot and found it dead" in a cut
ore mile east OF the depot at Glendale.
The bandits had let the water out of the
boiler and it was impossible to move /.
wheel at o'clock this morning. when
another locomotive was sent out from
Independence and the dead engine was
lowed back to the switch at Glendale.
Engineer Mead insists that there were
but three bandits. and says that they are
the same men who held up his train on
the night of Oct. %. party left Indc-
pendence to search for the robbers soon
after the news was received there. and ut
II o'clock last night. Marshal keshiear.
with a number of deputies and detectives.
left Kansas City on special train for
the scene of the robbery.