The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-12-10
HOLDUP IN ST. LOUIS
Within The City Limits Bandits
Stop a Railroad Train
A DARING PIECE OF WORK
They Get no Booty and Molest
None of the Passengers-The
Whole Thing Done In Less
Than Is Minutes.

81. Louis. Dec. g.-The Iron Mountain
fast express train. outgoing. was held
up one mile from the Union station.
within the city limits Tonight at $50
O'Clock by six masked men. The door
uf the express ear was blown on with
dynamite. hut no plunder was se-
cured One of the ,..cu stood in
the center OF The track and waved
red lantern. Simplifying that danger was
ahead. The engineer stopped the train
and no sooner had he done so than two
masked men jumped on the engine
cab. presenting revolyers, told MIN 10
hold the engine SIN on pain Of death.
Two ether robbers mace for the eX-
press ear, while The remaining two
stood guard outside. In less than Is
minutes the whole thinG was over and
the conductor FASTENED 10 the nearest
telephone and notified the police.
AZ soon as the matter was reported
at the central station every deteciiNs
on hand was called into service and.
under Instructions from chief Of De-
tcctivcs Desmond, sent out on the case.
The conductor telephoned a dcscrip-
ton of the men as near as he could.
but owing To the fact that they were
all masked. II is but meagcT. Word
was sent to every police officer on duty
In the city to he on the lookout for
suspicious characters. Officers were
called In and sent out To search every
tough resort In the city where thieves
are known to hang out. The robbers
had planned well the Job. for within
two minutes after the robbery they
had disappeared from view and were
lost In the crowds of the city.
For b1ldness, the robbery has no
al In ,..Is Of hsxl.I
in Missouri II ~ believed hy the po.
lice that tho three men who recently
entered rhc office OF the t,omc Brew,pg
company IN broad daylight and bound
and gagged the Office employees am
got away win $1,000 were leaders IN
this Job.
The two robbers who went to the
express ear demanded admittance. Ex-
press Messenger Egan refused 10 let
them In. They threatened to kill him
u he did not, but he demonstrated that
the express safe could not be opened.
Fortunately u was "a through car and
the money was in n timc-lOcked safe.
Finding II useless To try 10 blow this
open the robbers jumped OF and notI-
fled their companions on the engine
that they failed TO get anything. Con-
ductor William Hall came forward to
lind out what was the matter. He was
met by one of the thieves who. point
ing revolver at his head. ordered
-hLm hack ION the train. The -rppbsrs
then left and Engineer William Green
started on.
AT Jefferson barracks. Express Mes
scnger Egan said the Pacific Express
company had lost nothing. Had II
been n local instead OF "A through
train" he said, they might have Sc
cured some booty. but through ears al
ways carry burglar p.oor timelock
safes" The place where the robbery
occurred was at the Bates street cross
ing, where there Is deep cut. The
passengers ON the train were In no
way disturbed and Il was half an hour
before any enc realized what had hap
pencd.
As the train pulled away Express
Messenger Esap came To the shattered
door Of his ear. Intending TO shoot at the
bandits. No sooner did thcy soc him
however. than they opened lire and he fled
behind pile OF boxes. Tn" noise OF the
shooting attracted the clerks In the mail
car and they opened the door and fu-
slllude followed. At midnight the police
had made no arrests.
The news of the holdup soon spread
throughout the city. Buslness men gath
'T'N NpB'tItt III lnc iobbl"S OF tnr notelS
after the theatets to discuss the affair
Some were In favor OF organizing a Vigi-
lnnce committee for the purposo of put
ting down the epidemic OF crime that has
ilourshcd for the last three weeks
Scarcely a night has passed IN that time
but half dozen citizens have been
sandbaggcd and robbed and numerous
houses LurgIarizcd. A ssign OF terror
really exists snd the police seem power
less 10 stop ~.
Half an hour after the robbery had oc-
CURED all the mounted police from the
various parks and boulcyards were called
upon To assist In running the robbie RI
down The officials OF the iron Mountain
read brought ont all their special officers
Never before within the knowledge of
the present police officials has a crime
occaslon"d 50 much excitement.