Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-10-29
Daring Train Robbers.
HELD UP A G. g. A. TRAIN NEAR
INDEPENDENCE, MO-, LAST
EVENING.
They Got But Little Money The Train
Robbed Passed Through Mexico at
Las Yesterday Afternoon De-
tails Of the Hold-Up.

KANSAS SIift MOI octs S1.-- Aue
passenger and express train on the
Chicago & Alton railroad, due here
from Chicago and st. Louis ut p. M,
was held up and robbed by four mask
ed men yesterday evening In Blue Out,
between Independence and Glendale,
Mo.
The scene Of the robbery IL less than
20 miles from this city. The train was
tagged ut 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
compelled them to 60 to the express
car. There the robbers commanded
the messenger to open the door Of the
car, threatening to break In the door
should he refuse. After some delay
the robbers were admitted 70 the ex-
press car. They compelled the meg
senger to open the safe.
The express messenger, however,
had surmised what the trouble was.
While the bandits had been demanding
admission he had quickly opened the
safe, taken out the money packages
and tossed them into q chicken coop.
When he firalIy admitted tho robben
to the car and opened the safe for
them the strong box contained but two
or three packets Of jewelry. Even q
the point OF the robbers pistols and
Winchesters, the messenger insisted
that he carried no currency.
Taking up the very little booty ut
hand, the outlaws uncoupled the ex-
press car from the coach following II
and then marched their prisoners for
ward to the locomotive, where they
compelled them to sit down aiongside
the track. The leader climbed Into the
cab, tried the air and the steam and
then called to the fnen who were back
guarding ths passenger coaches 70
come forward. At this juncturs the
engineer cautioned the bandit to b.
careful with the locomotive, warning
him that they were on hill aTd thst
II he left the engine improperly guard
ed at the top OF the hill it would crash
back into the train, or else, II lsst on
the opposite grade, crash down into
the train supposed to be waiting at
Independence. The bandit said hs
would take care OF the locomotive.
With this the outlaws pulled out, hav.
ing held up the train without having
fred q shot. They ran the locomotive
several miles, to within mile Of In
dependence, where they abandoned 4.
1t was two hours before the robbery
became known. The passengeEs on
ths train did not know what had
caused the delay until nearly two
hours afterward, and amused them.
selves during the long stop by taking
. straw presidential ballot.
As soon a. party OF trainmen could
walk to Independence tho alarm VA
sent out. A deputy sheriff isnd posss
left Independence at about 9 O'Clock
! tonight and -Rbcut The same time =
squad OF policemen was deIsnss
here and left for the scene OF the rob-
berry on special train. 1t 10 thought,
however, that the outlaws are now
safely out of the way.
so far a. can be learned the robbers
secured only the packets Of jewelry
and s25 In currency, which the fireman
had left In his vest hanging in the csb.
How much money the messenger
saved by throwing 1t into the chicken
coop the express officials will not say.
There have becn three hold-ups
in Blue Cut. The James gang hold up
train there In 1881.