The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1896-12-12
HELD UP IN ST. LOUIS
MASKED MEN STOPPED A TRAIN
INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS.
Messenger Egah Was Came and In-
d1ced the bandits to give Up
Their Purpose.

ST. Louis. Dec. 9-The Iron Mountain
fast express train. outgoing. was held up
a mile from the union station. within the
city nmiIs, tonight at s:S0. Oy SIX masked
men.
one OF the men stood In the center e
the track and waved a red lantern. sig
nlfyins that danger was ahead. The en-
glneer stopped the train. and no sooner
had he done so than two masked men
jumped upon the engine cab, and present
ing revoNers. told him to hold the engine
sim on pain OF death. Two other rob
bers made for the express car. while the
remaining two stood guard outside. In
less than Is minutes the whole thing was
over and the conductor FASTENED to the
nearest telephone and notified the police,
Detectives seat Out.
As soon as the matter was reported
at the central station every detective on
hand was called into service. and under
Instructions from Chief OF Detectives
Desmond, sent out on the case. The con
ductor telephoned the description OF the
men as near as he could, but owing to
the fact that they were all masked 1t Is
but meager.
Word was sent to every police officer on
duty in the city to be on the lookout fos
suspicious characters. Officers were catl
ed in and sent out to search every tough
resort in the city where thieves are known
| TO hang out
Inc robbers had planned well the job,
| fer within two minutes after the robbery
| they had disappeared from view. and
were lost in the crowds OF the city. For
| boidness the robbery has no equal in the
| annals OF train hold-ups Ia Missouri. It
Is believed by the police that the three
| men who recently entered the office OF
| the Home Brewing Co. in broad day.
light and bound and gagged the once
employees and got away with $1,000, were
| the leaders in this Job.
| The two robbers who went to the ex-
press car demanded admlttance. Express
Messenger w. C. Egan refused to let
| them in. They threatened TO kill him II
he did not. but he demonstrated that the
| express safe could not be opened. For
| tupately, it was through car. and the
money was in a tlme-lock safe. Finding
| II useless to blow this open. the robbers
| Jumped off and notified their compa Mons
| on the engine that they had failed 10 get
| anything.
| Conductor William Hall came forward
TO find out what was the matter. He was
met by one OF the thieves, who, point
| ing a revolver az his head, ordered him
back to the train. The robbers then left.
and Engineer William Green started on.
At Jefferson barracks Express Messen-
ger Esan said the Pacific Express Com
| pany had lost nothing,
Had 1t been i local. Instead OF a
| through train, he said, they might have
| secured some booty. buy through cars al
ways carry burglar proof tme-locS
| safes"
The place where the robbery occurred
| was at the Bates street crossing, where
IUyre is deep cut. The passengers on
! ne train were in no way disturbed and
:, vas half an hour before any one real
| tzsI what had happened.
As che train pulled away Express Mes
s-uEsr Egan came 70 the shattered door
Of his car intending to shoot at the ban
| dts No sooner did they see MIN. how
ever. than they opened Hre. and he He'd
behind a pile Of boxes. The noise Of ,he
shooting attracted the clerks In the mail
| Gag, and they opened the door. and a ru-
SHADE followed.
Al midnight the police had made no ar
| rests.
The news Of the hold-up soon spread
| throughout the city. Business men gath
| cred In the Hobbies Of the hotels after the
| ,ueaEer to discuss the affair some were
| 10 favor Of organizing u vigilance commit
| tee for the purpose Of putting down the
| Epidemic Of crime that has ioudshsd for
! the last three weeks. Scarcely a night
has passed in that time but Aalf 4 dozsl
| citizens have been 5aadbagged and rob
| led. and numerous house hure!aries have
| occurred. y reign OF terror really exists
| Ana the police seem po~erle5s 70 stop IT,
HaIf an hour after the robbery had oc-
| CURED all the mounted police from the
| various parks and oouIsvards we're called
| uron to assist in running the robbers
| down.
The officials OF the iron Mountain road
brought out all their special officers
! Never before within the kaowledze u
| the present police officials mas A crime
| o,casloned SO much excitement Every
man on the police force Who could be
Utcusht was pressed into service.