The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-04-10
EXPRESS CAR BLOWN UP.
Three Robbers Use Dynamite ON . Train
Near Lebanon, Mo.

Near Lebanon, Mo.
LEBANON, Mo-, April 1.-The east
bound cannon ball train, No. s, on the
st. Louis & San Francisco railroad.
was held up three miles west of here
at LOS o'clock this morning by three
masked men, and the safe blown open
and robbed.
The robbers boarded the train at
this place and, after reaching the
scene of the robbery, held up the en-
gineer and fireman and stopped the
train and, with the engineer in front
of them, marched to the express car.
The messenger refusing to open the
door, it was blown open with dyna-
mite and the safe cracked and its con-
tents removed.
The passengers were not molested.
The robbers gathered up all the
money envelopes and went to the
engine, which they cut loose from the
train. After making the engineer and
tiremen leave, the robbers opened the
throttle and started off on the engine.
The engineer, fireman and train crew.
followed the engine on foot and found
it standing on the track about three
miles from the scene Of the robbery
with the steam down and the fire
drawn. After getting up the steam,
they went back to the train and then
proceeded to Richard, where they
telegraphed to Lebanon and st. Louis.
This morning a posse left here for
the scene. One of the officers returned
later and said that he found lying IN
the woods this side of the scene of the
robbery two checks, one for $500 and
another for $16, also an envelope con-
tainlng a SIS bill. Hence it is supposed
hat n cutting loose of the engine
was merely q blind, and that the rob-
bers drew the fire, opened the throttle
and jumped off within a few hundred
yards of the train, where they had
horses. 1t is supposed that they came
back west, and this is the theory the
officers are working on.
1t IS not known definitely what
amount was taken from the express
company, as the contents of the
| through safe will have to be checked
| up at st. Lonis. but the haul is sup
! posed to be a large one. I.
4 Three strangers who are supposed to
be the robbers were seen drinking in
4 one of the saloons here at 10 o'clock
/. last night and were seen near the de-
I pot Dy Night Operator Martin only a
4 few minutes before the cannon ball''
/ arrived.
! The brakeman gave a fair descrip-
!, ton of the men to the officers in pur-
4 suit. and the railway officials are
/ confident they will be speedily appre-
d hended.
While the amount of money secured
/ by the robbers is known to nave been
considerable, the local express officials
will not place an estimate on it.
/ The Wells-Fargo express company
offers $500 reward for the arrest of the
4 robbers and furnishes the following
descriptions:
Il First-A large man, sandy, long and
a dropping mustache. black overcoat,
4 black SLOUGH hat and wore a belt with
pistols.
Second-A very small man with
Y, smoothe face, dark hair, black over
coat, black SLOUGH hat.
Third-Medium hight man, heavy
built, very dark complexioned; heavy
Eve days growth of beard on face;
and stubby mustache; had on
lv:proad band black SLOUGH hat, no over
of:oat, brown sack cutaway coat.