The morning times., 1896-06-13
HELD Up A TRAIN
Continued from First Page.

a safe distance before they began opera
tions.
While the fireman was obeying orders 1t,
however, struck him that it would be a
good thing 10 escape, which he did, in
continently, as all of the amateur robbers
were on one side of the train. The esca pc
OF the fireman disconnected their plans. As
he disappeared in the direction of the en- ngiue
the robbers evidently believed that he could
go ahead and stop the engine and then
make his way back TO the rest Of tie
train for assistance.
Whatever was the belief OF the would be
robbers they hastily went forward to the
engine, Informed their two pals, who un-
covered the engineer, and the whole party
decamped into the mountains. There was
delay of only thirty minutes to the train,
but very uncomfortable three minutes
for the engineer who was in the hands of
the robbers.
The scheme appears to have been that
five of the party would get on at Cotton Hill
and take the valuable part of the train
two or three miles west, where they would
be joined by party strong enough to over
come the resistance of mail, express and
baggage employees.
The mere fact OF the disappearance of the
fireman made the whole scheme a big
failure. That they We're party OF amateur
they did not anticipate the quick work
of the Chesapeake and Ohio officials, who
had party of constables in less than two
hours in hot pursuit. Theparty was located
in the woods. A descent was madeon them
yesterday morning about IL O'Clock and
three of them Were captured and sent o the
lookup at Kanawha Falls.
THEY WERE GREEN HANDS.
General Passenger Agent H. w. Fuller
I'D. Ne
hold-up yesterday afternoon. He also got
some further Information last night. He
said to The Times that the work was
evidently that of greenhorns in the busi-
Ness. that there was only a slight delay
of about half hour to the train: that
three Of them had been caught, and that
he looked for the capture of the whole
gang.
Mr.. Fuller did not have the names of
the robbers under arrest. 1t was learned
from other sources that two of the men
were from Richmond. and that both of
these were in the number caught. The in
formation given The Times from other
sources was that four had been caught.
Tie local express people had, last night,
information only as to the fact that there
had been bold-up. At least they did
not volunteer any further information than
that one fact.
AOuDctS cNIucuuy COuteu OH Cu6
big travel to st. Louis just ut this time, and
the probability Of n few Congressional
trunks and money "barls" en- route for
the st. Louis convention.
The men in custody will probably be In
duced to give Information enough to impli-
cate and cause the arrest Of all concerned
As it is it was a very close call.
Detectives were assigned to the cnse from
here yesterday morning on receipt of the
rcf mo- S,F ho I,1l<f
announ cement Of the capture of part of
the gang was made.
AQUA CREEK RECALLED.
The attempt ut Cotton Hill willrecall the
successful hold-up which was worked last
summer about this time at Aqua Creek In
this effort there was a large amount of
money stolen, and the robbers got off for
q time safely, but eventually Morganfield
and Searcey were captured.
From comparison OF the places the Cot
ton Hill scheme was the better conceived,
and, as noted, nothing prevented its COM
plete success but an oversight of the plot
ters. All OF the other incidents were done
with dispatch. 1t is supposed that the five
Cotton Hill robbers got on the platform Just
In the rear OF the tender, and made their
way over the wood and coalinto the cab.
II is more than likely that the engineer
and fireman saw them coming, although
the incident is described as the sudden
appearance of the maskers In the cab,
Even, however, IL they were observed COM
ing, they approached doubtless with their
guns cooked.
It was fair presumption that the COM
paratively recent fate of Morganfield and
Searcey would have made this industry
OF train robbing cease for a longer while,
but the present attempt shows what ia
possible yet In that line In the mountain
Businesses.
1t is also fair presumption that the
Cotton Hill robbers had some special reason
for making their attack on this particular
train. The reason for this is probably
known to the express agents here, but, as
stated, they were not in the mood to give
any information.