Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-12-31
ANOTHER TRAIN HELD UP.
An East-Bound Chicago & Alton Train
Stopped by Robbers Near indie
pendence-A Posse in Pursuit.

KANSAS Cry, NO., Dec. 2s.-Tne
east-bound Chicago Il Alton train,
which left Kansas City at O'Clock
tonight, was held up in the famous
Blue Gut, four miles the other side of
Independence, and ii miles from here
tonight. The robbers stopped the
train with a red light, cut the engine
and express car loose and ran them
off down the road to loot the express
safe. The conductor walked back to
Independence and gave the alarm and
a special train with posse was sent
to the scene.
1t is not known how far the robbers
ran with the engine. The express
officials refuse to say how much mon
ey there was in the safe, but it Ia
thought not to be large. There is q
large quantity of valuable express
matter in the car, however, and hun
dreds of persons are likely to be short
on Christmas presents Friday be-
cause of the robbery.
Conductor Nichols, in an interview
at Independence, stated that when
the train was brought to standstill
at the Gut he stepped out upon the
rear platform, only to have pistol
thrust under his nose.
"Just keep your mouth shut. don't
want to hurt anybody" was what the
road agent said to him. Hehad moth
ing to say. A moment later the BAN
dit said: "Look here, young fellow,
have you got any of the company e
money!"
The conductor dug up "a and dis
played it in front of the robber.
The robber took 81 with the remark :
"Well, I'll just divide it with you"
None of the passengers were molest-
ed, but the greatest confusion pre-
vailed aboard the train when it became
known that they were in the hands
of robbers. There was wild scram-
BILE to hide away valuables.
After taking the stranded train into
Independence, Marshall Keshlear's
relief train went on to Glendale to
pick up the locomotive and the ex-
press car, which were left some dis
tance east of that station.
At 2:30 this morning the express
car was brought back to Independence
and Express Messenger j. A. Fryer
told the story of the robbery:
About five minutes after his car
was detached from the train, he said,
he heard rap at the side door, and,
thinking it was the brakeman, he
opened it. A man with a shotgun
compelled him to retreat into the car,
while two others followed with revol-
vers and ordered him to throw up his
hands. The men then pulled him from
the car and asked him if he had any
money.
They then threw him bodily back
into the car and one of the men climb
ed in. The man got into the car, pro-
ceeded to the large safe and threw
down a kit of tools in front of it. The
other two held gums at Fryer's head,
while the third one proceeded cody
to break open the safe.
Fryer told the man who was at work
on the large safe that it was useless
for him to blow it open, as there was
no money in it.
"Well, damn you, give us the keys
for the small safe.
Fryer refused to do this and the two
men who had remained on the outside
leaped into the car. They jumped on
Fryer and took the keys of the small
safe away from him.
The third man then opened the
small safe and took from it a number
of packages of money, and after the
robbers had secured the contents of
the small safe, they again attempted
to open the large one.
1t is now known that large amount
was secured.