The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-04-01
ROBBED THE ExPREsS CAR.
Fast Train Held Up in Missouri $50,
900 Said to Have Been Taken.

ST. LOUIS, April 1.-The Frisco Fast
Express" from the West. which left Leb-
anon, lS2 miles west OF st. Louis. a little
before 1 O'Clock this morning, was held
up by three masked men near Richland,
twenty-five miles east OF Lebanon, at
about o'clock this morning. when the
train was nearin Rlchiand. the engineer
saw red light down the track. lie re-
Versed the lever, applied the air brakes.
ana stopped the train. The engineer and
fireman pOked their hoads out or the cab
window 70 see what the trouble was.
That instant there was a Hash. and q
bullet whizzed past the engineers head
ana buried Itself IN the woodwork. A
man sprang into the cab with q Winches-
ter rifle, and commanded the engineer and
fireman To hold up their hands. 1hen he
compelled the engineer 10 get down and
help the robbers get into the
eXpress-car. They made the engineer
mount the platform. and with Winches-
ters prOdding him from behind, call loudly
to the messenger TO open his car. 1t was
not until Sc yeral volleys were poured into
the car through the door that the mes
senger unbolted his door and admitted
rle robbers. The messenger declared
that everything in the car worth taking
was securely locked in through SAFE. 10
which he did not possess the cOmbina-
ton. The robbers produced from bag
q package of dynamite and went to work
10 blow the safe open. They worked
nearly an hour. firing their guns all the
time outside the train TO inumidate the
passengers and trainmen. The iressen-
ger was badly hurt by being struck on the
head with the butt-end Of 9 gun. Al
last the safe was opened, the booty Sc
cured. and tho robbers mounted horses
and galloped of ia the darkness. a posse
left Lebanon early this morning III pui-
suit The express officials claim not TO
know how much the robbers got, Dul one
of the passengers says ne heafd the mes
senger say there was over $4,000 IN the
safe.
one Of the three train robbers was a
vouth of seventeen, who stood guard
over the trainmen, while the others ala
the work The loss may be any amount
from $4,000 TO 100000. All the way bills
were destroyed. In the haste. the rob
bers dropped one package OF SLlUJ. After
some time. consumed in drilling the safe,
the first charge was exploded, creating a
faint shock. In few minutes, sec
ond and heavier shock did the work.
The bandits cut the engine loose and
started il down the track. Engineer
Price offered 10 70 with them 10 take
care of the engine, but they said they did
not need him as they knew something
about engines. An eighth Of a mile east
Of the train they left the engine and
mounted their horses. which he'd been
picbIeted near by. Good descriptions
are given of the three robbers and as the
country is aroused and pursuit active, it
IS thought hey cannot escape. The St.
Louis agency Of the Wells-FaTgO EN-
press CO., refused information as 10 the
amount Of money in the through safe.
lebanon. MO-. AprilJ.--An-h -hoI4T ..afa
ter the robbery was reported here a posse
made up of one hundred citizens started
in pursuit Of the robbers. This afternoon
a member Of the posse returned. lie SAYS
they found in the woods west Of where
the robbery took place two checks-one
for S4.4OO and one for SO. and also an
envelope containing a 50 bill. Hence II is
supposed that the cutting loose or the
engine was merely blind. and that the
robbers jumped off within few hundred
yards and took horses and came west
across the country. Al least this is the
theory the officers are proceeding on.
Wells. Fargo q Co. have ISSUED a circu-
lar Offering $500 reward for'the arrest of
the bandits