The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-10-24
Chicago s. Alton Train Held Up
Near Kansas City.
Four Masked Men Rob the Ex-
press Car.
.ESSENGEB rs SMART
He Throws the Taluables Into
a Chicken Coop.
Passengers Observation-Disclosures
Boys Robbed a Train There.

Kansas city. Oct. PA passenger
and express train on the Chicago & Al
ton. due here from Chicago ana St
Louis at o'clock last night was held
up and robbed BY four masked men in
Blue cut, between Independence and
Glendale. Mo. The scene of the robbery
t. less than twenty miles distant from
Kansas city. The train was tagged at
the entrance to the cut.
While two Of the robbers stood guard
over the passenger coaches. the other
two covered the conductor. engineer
and fireman with their pistols and com
PEELED him to go TO the express car.
There the robbers commanded the mes
senger TO open the door of the car,
threatening to break ia the door should
he refuse. After some delay the rob
bers were admitted to the express car.
They compelled the messenger to open
the safe, and extracted from it several
packages.
The express messenger however, had
suTmised what the trouble was While
the bandits had been demanding ad-
mission he had quickly opened the safe.
taken out the money packages and
tossed them into a chicken coop. When
he finally admitted the robbers and
opened the safe, the box contained but
two or three packages of jewelry.
Even at the point of the revolver Of the
robbers the messenger insisted that he
had carried no currency.
Taking up the very little booty at
hand. the outlaws uncoupled the ex-
press car from the coach following it
and then marched their prisoners for
ward to the locomotive, where they
compelled them to sit down on the bank
alongside the train. The leader climb
ed Into the cab, tried the air and the
steam and then called to the men who
were guarding the coaches to come for I
ward. AT this juncture the engineer
cautioned the bandit to be careful with
the locomotive. warning him that they
were on a hill and that if he left the
engine he would crash into the train or
if left on the opposite grade crash down
into the train supposed to be waiting at /
Independence The bandit said he
would take care Of the engine. With
that the outlaws pulled out. They ran /
the engine to within a mile of Inde- /
pendence. where they abandond it.
Tt was two hours before the robbery (
became known. The passengers on the +
train did not know what had caused +
the delay until afterwards and amused I
themselves by taking a tramp around. 4
AS soon as the party Of trainmen I
could walk to Independe nce the alarm I
was sent out A deputy sheriff and I
posse left Independence at about
o'clock last night and about the same
time q squad of police was detailed I
from here and left for the scene Of the
robbery on a special train 1t il
thought, however, that the outlaws are
now safely out of the way.
So far as can be learned, the robbers
secured only the packets OF Jewelry and
s25 in currency which the fireman had
much money the messenger saved by
throwing it into the chicken coop the
express company's officials viii not say.
There have been three holdups in
Blue cut. The James gang held up a
train here in 1891.
"A. J. Fell of RoodhOuse, Ill, was the
conductor in charge Of the train. James
Wetton and Al. E. Post Of Slater. No
were on the locomotive as engineer and
fireman respectively. The United
States Express eompany's messenger
was Andrew Shields OF St. Louis.
From interviews had with several Of
the passengers after their arrival here.
it appears that only q few Of the pas
sengers on the train knew anything
about the robbery until some time after
it was over and ehe robbers had de-
parted. Three or four men stepped out
upon the platform after the train came
~ g. STOP anu H@e~A NEA ~ al "a AtA " "a a.
The bandits on guard told them to get
back into the coaches and they climbed
aboard the smoking car. The whole
affair was so quietly conducted that
even hese mes.. though they wer- su--
picious enough to get in without being
told a ses end itne. Id not ll ow that
they were in he hands oe pad age IT'S
a Wygauf gene n agent OF the Uni
ted States Express company said last
night that the train that was held UP
never carried much money None was
shipped from Chicago by it. and what
there was in the express car must have
been small sums from way stations
The amount in the car would not reach
So coo in his opinion.