The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-10
ROB A TRAIN
IN ST. LOUIS.
Masked Men Hold Up a Train
Right In the City.
Iron Mountain Train Is Stop
ped Within the Limits.
WAVED RED LANTERN.
Train Stops and Robbers Force
the Express Car.
Get No Money Passengers I'm
mOlested -St.LOuis Terrorized

mOlested -St.LOuis Terrorized
St. Louis. Mo. Dec. 1O.-The Iron
Mountain fast express train, outgoing,
was held UP one mile from the union
station, within the city limits, last
night at $3.50 by six masked men. One
of the men stood in the center Of the
track and waved a red lantern, signi-
flying that danger was ahead. The
engineer stopped the train, and no
sooner had he done so than TWO masked
men jumped on the engine cab and.
presenting revolvers, told him to hold
the engine still, on pain of death
Two of the other robbers made for
the express car, while the remaining
two stood guard outside. In less than
fifteen minutes the whole think was
over and the conductor FASTENED to the
nearest telephone and notified the pO-
lice.
As soon as the matter was reported
at the central station. every detective
on hand was called into service and
under instructions from Chief of Detec-
tlNes Desmond set out on the case. The
conductor telephOned q description as
near as possible, but as they were
masked it was meager. Word was
sent to every police officer in the city
on duty to be on the lookout for sus-
plciOus characters. officers off duty
We're called in and sent out to search
every tough resort In the city where
thieves are known to hang out.
The robbers had planned we'll. for
within two minutes after they had dis
appeared from view they were lost in
the crowds of the city. For holiness
the robbery has no equal in the annals
of train h0ld-ups in Missouri. 1t is be-
Heved by the police that the three men
who robbed the office of the Home
Brewing company in broad daylight
and bound and gagged the Office en-
ployes and got away with $1,000 were
leaders in this job.
The two robbers who went to the ex-
press car demanded admit ance- Tx
press Messenger w j. Egan refused to
let them in. They threatened to kill
him if he did not. but he demonstrated
that the express safe could not be
opened.
Fortunately it was a through car and
the money was in a time-lOcked safe
Finding it useless to try to blow this
open. they jumped off and notified their
companions on the engine that they
had failed to get anything Conductor
VIM Hall came forward to find out
what was the matter. He was met by
one of the thieves. who. pointing re-
voiver at his head, ordered him back on
the train.
The robbers then left and Engineer
VIM. Green started on
At Jefferson barracks Express Mes /
senger Egan said the Pacific Express
company had lost nothing.
Had it been q local instead of a
through train" he said, they might !
have secured some booty, but through /
cars always carry burglar proof, time |
lock safes"
The place where the ROBBERY occurred |
was at the Bates street crossing, where /
there is a deep cut. The passengers !
on the train We're in no way disturbed |
and it was half an hour before any one /
realized what had happened
AS the train pulled away Express
Messenger Fgan came to the battered /
door of his car intending to shoOt AT I
the bandits No sooner did they see I
him. however, than they opened fire and /
he fled behind q pile of boxes. The noise I
Of the shooting attracted the clerks in /
the mail car and they opened the door /
and a fusillade followed.
The only cleW the police could get |
was from a citizen residing near Bates /
avenue crossing, where the hold up oc- /
CURED. He said he heard the SHOTS ana /
few minutes later two buggies with /
three men in each came tearing down /
Bates street a t full gallop
The news of the hold up soon spread
throughout the city. Business men
"a thered together i'm the Hobbies of the
hotels after the theater to discuss the
affair. Some were in favor Of organic
ing a vigilance committee for the pur-
pose of putting down the epidemic Of
crime that has 6Ourished for the last
three weeks. Scarcely night has pass
ed in that time but half a dozen citi-
zens have been sandbagged and ROBBED
ana numerous houses burglarized
reign Of terror really exists and the pO-
lice seem pOwerless. Half an hour after
the robbery all the mounted police from
the various parks and boulevards We're
called upon to assist in running the rob
bers down. The officials Of the Iron
Mountain road brought out all their
special officers. Never before within
the knowledge of the present police Of
fcials has the crime caused 50 much
excitement. Every man on the police
force who could be brought into service
was put upon the case
Conductor Hall said
i was in the last sleeper when we
We're stopped a. the Bates street cross
ing. They were poorly dressed and OF
medium height. All wore masks. When
/ got off the train they told me if
went any further they would blow my
brains out After blowing the door of
the express car off. they placed a stick
of dynamite on the safe and discharged
it. They failed to force the safe, but
destroyed it's combina ton SO that it
cannot be opened. The robbers got
nothing"