The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-10
ST. LOUIS BANDITS
EXPRESS TRAIN ATTACKED WITH
IN A MILE or THE UNION
DEPOT.
THE CAR DOOR BLEW OPEN.
ROBBERS UNABLE TO FoRcE THE
SAFE AND SECURED NO
BOOTY.
CITY IN STATE OF TERROR.
Vigilance Committee, to Put Down
the Reign of Crime, Talked Of
By Business Men.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Dec. 9.-The Iron
Mountain fast express train, outgoing
was held-up one mile from the union
station, within the city limits. tonight
at $3.50 by six masked men. The ex-
press safe could not be opened and
the bandits fed without booty.
One OF the men stood in the center
OF the track and waved a red lantern.
Inc 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
70 hoid the engine still on pain of
death, Two Of the other robbers made
Tor the express car, while the remain
ing Two stood guard outside In less
tnan hfteen minutes the whole thing
was over, and the conductor hastened
70 the nearest telephone and notified
the police.
The two robbers who went to the ex
press car were refused admittance Nv
Express Messenger w. j. Egan. They
/ threatened to kill him if he did not
let them in, and thus. threatening. they
placed stick of dynamite at the car
door, blowing it to pieces and badv
shattering one side Of the car. Find
ing 1t useless to try to blow the safe
open, the robbers jumped off and noti-
ned their companions on the engine
that they had failed to get anything.
At this juncture, Conductor William
HalI came forward to find out why the
train had stopped, but was met by one
of the thieves. who, pointing a revolver
at his head, ordered him back on the
train. The robbers then left, and En-
gineer William Green started on
As the train pulled away, Express
Messenger Egan came to the shattered
door of his car intending to shoot at
the marauders. No sooner did they
see him, however. than they opened
nre and he fed behind pile of boxes.
The noise of the shooting attracted the
clerks In the mail car and when they
opened the doors, perfect fusilade
followed.
AT Jefferson Barracks, Express Mes
senger Egan said the Pacific Express
company had lost nothing. Had it
been local instead of a through tram"
ne saia, ..they might have secured
some booty but the through cars al
ways carry burglar proof, time lock
safes. The thieves finding they could
get nothing, left. and Engineer Green
pulled out at full speed
rThe place where the robbery occurred
-
is deep cut there, and the noise of the
exploding dynamite was smothered by
the cliffs al each side of the sfraflS. :
The passengers on the tram were In no
way disturbed, and it was half an hour
before any one realized what had hap-
pened. LeIjc4 14r.
AS. soen ss the matter was reported at
the Central station every detective on
hand was called into service, and under
instructions from Chief of Detectives
Desmond, sent out on the case The
conductor telephoned III a description
of the men as near as he could, but
owing to the fact that they all wore
masks, it was but meager. The robbers
had planned the job we'll, for within
two minutes after they had disappear
ed from view they were lost in the
crowds of the city. For boldness the
robbery has no equal in the annals of
train hold-ups in Missouri. 1t is believ-
ed by the police that The three men who
recently entered 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.
At midnight the police had made no
arrests. The only clew they could get
was from a citizen residing near Bates
street crossing where the hold-up oc-
Cured. He said he heard the shots,
and a few minutes latter two buggies
WITH three men III 6dCu, Cdille lGdIlAt5
down Bates street at full gallop.
The news of the hold-up soon spread
throughout the city. Business men
gathered together in the lobbies OF
the hotels after the theater to discuss
the affair. Some were in favor of or
ganizing a vigilance committee for the
purpose of putting down the epidemic
Of crime that has f1ourished for the last
three weeks. Scarcely a night has
passed in that time, but half a dozen
citizens have been sandbagged and
robbed, and numerous houses burglar
lied.
E4alf an hour after the robbery had
occurred all the mounted police from
the various parks and boulevaTds, were
called upon to aid in running the rob
bers down The officials of the Iron
Mountain road brought out all their
special officers to help run the high
waymen down. Never before within
the knowledge of the present police
officials has crime occasioned so much
excitement. Every man on the police
force who could be, was brought into