The Red Cloud chief., 1896-12-04
CLUSTERED
stop IA roudc Electric Train- Motorman
and Conductor Merry.

and Conductor Merry.
KANSAS CRY. Mo-. Nov. 2s.-The
GOODNESS and courage of Motorman A.
i. Rollins and Conductor Lloyd jack
son saved seventy passengers on an
Independence electric car from being
robbed last night and effected the cap
turc of Oscar Bridges. the leader of a
gang of train robbers, and will proba-
bly, result in the capture of the other
members of the gang. Bridges has
made n confession and officers are af-
ter the robbers who escaped.
Members Of the gang which attempt
ed to rob the electric car last night
were in the "hold.up" Of the Chicago
Il Alton train at the Glendale cut near
independence n few weeks ago. They
planned to rob the last ca IN the
electric line the night OF the big Dem
ocratic parade a few week, ago at X
actly the spot they stopped the car last
night. \ Il who was in the conf
dcncc of the gang told County Marshal
j. u. KcShlcar of it and he and n force
of deputies watched for the bandits
TIL after midnight. The same gang
made preparations to hold up the
Denver night train on the Missouri
Pacific at the Leeds cut last Thursday
night and again the marshal and Il
force of railway police waited and
watched. but the bandits learned of
the trap and postponed the robbery.
The gang. which made it's hcadquar-
tcrs in saloons at tCntropOlis, is made
up of desperate men.
The electric car stopped by the rob-
hcrs last night left Kansas City at HAS
o'clock. just in time to catch
the crowds from the theatcrs. The
conductor collected seventy fares.
Washington station is a short distance
beyond the Blue river and is the first
stop made after passing the power
house. There were four passengers tn
get off at Washington station and the
motorman had already received the
usual signal to stop when he saw a
man standing on the track swinging "a
lantern. He stopped the car and
as oon as the gate at
the rear end was swung open u
man. wearing a heavy ulster. jumped
on and without waiting for the passcn-
! gers to get off pushed through the
car tn the front end. and throwing
open the door ordered the motorman
To throw up his hands. Motorman
Rollins said he thought at first that
the man was joking. but when he saw
the polished barrel of n long ~45-caliber
revolver pushed into hi, face and heard
the order repeated his hands went up.
At this moment the robbcr glanced
back into the car. evidently to see
whether his cOnfcderatcS were doing
their part. For "A second his eyes were
off the motorman. Quicker than IA
flash the hands came down and Rollins
swung his left fist around and landed
a blow under the left eye of his captor,
Knocking him headlong against the
controller. h motOrman grabbed
the revolver as the robber, who after
ward proved to he Oscar Bridges, n
bridge jumper and high diver, fell.
The quick move saved the motor
mans life, for Bridges pulled the trig-
ger AS he went down and Rollins
caught the index finger of his left
hand between the hammer and the
cartridge. There is Il big blue mark
ON the motormnn's finger to-day and n
lent in the cartridge where the nam
mcr aftcrward struck it without pro-
ducing conclusion enough to discharge
II. Rollins caught the robbcr by the
throat and chokcd him until he re-
leased ms nDli on tnt revolver. incn
he told him to consider himself under
arrest and not TO move if he did not
want his head shot oil.
When Bridges ran through the car
he evidently expected his ~confcderates
To follow him quickly. but they failed
to do it. Conductor jackson had mo-
toned to them to stand back while the
other passengers got off, and they
obcycd. Consequently, by the time
they began To board the car the mo
torman was struggling with Bridges.
J The passengers, realizing the car was
being held up, jumped up and some
were making to the front of the train
Conductor jackson suspected what tn,
+, trouble was. He saw that the mer
waiting to get on the car wore hand
kerchiefs over their faces. Bracinl
himself against the side of the door h'
pushed two, who were just stepping of
the platform, over against the MAJ
, behind them. and the whole part.
; tumblcd off on the little platform, on
, rolling into the ditch.
The motorman's first act On %securin.
: his captive was to close the gates ol
! the rear platform and the three con
' federatcs were thus shut out OF getting
back on the car. They a around I
the front and, when they saw tina
! their leader was IA captive, took to thei
= heels and were soon out of sight.