The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-26
Held UP IN BLUE CUT
Another Train Robbery in That
Famous Locality.
BOLD DEED OF THREE OUTLAWS.


and Run Them Down the Road Leaving
the Passenger Coaches Behind-Messen-
ger Forced To Open the Small Safe for |
the Robbers Who Secure Several Pack
ages OF Money.
Kansas City, Dec. 25.-Masked BAN
dts halted the east-bound Chicago and
Alton train which left here at o'clock
wednesday night in the famous Blue
Cut. They quickly covered the engln-
eer and fireman with revolvers and
| compelled them to jump down from the
cab. One of the robbers cut off the en-
CINE and express car. Then before the
train men could realize that it was an
other hold-up the robbers boarded the
engine and pulled out for Glendale.
with Express Messenger Frier prison.
er in his car
They ran the engine and car to
| point about two miles down the road.
where they stopped and went through
| the car. The bandits cut off the engine
and ran 1t through the Glendale sta
| tion and a mile beyond, where they
| KILLED" it, The conductor at once
| started back for Independence to give
| the alarm, while the engineer, e. ID.
| Meade, and his fireman followed the
| stolen engine and car. They reported
! by telegram shortly after midnight that
| they had found their engine dead in
| a cut, but the report said nothing Of the
| express car and the messenger.
Three Bandits in the Gang.
| Engineer Meade said there were
| re al in "a
and that he identified them as three of
! the men who held up the same train
about two months ago and almost at
the same point in the cut. The first
! definite information from the passen-
| ger train was received here from indie
pendence at 1880 o'clock on Thurs
! day morning., after the arrival there
| of Marshal Keshlear's relief train, sent
out from Kansas City. Beyond INDIE
| pendence this train picked up passen-
| gers and a baggage coach that had
been left by the robbers at Blue Cut,
and pulled them back to the siding at
| independence.
! Conductor Nichols in an interview at
| Independence stated that when the
train was brought to a standstill at the
| cut he stepped out upon the rear plat
| form only to have a pistol thrust under
| his nose
Just keep your mouth shut don't
want to hurt anybody" was what the
road agen said to him. A moment later
the bandit said: Look here, young
fellow. have you got any of the COM
pany's money!"
The conductor handed out 81. The
robber took 50, with the remark: well.
I'll just divide 1t with you"
Passengers Not Molested.
None of the passengers were molest-
ed, but the greatest confusion prevailed
aboard the train when it became known
that they were in the hands of robbers.
There was a wild scramble to hide val
uables. After taking the stranded
train into Independence Marshal Kesh-
lear's relief train went on to Glendale
to pick up the locomotive and the ex-
press car, which were left some dis
lance east of that station. Kansas
CITY officials of the United States Elk
press company state that the train car
ried very little cash, but that the car
was filled with an enormous amount
of miscellaneous express of great value
Christmas boxes made up considera-
bic amount of the treasure.
At2:SO Thursday morning the express
car was brought back to Independence
and Express Messenger j. A. Frier told
the story of the robbery. He says the
robbers forced him to give up the keys,
and that they opened the smaller safe'
securing several packages of money.
II is believed the amount is large. They
were preparing to blow up the large
safe with dynamite but came to the
conclusion they did not have time
Gave Frier SO Bill.
Before they went away one Of the
men walked over to Frier, and taking
a 81 bill from his pocket, said:
"Here. help yourself TO a Christmas
present; we made a good haul"
II was at Blue Cut. In 1881, that the
James gang held up Chicago and Al
ton express train and made one or the
biggest hauls in the history OF train
robbing. few years later another Dig
train robbery was committed at the
same Mace. and two months ago the
third hoId-up at Blue Cut occurred.
The men who planned the robbery In
october were local novices, and got
nothing. Two members of the gang
have since been arrested and are In
jail.
Though Blue Cut is less than fifteen
miles distant from Kansas City, 1t Is in
a wild and unsettled section, and an
IDEAL SPOT for such outlawry. 1t Is
deep cut through solid rock. and except
in broad day light Is almost as dark as
| a tunnel. The same crew was In charge
~ the train Wednesday night that was
in charge Of the west-bound train held
nm at the same place few weeks ago.
street Car HoId-Up.
Minneapolis. Dec. 25.-Minneapolis
wednesday night experienced the first
hold-up of a street car since the oper-
atoms of the Barrett brothers several
wears ago, and for which crime and
murder of the driver they were hanged.
Three masked men entered a Bryn
Mawr car at the end OF the line at
o'clock, and at the point OF reviewers
took s12 from Conductor Quady. The
motorman by this time had entered the
car and one OF the robbers covered him
while another went through him. His
pockets yielded only l cent and this
the robbers returned to him.