Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-24
ANOTHER BLUE CUT HOLDUP
Robbers Take the Engine and Express Car
and Disappear
NONE OF THE PASSENGERS ARE MoLESTED
Special Train Receivers the Loco-
motiNc-Enginccr and Fireman
Walk tn the Nearest Town
Amount Not Known,

amount Not Known,
KANSAS CITY, Dec 24.--Blue Cut, made
historic through the operations OF the James
and Younger bands, when they were pioneers
in the train robhinE industry, was the scene
last night of its fourth holdup by road agents.
At 920 o'clock last night the ST. Louis and
Chicago express, which left Kansas City at
S:45, was tagged at Blue Cut and came to
standstill, Masked men Immediately COW
cred the engineer and fireman and compelled
them to get down from their cab At the
same time another members of the band
uncoupled the express car from the rest of
the train. The robbers quickly climbed aboard
the locomotive and the express car, and
before the surprised trainmen had had time
to collect their wits the bandits were speed
ing down the steep grade beyond Blue Cut,
with the engine and the express car, and
Express Messenger A. j. Frier of st. Louis
was a prisoner in the express car.
At midnight no word had been received
here of the train or the robbers. From In
dependence to Glendale. the next station be-
yond IL Is six miles and the suppositiOn is
that the robbers have looted the car and
left the train somewhere IN the woods be-
tween the two stations The fate of Mes
senger Frer is causing considerable anxiety
Kansas City officials OF the United States
Express company state that the train carried
very little cash, but that tho car was hled
with an enormous amount of miscellaneous
express of considerable value, Christmas
boxes made up of a large amount of treasure.
OF Express Messenger Frier all the officials
will say is that he is heavily armed and
dead game" but they admit that the
chances are all against him. When tho
robbery became known at Independence
posse of county officers set out for the scene
! of the holdup and at midnight County Mar
shall Keshlear was arranging to send out
force of officers from Kansas City.
At 1 o'clock this morning a telephone
message was received from Glendale stating
that Engineer A. ID. Meade and his fire.
man had arrived there. Immediately after
the robbery they set out toward Glendale
in search of their locomotive They found
their engine dead in a cut n mile east OF
Glendale. with the express car, but the re-
port says nothing about the fate of the eN-
press messenger. Engineer Meade is re-
ported to have said there were three rob-
bers and that he identified them as three
mon who held up the train two months ago.
Engineer Meade was in charge of that
train.
The first definite information from the
passenger train was received here from In
| dependence at 80 o'clock after the arrival
| there of Marshal Keshlcars relief train sent
| this train picked up The passenger and bag
gage coaches that had been left by the rob-
| bers at Blue Cut and pulled them back TO
| Independence. Conductor Nichols. in an in
| terview at Independence, stated that when
the train was brought to standstil at the
| cut he stepped out upon the rear platform,
| only to have pistol thrust under his nose.
Just keep your mouth shut. | don't want
to hurt anybody was what the road agent
| said to him. lie had nothing to say. A
j moment later the bandit said: Look here,
l young fellow; have you got any of the conf
] panys money!" The conductor dug up
81 and displayed them in front of the rob-
! Der. The robber took 81 with the remark
\ well I'll just divide 1t with yCu.'
None Of the passengers were moested, but
| the greatest confusion prevailed aboard the
| train when it became known that they were
in the hands Of robbers There was wild
! scramble to hide valuabes.
| After taking the stranded train into In
| pendence, Marshal KCshloaTs relief train
went on to Glendale, to pick ~ the locomo-
| tive and the express car, which were left
| some distance east Of that city.
| II was at Blue cut in 1881 that the James
| gang held up the Chicago & Alton express
| train and made one of the biggest hauls
| in the history OF train robbng. few
| years later another big train robbery was
committed at the same place, and two
| months ago tonight, on October 23 the third
| holdup at Blue cut occurred. The man who
| planned the robbery in October were local
| novices and got nothing. Two members Of
| the gang have since been arrested and are
now in jail. Their accompliCos are known
\ and are fugitves. Blue cut is in a wild
and unsettled section and is an ideal spot for
| such outawry. 1t is a deep cut through
| solid rock and except in broad daylight is
| almost as dark as a tunnel For a long
! time it was patrolled day and night, but
| few years ago, after the bandit gangs about
here were supposed to have been effectually
! broken up, the guards were withdrawn.
| 1t is predicted that two train robberies
| there within as many months will result
| in return to the old precautions.