Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-10-31
HELD UP A MISSOURI TnAlN
The Deed Done Within Twenty MiIes
or Kansas City.

Kansas City, Mo-, Oct. 24.-The pas
senger n express train on the Chicago
and Alton railroad due here from Chi
gag and st. Louis at Z O'Clock was held
up and robbed by four masked men last
evening at Blue cut, between %Independ-
fnce and Glendale, Mo. The scene Of the
robbery IL less han twenty miles dis.
tant from Kansas City. The train was
Tagged at the entrance to the CUT.
While two of the robbers stood guard
over he passenger coaches the other
two covered the conductor, engineer
n fireman with their pistols and COM
PEELED them to go to the express car.
There the robbers commanded the mes
jenger to open the o Of the car, threat,
ening TO break the door should he re-
fuse. After some delay the robbers
were admitted to the express car. They
compelled the messengers to open the
safe and extracted from 1t several pack
ages.
The express messenger, however, had
surmised what the trouble was. While
the bandits had been demanding adj
mission he had quickly opened the safe,
taken out the money packages and
tossed them into a chicken coop. When
he finally admitted the robbers to the
car and opened the safe for them the
strong o contained but two or three
packages Of jewelry. Even at the point
OF the robbers pistols and Winches-
tiers the messenger insisted that he had
carried no currency.
Taking up the very little booty at
hand the outlaws ~uncoupled the ex-
press car from the coach following 1t
md Thpn r.haA thAf- arfeN.a.- g..
ward to the locomotive. where they
compelled them to sit down on the bank
alongside the track. The leader climbed
into the cab, tried the air and the steam
and then called to the men who were
back guarding the passenger coach TO
come forward. At this j~uncture the en-
gineer cautioned the bandit TO be care
full with the locomotive. warning him
that they We're on a hill and that IL he
left the engine improperly guarded at
the top Of the hill 1t would crash back
into the train or else. IL left on the op-
posite grade. crash down into the train
supposed to he in waiting at ~Independ-
ence. The bandit said he would AXE
care of the locomotive. With his the
outlaws pulled out, having held up the
train without having fired a shot. They
tlC notoiftcilNt 10 Nltnln a mile Oh
Independence, where they abandoned
IL. 1t was two hours before the robbery
became known. The passengers on the
train did not know what had caused the
delay until nearly two hours afterwards
and amused themselves during the long
stop by taking a straw presidential bal
lot.
As soon as n party OF trainmen could
walk To Independence the alarm was
sent out. A deputy sheriff and posse
left Independence about 8 O'clock last
night and about the same time a squad
81 policemen were detailed from here
and left for the scene Of the robbery on
a special train. II is thought, however,
that the outlaws are now safely out
Of the way. So far as can be learned
the robbers secured only the package
Of jewelry and s25 i'm currency which
the fireman had left in his vest hanging
IN the cab. How much money the mes
senger saved by throwing it into the
chicken COOP the express company's
officials will not say. There have been
.hree holdups in Blue cut. The James
rang held up a train there in 1881.