Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-25
NO TRACE OF THE MEN WHO
ROBBED THE ALTON TRAIN.
A VAIN SEARCH BY OFFICERS.
MARSHAL KEsHLEAR AND DEPUTIES
AGAIN VISIT CRACKERS NECK.
Statements Made by Railway Men
Place the Amount Taken by the
Robbers at Between $2,5OO
and $4,000 - Local
Criminal News.

ence Wednesday evening, saw 4 RED IAN
tern swinging back and forth across the
track ahead of him. he had no pre- :ogative
but to stop his engine if he followed strict
ly the rules OF all railroad companies. A
red signal means to stop on all occasions,
| over everything else, and at any time OF
the day or night, no matter what the bet
ter judgment OF the engineer suggests
According to the railroad men there is no
evading red signal. Yet it appears to the
close observer, who has watched the prog
ress of train robbing in the West, and es-
pecially on the Alton road near Blue cut
or Glendale, that no prominent official If
the road has ever boarded the train after
1t has been stopped at these historical
spots 1t is always the mask of train
robber the engineer beholds climbing into
his engine cab after 1t has been brought to
a Standstili and the time hOnored invita-
ton to hold up his hands and get off the
engine that greets him as he looks ap-
peaiingly into the muzzle of a revolver or
gun.
Engineer Wetton and his fireman, A. E.
Post, were in charge of engine 2T9 which
was pulling the passenger train into Kan
sas City on the night of October % when it
was stopped and the express car looted at
Blue cut. They were also in charge of the
same engine which was pulling train 4S
toward st. Louis Wednesday evening when
1t was stopped just east of Independence.
Train robbing is easier now than in the
days of Jesse James. This fact is estab-
lished by the simple manner in which the
two last trains on the Alton road have been
looted by apparently green hands,
After the robbers ran away with his en-
gine Wednesday night and left him stand
ing meekly in the moonlight a mile west
of Glendale, Engineer Wetton and his fire.
| man started after the engine afoot. They
found it mile east of Glendale, where it
had died" after a splendid run of three
miles, one Of which it retraced on the
brow of the hill towards Glendale. This
| engine was pulled back to Glendale by the
| engine of the special train which arrived
| at Glendale at about o'clock a. M, and it
was while waiting for his engine to become
alive again that Engineer Wetton talked
| to a Journal reporter.
I'VE were coming up the hill just east
| of Independence and a short distance west
of Blue cut" said the engineer. when 1
saw ahead OF me red lantern swinging
| slowly across the track. We had heavy
| train and were not making very good time
going up the hill and let off the air when
I. saw 1 was signaIed. 1t occurred to me
| then that it might be another holdup and
1 said so to Fireman Post, who saw the
| signal to stop about the time l did. AS 1
| pulled alongside the man with the lantern,
leaned out of the cab window to ascertain
| if 1 could establish his identity. We were
| running very slow at this point and had
my hand on the throttle ready to throw
it open and leap up the hill If 1 came to a
sudden conclusion tho men were robbers.
II saw three men running along with the
train, keeping about even with it, and made
| every endeavor to see if they carried guns
| or were masked. Post did the same thing
on his side of the car. Although could
bright
| could not see that the men had on masks
| or carried guns. They said nothing and
| did no shooting, but seemed to be expect
| ing every minute that the train would stop.
| I canvassed the matter thoroughly in an
| instant, and decided that the best thing
| I could do was to stop the train, and 1
| did so.'
Engineer Wetton then explained what
| took place between himself and the rob-
| bers. They ordered him from the cab, and,
| as he jumped TO the ground, his fireman
followed him. It's the same gang that
stuck us up BEFORE" said the engineer to
himself and this had no sooner occurred
TO him than one of the men, who appeared
| TO be the leader of the gang, stepped up
| to him and said:
"Well. we're with you again. I hope you
| have more for US than you had before
| Engineer Wetton told the reporter that he
| had no doubt that the men were the same
said they answered the descriptions ex-
actly and the familiarity with which they
accosted him made the belief more firm. He
was asked If he could identify either of
| the men, and he said no. He was asked if
| he thought Jesse Pagett and Harry ELS,
| who were in the hands of the police on sus-
| picion of being implicated in the former
| robbery, were the men who held him up
last night and he said: Il can only say
| that the general description of the rob-
| hers suits that of Pagett and Ellis, but I
would never go on the witness stand and
swear these men held up the train"
Pagett and Ellis were found asleep in
their beds at II o'clock Wednesday night
| by the police. The former was at his home
| near Twenty-fourth and Charlotte streets.
| and Els was occupying bed in rooming
| house at Independence and Grand avenues.
As Told by Passengers.
DR.. A. j. Welch, of Twenty-ninth street
| and Southwest boulevard, who was a pas
senger on the train en- route to Cincinnati,
| told a reporter for the Journal that the
| hold-up was mere child's play: 1t was so
| easy for the robbers. He said there was
| little excitement among the passengers.
! Some hid their valuables when it became
| known the train was being held up, but
| none appeared afraid. They were not mo-
| lested Conductor Nichols went through
| the train and told the people that the en-
gine had gone ahead to push belated
| train onto q siding.
DIR. William G. Price. dentist in the
Rialto building. was one of the passengers
on the train. He said there was little ex-
| citement among the passengers during the
| progress of the hold-up. Some of the
women got rid of their watches and other
| iewelry, which they hid in their bosoms
and stockings. One woman, who laughed
| and thought the excitement lust lovely"
put her gold watch in cuspidor and kept
| it there until after the train started east
| again.
]. w. Truitt, real estate agent, was in
| the sleeping car, as was also Attorney C.
| o. Tichenor. They slept during the hold
up. There were three other passengers in
| the sleeper, which was in charge of Con-
| ductor E. G. Davis, of this city.
Some Possible Clues.
Deputy Marshal Whig Keshlear stated
| last night that they had struck several
| leads which might prove valuable and re-
suit eventually in the arrest of the men
who were implicated in the robbery. 1t is
| the opinion of the authorities that the rob-
berry was committed by men who live in
| the vicinity of Independence.