The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-07
STOPPED BY BANDITS
CHICAGO & ALTON TRAIN HELD UP
CLOSE TO KANSAS CITY.
Dynamite Placed the Express
Safes, but 1t Failed to Explode
Passengers Badly Scared.

KANSAS CITY, Oct. 6.-Bandits held up a
Chicago 81 Alton express train tonight at a
point less than six miles from Kansas City.
The. robbery is the third occurring on that
railroad within a year, all within fifteen
miles of this city.
The Chicago and st. Louis express, which
pulled out of the union depot at $3.50 this
evening, was stopped by eight masked men
at Evanston, suburban stopping place just
beyond Washington Park. Evanston is
about eight miles nearer to Kansas City
than Blue Cut, made celebrated by the no.
torious James gang, and which was the
scene Of the two previous robberies on the
Chicago & Alton this year, one on Dec. %
last and one oct. % last.
The train was stopped at the Evanston
siding by the explosion of torpedoes which
had been placed on the track. When the
conductor and brakemen went out to ascer-
tain the cause of the trouble they were COW
cred with revolvers in the hands of four of
the eight road agents. The other four quick
ly covered the engineer and fireman. The
brakeman was compelled to uncoUple the
baggage and express cars from the pas
senger coaches. While this was being done
one of the robbers busted himself by going
through the pockets of Conductor Graves
who was robbed of $22 in coin. In the mean
time the bandits at the head of the train
had ordered Engineer Volette and his fire.
man to climb down out of their cab. En-
gineer Volette hesitated until a pistol ball
was sent whistling by his ears. He and the
fireman after this persuasion climbed down
quickly, and two of the robbers Immediately
took their places.
The others of the bandit crowd jumped
aboard the baggage and express cars. This
part of the train they ran up the track
toward independence, Mo-, about a quarter
of a mile. There they compelled the fright
ened express messenger to open the door of
his car. The door once open, they dragged
the messenger out by the legs throwing him
to the ground, and then took his gun away
from him. The messenger was then COM
PEELED to walk toward the other portion of
the train After securing possession of the
engine and the baggage and express cars
the bandits placed twenty-four sticks of
dynamite upon the big through safe and
then lifted the smaller way safe up on top
of it. They applied the fuse and the match,
and then evidently waited for the explosion
TO reveal the treasure for Which so much
had been risked. But for sons reason the
explosive did not go off and from the sub
sequent developments it is evident that
dynamite had great terrors for the men, who
were not afraid to run the ordinary risks
of train robbery. 1t is clear that they We're
afraid to return to the express car, Tor aIIer
waiting few minutes for the expected ex-
plosion they hurriedly left the place, run
ming into the underbrush which skirts the
railway in that section.
The trainmen, who had been left behind
with the passenger coaches politely waited
a reasonable length of time for the robbers
to complete their work and then ran ahead
to the engine and the two cars. After some
delay for they, too, were afraid of the dyna,
mite, they succeeded in lifting down the
small safe and throwing out the dynamite.
The engine was then run back to the rest
of the train and coupled on, and after
full two hours delay the express resumed
the journey toward st. Louis.
The passengers, especially the women.
were very much frightened and when the
robbers began shooting at Engineer Val
lette there was wild scramble in all the
coaches Diamonds, jewelry and other
valuableS were hidden in every place con-
ceivable in a passenger coach. Two Chicago
& Alton detectives were on the train. Both
were badly scared, and neither of them put
in an appearance outside of their coach
until it was all over but the telling of how
Gray was also on the train.
The express messenger was not only
roughly handled by the road agents but
was robbed of $31 from his private purse
The passengers made up q purse of SIS
and gave it to him.
County Marshal Chiles and several dep
uties, as we'll as a squad of city police left
for the scene of the robbery at midnight
OH a special train. There seems to be little
chance of their overtaking any of the rob-
bers. as 1t is believed the gang, by scatter
ing and coming in one at time, will have
little trouble in getting back into Kansas
City or independence