The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1897-10-08
BOLD TRAIN ROBBERS
ROCK ISLAND TRAIN HELD
UP BY FIVE BANDITS.
Passengers Lined Up and Relieved OF
Thor Valuabies In the Indian Terri
tOry-Express Car Plundered - The
Jennings Gang Suspected.

WICHITA, Oct. o.-One of the boldeSt
train robberies in the history of the
Indian Territory occurred yesterday
forenoon at 1880 on the Rock Island,
just this side of Chickasha, |. L. The
general superstition is that it is the
work of AL Jennings and his gang.
There were five men in the party, and
they all wore masks They rode over
ON horses from the east, and com
PEELED some section men to flag the
south bound passenger train. The
robbers hid in the brush and
had the worlSmen covered with their
rifles. When the train stopped
Dne Of the robbers stepped into the
Sab and covered the engineer and fire.
man, while the other four made for
the express car, where they tried to
blow open the through safe with
dynamite. The safe resisted the
dynamite, but the express car was
blown to atoms. The robbers next
lined up all the passengers on the out
side of the cars and went through
them, securing about $500 in money
and many watches and diamonds.
The mailbags were ritled and all the
registered packages taken.
Conductor Dacy was one of the
heavy losers, a fine gold watch and all
the money he had in his possession
being taken away from him The
women in the party were not searched
at ALL and were treated very court
nously by the brigands. Nor did their
chivalry end with the ladies. Rev.
Mr. Roe, preacher, was sick in the
car, and he was left undisturbed. The
robbers assured him of safety.
jim Wright of Minco, was the only
man wounded. He showed disposi-
tion to refuse to honor the orders of
the bandits, and they proved to his
satifaction that his bravery was ILL
advised by shooting part of his ear
eff, just enough to show that they
meant business.
A large posse of men from Chick
sha is following the bandits closely,
while posses from Ell Reno and other
points that could be reached by tele-
graph are engaged in an effort to sur
round the gang. 1t may be expected
that % lively battle will be fought
when the posses come up with the out
laws. 1t is hardly possible, from the
prairie condition of the country, that
they can escape. unless they reach the
Wichita mountains.
The railroad has been expecting
holdup of its night train for several
weeks, and heavy guards were placed
on trains at FL Reno and run through
to Chickasha, but no guards were car
ried on day trains, as it was not sup
posed that the bandits were nervy
enough to rob train in daylight.
While the robbery was in progress
one Of the bandits lost his mask, and
the conductor of the train says he
recognized him as Al jennings.
Jennings is the man Temple Hous-
ton shot in the arm at Woodward,
OKLA, about a year ago, when he
killed his brother, Ed Jennings, in a
row. AL jennings is highly accom-
plished, civil engineer and eX-county
attorney of Canadian county, Okla.
For the last few years he has had a
tough reputation with the marshals.
He is said to have killed two men in
BENSON, Texas, few years ago, but
was acquitted at that time, through
Influential friends. All the jennings
family are we'll known in Kansas,
0l1l ahoma and Eastern Colorado,
three of the boys and the father hav-
Ing practiccd law at various points.
The elder Jennings is now probate
Judge of Pottawatcmie county, OLA.
The Jennings family are Virginians,
and AL was educated at the University
of West VIRGINIA