Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-02-04
A DARING HOLD-UP.
Five Masked Robbers Attack the
Oregon Express.
Free Use of Firearms and DynamIfe-Ths
Express Car and One Safe Blown Open
and Mail Sacks RIfIed-Express Car
Eired-Heavy Loss OF baggage.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 3O.-The postal
authorities yesterday morning re-
ceived word from Roseburg, Ore, of
the stopping of the Oregon express
and the robbery of the mail coach and
express car. The train left here at
p. M Wednesday last for Portland,
and the robbery occurred at midnight,
Thursday night, at Shady Point, two
miles south of Roseburg. The train
was slgnaIled by lantern. Engineer
Morris stopping at the light, and
man, masked, with revolver in hand,
crawled down from the tender. order
ing hands up" Fireman Hendricks
jumped off the cab and ran for Rose
burg, followed by a couple OF shots
The robbers ordered Morris to back
up the train, and the mail and express
cars were cut of. Then he ordered
him to pull ahead for about so yards.
During this time Conductor Neatch
and brakeman Lohr went forward
with their lights to reconnoiter, but
were shot at and ordered back.
Butler, the express messenger, put
out his lights and went behind some
trunks He was called upon 70 open
the car. He opened the door and took
a shot at the robbers, whereupon the
highwaymen applied dynamite on the
opposite side, which shattered the car.
Butler jumped out and seeing a rob-
Der. attempted to shoot, but his gun
snapped and he ran for the Pullman
car.
The robbers used dynamite on the
safes and succeeded in opening the
small one, getting not over $50. They
knocked over the stove, setting fire to
the car. totolly consuming it and its
contents, also all the passengers bag
gage, involving a heavy loss. They
took some registered letters from the
mail car and departed.
Supt. Fields, of the Southern Pacific,
who happened to be at Roseburg, was
called about 1870 and took an engine
and men to the scene. The burning
car was tumbled of the track, and the
train was brought in after several
hours delay.
Engineer Morris had his cheek
grazed by a bullet and the express
messengers dog was killed. a few
mail pouches were rified, but the value
OF the letters taken is unknown The
end of the mail car was charred, and
sumo mail mdLLeE managed Dy IRE anu
water.
Several commercial travellers lost
valuable sample trunks in the fire.
One case containing silver knives,
forks and spoons, was found yester-
day morning in the slough. unin jured-
Nothing else of value was recovered
The large express safe, unopened, was
taken to Portland on the morning To-
cal.
The sheriff and his posse are scour-
ing the country, but there is'no clew
yet, as a heavy rain has been falling
and the tracks are obliterated. The
train arrived at Portland at one
o'clock yesterday afternoon. Charles
Piper, postal clerk in charge of the
mail car, said:
Two men did all the work of hold
were five in the gang. They exploded
two dynamite bombs in the express
car and half a dozen on the outside.
When the express car took FIRE real
lied that nv car whic h was next to
the express was in danger. One Of
the robbers drew \ revolver on me,
while he went through the mail do
not believe he took anything of value.
The express car was soon a mass
of flames, and l set about to save my
car, if possible. by carrying water
from a pond near at hand. The tire
end of the mail car was burned out,
but only a small part of the mail was
damaged"