The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-18
1T WAS DARING.
Attempt to Wreck a Baltimore &
Ohio Train.

Attempt to Wreck a Baltimore &
Ohio Train.
st. Louis, June lib. P. Garner, car
accountant of the Wabash railroad,
with offices in East st. Louis. brought
to this city today details of an at
tempt 20 wreck and rob Baltimore &
Ohio Southern passenger train on a
culvert between Odin and Salem, Ill,
about 65 miles east of ST. Louis.
Mr.. Garner is a brother Of A c. Gar
ner. ex-city marshal of Salem, who
was Sheriff Barnes lieutenant in
thwarting the wreckers' plans
Mr.. Garner said three men were in
volved in the attempted wrecking. and
two were caught one being fatally
shot. The would-be robbers are resi-
dents of Salem and were known about
the village as hard characters Abe
Tweed. the robber who was shot, was
out on parole from Chester. Ill. pen
itentiary; Thomas Schumacher, the
other man captured, is an ex-convict
from the Indiana Denitentiary-
These two men. the one who escaped
and a fourth banded together not long
ago TO do a general business IN the
criminal lire. They were TO deal in
everything from petty larceny TO train
robbery. After they had planned to
hold-up the New York express on the
Njll1O loOQlnNtSlGtnf NLC
men had a difference and broke up in
a row. One of them told Sheriff
Barnes. upon the Sheriff's promise to
protect him and not divulge his name.
of the plan to wreck and loot the train,
but said he did not know the date and
place selected. He promised TO find out
and report these particulars, and he
kept his word.
Returning 70 his former pals. he said
he was sorry he had left them and
begged to be let in on the fat thing
they were about to pull off. The rOgueS
relented, took back into their fold the
deserter and then proceeded to lay bare
the plot. The night New York express
was selected as the train likely to yield
the best haul, and the Shennafelt cul-
vert, midway between Odin and Salem,
was picked out as the best and safest
spot. -
All day Wednesday the three men
hauled railroad ties to- the trestle.
About o'clock in the afternoon the
man who peached, who. by some pre-
text, was excused from the days work.
reported the situation TO Sheriff
Barnes.
The sheriff collected a posse of six
men and started from Salem along the
track. About 1:30. when they came
near Shennafeft cuivert, the three rob-
bers could be seen. and almost in the
ties thrown across the express train
tracks. The wreckers were gathered
together on a side of the embankment
in convenient position to jump aboard
the cars as. soon as the train came 20
a standstill.
Sheriff Barnes and his possee got
within 80 yards of the wreckers before
they were discovered. When they saw
they were caught, the wreckers ran
down the emankment.
The express train was now due in
about 20 minutes. Sending back two of
his men TO flag the train, the sheriff,
Mr.. Garner and two others went after
the fugitfves.
Halt" called out Mr.. Barnes, and
one of the wreckers, who turned out to
be Schumacher surrendered. The other
two continued and Garner fired A man
who proved to be Tweed fell. and Gar
Ter sent two more bullets after his
fleeing partner. Neither shot took eff
feet, and the man escaped.
Tweed cannot live. Both robbers ad-
mitted that they intended TO rob the
train, but denied that hey wished TO
derail the engine or touch any of the
money in the express car. They said
they had designs only on the occupants
of the six or seven sleeping cars, and
placed the ties on the track only TO
force the engineer to come to a STOP
Then they were TO board the sleepers,
lock the conductors and porterS in the
toilet rooms and rob the passengers
t is said that the train which left St.
Louis Wednesday evening carried more
than 800, 900 in the express car. The
train men are confident that If the en-
CINE had run int othe pile of ties it and
several cars would have been derailed
and thrown down the embankment, en-
failing a great loss of life.