The herald., 1897-09-05
A DYNAMITE HOLD-UP
PLANNED WITH CARE AND
VERY SUCCESSFUL
Express Messengers Head Bumped,
but Nobody Else Hurt and
Heavy Swag Secured

DENVER, Sept. 4.-Superintendent
Griffith of the Pacific Express Company
Of this city has not yet received detailed
report of the robbery of an express car
on the southbound Gulf train, near Des
Moines. N. M, last night. 1t Is believed
the amount secured by the robbers is
light, for. as a rule, only small ship
ments are carried over that line How
ever, 1t is believed that the loss is some
where between $4,000 and $4,000. The
men were stationed on the blind bag
gage car, and it is presumed they boarded
the train at Trinidad.
At lonely spot, just beyond Des
Moines, two men climbed over the ten
der and, covering the engineer and fire
man with rifles ordered the engineer to
stop the train. These men continued
guarding the engine crew while the other
two raided an express car. They got in to
the car before the messenger had time to
bolt the door. He refused to give up the
combination or the keys of the safe until
he had been knocked down several times.
The robbers also threa tened to shoot him
if he would not open the safe. Nobody
came to his assistance, and he finally
opened the safe. He was kept covered
by gun in the hands of one robber while
the other rified the safe. The registered
mail was also ransacked. Posses are
securing the country in search of the
| robbers.
THE MESSENGERS TALE
FORT WORTH, Tex, Sept. A.
Charles P. Drew, the Pacific Express
company's messenger on the Gulf train,
held up near Folsom, N. NJ, tells this
story Of the hold-up. which was very
daring, very business-like and thorough
ly successful:
"About seven miles south OF Folsom
the engineer and fireman were hailed
by two men crawling over the tender.
With leveled six-shooters they COM
manded them to hold up their hands.
which they did. The robbers then ran
the engine to a point they indicated,
where the train was stopped. Then
they turned over their attention to me.
That Is, they came back and crawled
into my car. 1 had opened the door
when the train stopped and two more
men were at the point, covered me with
revolvers and tried to make me open the
safe. I had little trouble with them
before that and was knocked down twice
and have sore head and bad punch
from the muzzle of a gun in my ribs.
They said they would kill me if did not
open the safe I told them they would
have to kill me, because 1 could not open
the safe, and would not if I could. Then
they used dynamite, firing three shots,
two sticks in each Of the first two and
four in the last. The through safe was
blown to pieces and they got what was
in it. Much Of the baggage, for it was a
combination car, was ruined, and the
car SO badly wrecked that we had to
drop it at the first place where we could
get freight car into which the express
and baggage were transferred.
THE men were all masked. have no
idea of the amount of money they Sc
cured''
Superintendent Case of the express
company said this evening that he had
a message from Superintendent Webb of
the Gulf road which stated that they had
several posses after the robbers. They
thought they knew them and the pros
poets for capturing them were good.
Passengers on the train say the
amount of booty was little over $1S,-
900.