The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-10-02
PASSENGERS ROBBED.
Train Holdup in Broad Daylight in
Indian Territory.
FIVE MASKED MEN DID THE JOB

Overnwed Several Times Their Num-
Der, stood Them In Line Along the
Track, ana Diyested Them Of Their
vnIuables-Mal Pouches stolen.l
El Reno, o. T., Oct. 2.-Bandits rob
bed the southbound Rock Island pas
senger train and all it's passengers at
IL o'clock yesterday forenoon at Siding
No. /, about five miles south of Minco,
in the Indian Territory. The railroad
and express officials have feared
holdup in that section for several
weeks, and armed guards have been
put aboard all night trains at lei Reno
and carried through to Chickasha- 1t
had not been thought that the OPT
laws were bold enough to attack a
train In midday. Yesterday the train
men We're completely surprised, and
they were not prepared to offer any re-
sistance when FIVE masked men came
upon them at the lonely siding.
The place is uninhabited, and the only
persons in the Vicinity at the time Of
the holdup were four section hands.
These men tagged the train, the rob-
bers having compelled them TO do so.
The bandits were hidden at the time
in brush pile and jumped out as soon
as the passenger train had taken the
siding. Under pressure of Winchesters
and ugly locking six shooters the train
men. the express messenger and all
of the score or more Of passengers were
made to climb down from the train
and stand in line, hands up, on the
prarie along the railway.
eF .arrnssaf
the badly frightened crowd with their
guns the other two coolly and care
fully robbed them. The bandits secur-
ed about $500 in cash and such other
valuables in the way Of watches, pins
and jewelry as were in sight. The pas
sengers and trainmen having been
thoroughly plucked, three of the ban
dts turned their attention to the ex-
press and mail coaches the others
standing guard over the helpless
crowd on the ravine.
A few women passengers were not
compelled to give up their valuables
and Rev. Mr.. Roe, one of the passen-
gers, who was sick, was not compelled
| to leave the coach.
Jim Wright, of Minco, showed a dis
| position to resist when the bandits or
dered hands up" They shot one of
his ears off to prove to his satisfaction
that his bravery was i'll advised
| Wright's hands went up. No one else
was injured.
The registered mail pouches were
! quickly rifed, but the through safe in
the express car resisted all the force
and ingenuity of the road agents. When
the messenger had convinced the ban
dts that he could not open the strong
box they resorted to dynamite. Sew
eral heavy charges were exploded, but
the safe proved bandit proof, though IL
was badly battered. Having taken pos.
session of everything that they could
carry away the bandits mounted theh
horses and rode off to the west.
AS soon as the trainmen could collect
their wits they got their scared pas
sengers aboard and hurried on to the
next station south, Chickasha, from
which point the railroad officials were
notified of the holdup. At Chickasha
a posse was hurriedly formed. The
posse set out in pursuit of the gang
and officers have been dispatched from
I1l Reno and other points in this sec
tion. 1t is hardly possible that the
bandits can be overtaken in the prairie
country, and they will probably bt
able to reach the Wichita mountains
to the west of the scene of the holdup
officers here believe the gang to be tn,
same one that held up Santa Fe traini
at Edmunds twice during the las
month.