Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-18
FOUR ILLINOIS DEsPERADOEs FORM
A BOLD PLOT.
BUT THEIR PLANS GO AWRY.
ONE OF THE QUARTETTE GIVES THE
SCHEME AWAY.
Intention Was TO Hold Up an Express
Train Bearing 100000 Near sa-
lem, IIl.-One of the Rob-
bers Fatally Shot and
Another Caught.

st. Louis, No. June He. P. Garner, car
accountant of the Wabash railroad, with
Offices in East st. Louis, brought 10 this
city to-day details of an attempt TO wreck
and rob a Baltimore q Ohio Southwestern
passenger train on a culvert between Odin
and Salem, Ill, about sixty-five miles east
of St. Louis. Mr.. Garner said there were
three men involved in the attempted wreck
ing, and that two of thsm. YepsicaugfEt,
one being fatally shotJ . - w. - Nj"
The would-be robbers are residents Of
Salem, and were known about the. Village
as hard characters Abe Tweed, the rob
Der who was shot, was out on parole from
Chester, H., penitentiary. Thomas Schu-
macker, the other man captured, is an eX-
convict from the Indiana penitentiary on
his own confession. These two men, the
one who escaped and fourth banded TO-
gether not long ago to do general bust
ness in the criminal line They were 10
deal in everything from petty larceny up.
After they had planned to hold up the
New York express on the Baltimore &
Ohio Southwestern, the men had diiter-
ence and the plans were broken up IN
row. One Of them told Sheriff Barnes, upon
the sherin's promise 10 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 prom
ised 10 find out and. report these particu-
lars and he Kept his word. Returning TO
his former pals, he said he was sorry he
had left them and begged to be let in on
the fat thing they We're about to pull off.
The rogues relented took back the desert
er into the fold and then proceeded to lay
bare the plot.
The night New York express. they said,
was the train likely to yield the best haul
and the Schennafelt culvert, midway be-
tween Odin and Salem, was picked as the
All day Wednesday the three men hauled
railroad ties. About o'clock in the after
pretext, 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 lO:S0, when they came near Schema
felt cut, the three robbers could be seen
and almost in the center of the trestle
there was high pile Of ties thrown across
the express trains track.
The wreckers were gathered together on
tne SIDE OF an embankment in convenient
as the train came to a standstill.
Sheriff Barnes and his posse got within
thirty yards of the Wreckers before they
were discovered. When they saw they were
caught, the wreckers ran down the side of
the embankment.
The express train Was now due in about
twenty minutes. Sending back two of his
men TO. nag the train, the sheriff, Mr..
Garner and two others went after the fugi-
tives.
OF the wreckers. who turned out to be Shu-
maker. surrendered. The other two con-
tinued to run, and Garner fired A man
who proved TO be Tweed fell, and Garner
sent two more bullets after his fleeing
partner Neither shot took effect and the
man escaped.
The prisoners were taken to the Salem
jail and locked up. Tweed cannot live.
Both robbers admitted that they intended
to rob the train. but denied that they
wished TO derail the engine or to 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 en-
gineer to come to stop. Then they were
TO board the sleepers. lock the Conductors
and porters In the toilet rooms. and hold up
the passengers. 1t is said that the train
which left St. Louis Wednesday evening
carried more than 100000 in the express
car. The trainmen are confident that, il
the engine had run into the pile of ties, it.
with several cars, would undoubtedly have
been derailed and thrown down the en-
bankment, entailing a great loss of life,
Cincinnati, o.. June T.-Information was
received at the general offices of the Balti-
more Ohio Southwestern railroad here
last week of a plot TO wreck one of their
trains. Detectives first located the gang
near Flora. Ill. The train selected to
wreck was the St Louis flyer, due in Gin
cinnati this morning After the obstruction
had been placed on the track, the agent at
Flora was Informed to warn the engineer
of the train to run cautiously and stop.
This plan was carried out to the letter.