The record-union., 1897-10-07

/ KANSAS CITY, Oct 6.-Bandits held
up the Chicago and Alton express train
tonight at a point less than six miles
from Kansas City. The robbery is the
third occurring on that road Within a
year, all within fifteen miles of this
city.
The Chicago and st. Louis express,
which pulled out of the Union Depot at
$50 this evening, was stopped by eight
masked men at Evanston, a suburban
stopping place, just beyond Washing
| ton Park. Evanston is about eight
miles nearer to Kansas City than Blue
Cut, made celebrated by the notorious
James gang, and which was the scene
of two previous robberies on the Chi
cago and Alton within a year-on De-
cember 18th last and on October Sd
last.
The train was stopped at the Evans
ton siding by the explosion of torpedoes
which had been placed on the track.
When the conductor and brakemen
went out to ascertain the cause of the
trouble, they were covered with re-
volvers in the hands of four of the
eight road agents. The other four
quickly covered the engineer and fire
man. The brakemen were compelled
to uncouple the baggage and express
cars from the passenger coaches. While
this was being done, one of the robbers
busiad himself by going through the
pockets of Conductor Graves, who was
relieved of SD in COIN
In the meantime the bandits at the
head of the train had ordered Engi-
neer Vollette and his fireman to climb
down and out of their cab. Engineer
Vollette hesitated, until pistol ball
was sent whistling by his ears. He
and the fireman. after this persuasion,
climbed down quickly, and two of the
robbers Immediately took their places
The others of the bandit crowd
jumped aboard the express cars. This
part of the train they ran UP the track
toward Independence, Mo-, about a
quarter of a mile. There they com
PEELED the frightened express messen-
ger to open the door of his car The
door once open, they dragged the mes
senger out by the legs, throwing him
to the ground, and then took his gun
away from him. The messenger was
then compelled to walk back toward
the other portion of the train.
After securing complete possession Of
the engine and the baggage and ex-
press cars, the bandits placed twenty
four sticks of dynamite upon the big
through SAFE and then lifted the small
er way safe upon top of it. They ap-
piled the fuse and the match, and then
evidently waited for the explosive to re-
veal to them the treasure for which so
much had been risked. But, for some
reason, the explosive did not go off, and
from subsequent developments, it is
evident that dynamite had great ter
rors for the men who We're not afraid
to run the ordinary risks of train rob-
berry 1t is clear that they were afraid
to return to the express car, for after
waiting a few minutes for the expected
explosion, they hurriedly left the place,
running into the underbrush which
skirts the railway in that section
The trainmen, who had been left be-
hind with the passenger coaches, po-
litely waited a reasonable length of
time for the robbers to complete their
work, and then ran ahead to the en-
gine and the two cars. After some de-
lay, for they, too. were afraid of the
dynamite, they succeeded in lifting
down the small safe and throwing out
the dynamite. The engine was then
run back to the rest of the train and
coupled on, and, after a full two hours
delay, the express resumed the journey
toward st. Louis.
The passengers, especially the ladies,
We're very much frightened, and when
the robbers began shooting at Engineer
Follette there was a wild scramble in
all the coaches. Diamonds, jewelry and
other valuables We're hidden in every
place conceivable in a passenger coach
Two Chicago and Alton detectives
We're on the train. Both were badly
scared, and neither of them put in an
appearance outside of their coach un-
til it was all over. General Superin-
tendent w. E. Gray was also on the
train.
The express messenger was not only
roughly handled by the road agents
but was robbed of S31 from his private
purse. The passengers made up a purse
of SO and gave it to him.
County Marshal Chiles and several
deputies, as we'll as a squad of city
police, left for the scene of the rob-
berry about midnight on a special train.
There seems to be little chance Of their
overtaking any of the robbers, as it
is believed the gang, by scattering and
coming in one at time. will have
little trouble in getting back into Kan
sas City or Independence.