The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-25

Escape Capture-Left Their Card.
Kansas City, Mo-. Sept 24.-seven
masked men held up the west-bound
Missouri Pacific passenger train known
as the Little Rock and Wichita ex-
press in the woods between Leeds and
Dawson, seven miles from Kansas City,
at $40 o'clock last night. To prevent
interference, they first smashed the
telegraph instruments at the Belt Line
station, the junction of the Belt Line
and the Frisco, and marched the OPP
orator, d. NJ. Hisey, before them TO a
point half a mile east. While two men
covered Hisey, the others Jagged the
train as it appeared, quickly covered
Engineer SlocIsn and Fireman Weston
and compelled them to dismount anu,
detaching the engine and the PACING
Express car, ran them down the track
a mile and a half toward Dawson. The
passengers were unmolested, but the
porter. who attempted to interfere, was
quickly sent to cover by shot. AT
desolate spot up the road the baggage
car was quickly broken into, great
quantities of dynamite placed upon the
through safe and the local safe placed
on top of il. So much explosive was
used that the car was literally blown
to splinters and the safes thrown way
to one side of the track. This morning
nothing but fragments Of the local safe
could be found and the through box
was a wreck, the top having been
blown off and the door Wrenched and
otherwise damaged. The explosion,
which was of such force as to have
oeen heard distinctly in Kansas City,
undoubtedly destroyed any valuables
that the safes may have contained.
That the robbers themselves were not
blown 10 atoms seems strange.
The express officials examined theil
one remaining strong box this morning
They absolutely refused to make
statement of their loss, saying simply
that it was small. Superintendent
Moore of the express company insists
that the train carried but little treas
ure
A small army Of detectives was at TIL
scene early this morning, but up to IL
a m. no trace or tangible clue of the
robbers had been secured. The belief
that they were old hands at the busi-
ness and are by this time safe from
capture is general.
Flying debris from the shattered eX
press car carried down the telegraph
wires along the Frisco track, which
parallels the Missouri Pacific at ths
point of the robbery, and completed the
stoppage of Geographic communication
therefore, some time before the news OF
the robbery became known and still
longer before a WreckiniS crew could be
got.
a new engine had to be secured, as
that which the roadmen had been using
had been killed" 1t was 500 this
morning before the wrecked baggage.
strewn in all directions, was gathered
together, the train made UP and the
trip south continued.
The express matter, much of it ruin
ed was taken to OSsawatonlie, Kan.
Much excitement prevailed among the
passengers during their long wait in
the detached cars, though but little
firing was INDUCED in by the robbers.
The robbery was undoubtedly one of
the boldest that has ever been commit
ted in this locality, so noted for hold
ups.
A special train left the city for the
scene of the robbery about L O'Clock
this morning, carrying several railroad
and express officials
MESSENGER'S STORY.
Express Messenger E. L. Hills told
al, interesting story of his experience
with the robbers.
Il was working away" said he.
when 1 felt that my car was starting
without the rest of the train. 1 looked
out and saw some men. / realized 1t
was a hold-up, and ducked in. They
then came to the side door and beat on
it with their guns. Let US In or we IL
blow you up, they demanded. l opened
the door and three men got in. They
were masked and carried sacks over
their arms. One man got the drop on
me- They cursed me and asked how
much money was in the safes. 1 lied
TO them good and plenty. The mask
OF one Of the men slipped and l tried
- Ii, nr.ia IL a
flash he hit me on the head with the
butt of his revolver. They put seven
sticks of dynamite on the big combina-
ton safe and set the portage safe on
top of the dynamite. The car finally
stopped and they set a fuse. l saw q
match struck. They jumped out. leav-
ing me in the car. pleaded with them
and they finally let me jump down.
We all moved up on the other side OF
the road. It seemed an age as we
waited. The fuse had apparently re-
fused to work, and they ordered me to
uncouple the engine from the baggage
car. Just as l was doing it, there was
a flash and roar. 1 fell TO the ground,
stunned. When recovered sufficiently
TO gain my feet, someone said, Git,
quick / started on the run down the
track toward the rest OF the train,
while the robbers, who had come up
by this time, made for the wrecked ex-
press car"
LEFT THEIR CARD.
The police profess to believe that
John Kennedy, who was but recently
released on bail pending trial for muir
0erng Miss Schumacher, a grocery
woman, was connected with last nights
hold-up. To the officers today Operator
Eisey gave card, which, he asserts,
was handed to him by one of the two
men who entered his Office last night.
The card read:
we, the masked knights OF the road,
robbed the NJ. P. at the Belt Junction
tonight. The supply of quails was
good. With much love, we remain,
JOHN KENNEDY,
BILL RYAN,
BILL ANDERSON,
SAM BROWN,
JIM REDMOND"
Redmond is wanted for completely
with Kennedy in the Schumacher muir
der. Last winter Kennedy was ar
rested late at night, loaded down with
arms. He claimed to be going quail
hunting, but it was believed he was
bent on train robbery.