Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-09-29
EXPRESS TRAIN HELD UP
A Daring Robbery Committed
Near Kansas City on Friday
by Seven Men.
NO PASSENGERS WERE MOLESTED
In the Attempt to Open the
Safes the Robbers Used so
Much Dynamite That a
Car Was Literally
Blown to Splinters.

Kansas City, Mo-, Sept. N.-Seven
masked men held up the westbound
Missouri Pacific passenger train, known
as TIE Little Rock and Wichita express,
at q point 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, near the scene of
the hold-up, and marched the operator,
ID. M. Hisey, before them 10 q point
half mile east. While two men COW
cred his eyes, the others tagged the
train as it approached, quickly cover
ing Engineer Slocum and Fireman
Western and compelling them to dis
mount, and, detaching the engine and
the Pacific express car, ran them down
the track mile and half towards
Dawson.
The passengers were unmolested, but
the porter, who attempted to interfere,
was quickly sent to cover by shot
directed by one of the robbers.
AT a desolate spot up the road, the
baggage car was quickly broken into,
great quantities of dynamite were
placed upon the through safe and the
local safe was placed on top of it. Sc
much explosive was used that the car
was literally blown to splinters, and
the safes were thrown to one side OF
the track. a- Log
This morning, nothing but frag-
ments 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 been heard distinctly in Kansas
City, undoubtedly destroyed any valu.
| ables that the safes may have CON
| tanned. That the robbers were moi
blown to atoms seems strange, SO ter
rifle was the blast.
The express officials examined the
one remaining strong box this morning
They absolutely refused to make d state
ment of their loss, saying simply tina
it was Small" Superintendent Moor
of the express company insists tina
the train carried but little treasure.
4 A small army of detectives was o
the scene early this morning, but N,
tangible clue to the robbers wa
secured. The belief that they wer
old hands at the business, and are b.
this time safe from capture, is general
Flying debris from the shattered ex
press car carried down the telegraph
wires along the Frisco track, whicl
parallels the Missouri Pacific at tn
point of the robbery, and complete,
the stoppage of Geographic communica
tion begun at the Belt Line station
1t was, therefore, some time before tn
news of the robbery became known
and still longer before a wrecking GREY
could be gotten. 1t was 3. 80 o'cloc
this morning before the wrecked bag
gage and'express matter, strewn in a
directions, was gathered together, tn
train made up and the trip south con
tinued. The express matter, in man
instances totally destroyed, was take
to Ossawattomie, Kan. Much excite
ment prevailed among the passenger
during their long wait in the detache
cars, though but little firing was in
dulged in by the robbers. The robber
undoubtedly was one Of the bodies
eyer committed in the locality, so note
for hold-ups.