The record-union., 1898-09-25
Later ParticuIa Of the HOld-Up
Near Leeds
Show That al Least Seven Bandits Engaged
in the Work.
The Express Car Literally Blown
to Pieces and the Safes to E'rag-
ments-Not Known the Amount
of Booty the Robbers Secured,
but 1t Is Thought to be Small.

KANSAS CITY, Sept. 24.-Later par
ticulars of the hold-up last night of the
west bound Missouri Pacific passenger
train. known as the Little Rock and
Wichita express. are to the effect that
seven men took part in the robbery
which occurred in the woods between
Leeds and Dawson, seven miles from
Kansas City, at $40 o'clock.
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 operator, D. NJ. Hisey, before them
TO a point half a mile east. While TWO
men covered Hisey, the others tagged
the train as it approached, quickly COW
cred Engineer Slocum and Fireman
Weston and compelled them to dis
mount, and, detaching the engine and
the Pacific express car, ran them down
the track a mile and half toward
Dawson. The passengers We're unmo-
Tested, but the porter, who attempted
to interfere, was quickly sent to cover
by a shot.
AT a 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 it, So much ex-
plosive was used that the car was lit
orally blown to pieces, 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 hav-
ing been blown off and the door
wrenched and otherwise damaged. The
explosion, which was of such force as
to have been heard distinctly in Kan
sas City, undoubtedly destroyed any
Valuables that the safes may have con-
tanned. That the robbers themselves
Were not blown to atoms seems strange.
The express officials examined their
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
the scene early this morning, but up
to 10 a. m. no tangible clue to the rob-
bers had been secured. The belief that
they We're old hands at the business,
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 the
point Of the robbery, and complete the
stoppage of telegraphic communication
begun at the belt line station.
1t was some time before the news Of
the robbery became known, and still
longer before a wrecking crew could
be got. A new engine had to be Sc
cured. as the other had been killed. 1t
was 3:30 this morning before the
wrecked baggage and express matter
strewn in all directions was gathered
together the train made up and the
trip south continued. The express mat
ter, much of it ruined, was taken to
OssaWa.
Much excitement prevailed among the
passengers, due to their long wait in
the detached cars, though but little
raiding was indulged in by the robbers.
The robbery is undoubtedly one of
the boldest that has ever been commit
ted in this locality, so noted for its
hold-ups.
a special train left the city for the
scene of the robbery about I o'clock this
morning, carrying several railroad and
express officials.
Operator Hisey gave his account of
the robbery.
1T was just before Missouri Pacific
No ) was due" said Hisey, when two
men, a tall and short one came into
the telegraph office. The short one.
wearing a black mask, showed a Win
chester to my stomach and ordered me
10 hold up my hands. The tall man had
a cloth tied over the lower part of his
face. and displayed a big red nose and
a pair of vicious black eyes. He car
ried q pair of plyers, With which he
cut a few wires, then tried to smash
the switchboar with his revolver. The
damage did not amount to much.
Just then the train crossed the tres
tie near by. and, stopped as usual. The
short man showed me ahead of him at
the muzzle of his Winchester down the
track to the train. Around the engine
We're perhaps five men, wearing masks.
They had the engineer and fireman
down from the engine The engineer,
fireman and myself were ordered to un-
couple the engine and baggage car from
the rest of the train. We complied
promptly.
"We three were then ordered to get
on the train and stay there, under pain
of death. The porter of the train came
upon the scene, but a shot from one
Of the robbers caused him TO make a
hurried retreat. In few minutes
more the robbers had piled onto the en-
gine and started down the road About
twenty minutes later we heard a ter
rife explosion, and soon Express Mes
senger Hills came running back ana
said the express car had been blown
up. He had not stayed to get the de-
tails. l Immediately repaired my IN
struments and gave the alarm"
Express Messenger Hills told an IN
teresting story OF his experience with
the robbers.
Il was working away" said he,
when l felt that my car was starting
without the rest of the train. / looked
ont and saw some men. / realized that
# was a hold-up, and ducked in. They
then came TO the side door and beat on
II with their guns
"sLet us in or We'll blow you up,
+bev demanded. ] opened the door,
and three men got in. They We're