The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-03
Especial to The Herald.)

especial TO Inc teTa1C.)
Ogden, June 1.-The Union Pacific
train due in Ogden at 1:4O this after
noon did not arrive till 1910 tonight.
This is the train that was held up and
its express car looted near Wilcox,
Wyo., at an early hour this morning.
The mail car showed very plainly the
disastrous effects of the dynamite used
to blow open its door.
On this train came in Ernest Wood
cock, the Pacific Express messenger,
and W. q. Bruce, the mail clerk, the
former having had a thrilling eXper-
ience with the robbers. l.. J.. Dietrich,
the mail clerk who was with Bruce,
was ordered back to Cheyenne, and
took the eastbound train at Evanston.
The trainmen who were on board when
the robbery occurred stopped at Green
River, but the other trainmen coming
in tonight gave considerable informa-
fion about the robbery.
The train was the weStbound paSSen-
ger, also carrying mail and express. 1t
was running in two sections, the first
section being the one held up. This
section consisted of two mail cars, Il
baggage car filed with overland mail.
an express ear and two well-filled pas
senger coaches.
This section was due at Wilcox at 200
q. m, but it was a little late. 1t had
passed Wilcox and was tagged by red
light between Wilcox and Aurora at
2:1S. 1t was at a point S93 miles east
of Ogden, or 132 miles west of Chey-
enne.
Mail Clerks Story.
The story of subsequent develop
mentS, as given by w q. Bruce the
mail clerk, is as follows:
When the train stopped, the engi-
neer and fireman We're covered with
four or five guns in the hands o. the
robbers, and the engineer was asked
what was the name of the mail clerk.
He told them ii was Sherman. deceiv-
ing them uurposely. Some of the rob-
bers then went to the forward mail car
and called for Sherman l told them
Sherman was not there. They told me
TO open the door and come cut anyway
! and Dietrich declined, and promptly
put out the lights.
The bandits then fired several shots
through the mail car, sending the bui-
lets crosswise, lengthwise and corner
wise. We still refused to open the door,
and the robbers placed some giant pow
der in the door and exploded it. tearing
the door off its hinges. One of the rob-
bers then showed his pistol through the
doorway and fired another shor.
They We're going TO put. more dyna-
mite unGer the car, when we came out !
The two clerks in the Portland mail
car likewise were ordered out of their |
car. and were held in custody, together
with the other two clerks.
After Express Messenger.
The robbers then turned their atten- !
ton 10 the express, and ordered Mes |
senger Woodcock out. He made no |
reply, and had previously put out the |
lights. A shot was fired through his |
window, and then the door was blown |
open by explosives. the force of it car |
rylng away portion of the side of the |
car Woodcock got out, and was stood |
up along with the four mail clerks.
Previous to this, the train had been
ulcoupied and the express and mall |
cars had been run on ahead from the
passenger coaches. The robbers tren |
sent two Portland mail clerks back 10
the passenger coaches, put me ard
Woodcock Oh the engine and made the
pull the train on up to their
camp. about four miles distant. where
they proceeded 10 loot the express car.
Dietrich, the other mail clerk. ian
back past the passenger coaches to lag
the second section of the train to avoid
a collision. The other trainmen. how
ever mad gone ahead of Dietrich 10 |
flag the second section. which. however.
did not come on till daylight
Meanwhile. the robbers at the en-
press car piled lot Of giant powder on
the safe and exploded it. The coaccs-
sion demolished the car. blowing off
nearly all the upper structure. leaving
only portion Of one side above the
1oor. The safe vas split IN twain
and the contents exposed.
Carried Off Plunder.
after the explosion. five of the ban
Its carried load Of plunder from the
safe to their camp and each returned
md got another load. This is tha only
way of forming an estimate of how
much booty they secuEed.
They went about their work in n !
eisurely. business-like manner. ard |
NE man Was in absolute charge of the !
Utmost under size. He was very petite
o the mail clerks and the train crew. |
md this was the case with all but one
# the bandits. burly fellow. with
brogUe. who swore pre-
usely, and when any Of the men iii
did not move swiftly enough.
le hastened them with his boot.
when the engineer. who had in
urred their special ill-will by deec!v-
ng them as TO the mail clerks real
anne, did not move fast enough, he re-
eived a blow on the head with "A gun, ;
which made bad scalp wound and
led profusely."
Was Afraid to Shoot,
The story of Messenger Woodc,c< is
ractically the same as that 1ho.--. .
iven- He added. however that he had :
good shotgun in the express car and !
light have gotten one or two Of fhe :
allows after they blew open the door.
ut the trainmen and mail clerks we're
tationed amongst them, and ne was :
fraid TO shoot, and feared also thar :
ne robbers would have murdered the
-ainmen. The bandits took this shct- :
un, but the pistol which they had :
iken from him as he got out OF me
ar they tossed back into the car after +
ley had looted the safe. They also r
1T about four pounds of dynamite in | :
le car and about 200 yards from the
lace where the robbery occurred 600 =
ounds of explosive stuff was found