Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-01
HoWTFEELsTO BE HELD UP

\
The Sensation Partly Described by
One VITO Has Been There.
How 1t Feels to Be In Train
Robbery" unlimited volumes by E. NJ.
Morton, who was very much in it, and
has feeling Of gladness that he is out
Of 1t.
Scene-Between Elburn and Maple
Park, near Dekalb. Ills, about 80 miles
from Chicago.
| Time--1O:30 o'clock p. m. Friday, Oct.
Is, 1899.
Occasion-The arrival of the Chicago
| and Northwestern fast mail and ex-
press.
E. NJ. Morton's friends say he could
recite it, and if he were able to de-
scribe the affair as graphically on pa
per as he has verbally since his return
to Council Bluffs fame and fortune
would be his lot instead oe mail bags
and time cards. He is a postal clerk
and was in the car next to that which
was dynamited by the bandits. And
he didn't run bit at that exciting pc
riod. The reason was gun held by enc
of the robbers and pointed in the direc-
tion of Mr.. Morton's head. which ct
that moment, he says, looked to him
like one of Dewey's cannons.
Say, 1 thought it was all joke at
first" he explains. "a brakeman jump
ed aboard my car after the engineer
had obeyed the stop signal and brought
the train to standstill. The brakey
had his hands above his head and look
ed real funny. He turned about, fac
ing outward. That's all right says.
You can put your hands down now
But he didn't put 'em down. WELL I
says in tone meant to reassure him,
put 'em down. why don't you? He
didn't look around at all. but replied in
a voice that sounded as though he had
chill. This is no joke
'Some one outside then says, Shut
up! in a way that sounded as if he
knew what he was talking about, and
I then turned my face around against
an awful big gun. Soon another clerk
was put in the car, and he had his
hands heavenward, too. and kept 'em
there, and began to realize that the
thing was no comedy. Three of us
were holding our hands up then. and
we didn't look bit funny. Next in
came the express messenger, his hands
up, and there were four Of US, and none
of Us laughed.
'Then the explosion came, and the
force Of it rocked our car like ship at
sea in gale. A masked man with that
cannon pointing toward us held his
place just outside at the car door. and
we didn't dare to move.
"After about % minutes two men
I think only two-joined the watchman
at our car. and they all went away to-
gether. One of 'em yelled back, Don't
you marks move for little while, or
you'll get lead pillp and we didn't
move for-well, maybe a minute or
two. I've been called mark before,
but I never felt so much like one as
did in those few minutes.
when we got outside, we waited
around for the engine to be brought
back. And, say, that engineer was
sight! It's not true that he was wound
ed in the breast. They didn't even
shoot at him. though they did fire at a
brakeman; but the engineer looked as
though he had been half shot anyhow.
He was completely wilted and could
hardly talk. He didn't even want to
turn back from where they had made |
him run his engine up the track a cou-
pie Of miles, and when he was ap-
the spot again they say he
tried to hide in the tender. Anyhow,
he was like leaf when he was helped
out of his cab.
1--WE had to leave the poor fellow at
De Kalb, II Ugh his home Is in Clin-
ton, Ia, where he leaves the train on
the regular run. The delay was five
hours, and we got in here at 1890 to-
day instead Of $50. We made up some
time by fast running.
"Yes, the rest of US were cool enough.
I guess. didn't pay much attention
to things, except to that mans orders
to keep my hands up."-Council Sluffs