Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-12-08
HOWITFEELSTOBE HELDUP
The Sensation Partly Described by
One Who Has Been There.

One Who Has Been 1here.
"How II Feels to Be In a Train
Robbery" unlimited volumes by Z. NJ.
Morton, who was very much in il, and
has a feeling of gladness that he is out
Of II.
Scene-Betweep Elburn and Maple
Park, near Dekalb, Ills. about 80 miles
from Chicago.
Time-1O;30 O'Clock p. N. Friday, Oct.
10, 1899.
Occasion-The arrival OF the Chicago
and Northwestern fast mail and ex-
press.
f. NJ. Morton's friends say he could
recite it, and If he were able to de-
scribe the affair as graphically Oh pa
per as he has verbally since his return
to Council Bluffs fame and fortune
would be his lot instead Of mall bags
and time cards. He Is postal clerk
and was in the car next to that which
was dynamlted by the bandits. And
he didn't run q bit at that exciting pc
riod. The reason was gun held by one
of the robbers and pointed In the direc-
tion of Mr.. Morton's head. which at
that moment. he says, looked to him
like one of Dewey's cannOns.
"Say, thought 1t 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 a 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 |
says in tone meant to reassure him.
put 'em down, why don't youY He
didn't look around At all. but replied IN
a voice that sounded as though he had
a chill, This is no joke
"Some one outside then says. Shut
up in a way that sounded as II he
knew what he was talking about. and
then turned my face around against
an awful big gun. Soon another clerk
was put in the car. and he had his
hands heayenward. too, and kept 'eD
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 a 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 n ship at
sea In a gale \ 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 25 minutes two men
| 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 a little while, or
you'll get lead plllr and we didn't
move for-well. maybe a minute or
two. I've been called mark before.
but 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 Il
sight It's not true that he was wound
ed in the breast. They didn't even
shoot at him. though they did tire at Il
brakeman: but the engineer looked a.
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 n cou-
pie Of miles. and when he was ap-
preaching 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.
"We had to leave the poor fellow at
De Kalb. though his home Is In Gin
ton. Ia. where he leaves the train on
the regular run. The delay was i've
hours. and we got in here at l2:3O to-
day instead Of $50. We made up some
time by fast running.
Yes. the rest Of us were cool enough.
guess. | didn't pay much attention
to things. except to that mans orders
to keep my hands up."-Council Bluffs
Nonparell.