Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-10-18
NAIL TRAIN HELD UP.
ROBBERY ON THE NORTHWEST
ERN RAILROAD.
Three Masked Men Blow Open an Ex-
press safe with Dynamite, Take It's
Contents, and Make Their Escape
Operator Bonad aud Gagged.

Three masked men held up the Chicago
and Northwestern fast mail train No. 8,
bound for the Pacific coast, at Meredith,
ILL.,, forty-seven miles from Chic. 90,
shortly after IL o'clock Friday night.
After they had blown the through safe
and wrecked the express car they I'M
coupled the engine from the mail train
and escaped on il to Counland Daniel
White, the engineer. was forced to carry
them TO that point, where they deserted
the cab for the darkness of the surround
ing fields.
Just about IL O'clock three men entered
signal office w OF the road, located mid
way between Elburn and Maple Park,
and asked the operator, Clifton James,
at what time the mail train would be due.
James tried to avoid direct reply, but
the lights from the windows OF the ap-
preaching cars gave them the desired in
formation and they stopped only long
enough to hind the operator in his chair
with buckskin thongs, set the signals tc
stop the onconiing train, and rendcr use
less the telegraphic Instruments in the
office.
The engineer of the mail train brought
the cars to stand in obedience to the
semaphore signals and at once was con-
fronted by the robbers. They had adj
justed handkerchiefs over the lower part
of their faces and each carried brace
of lopg-harreled ominouS-looking revolvv
ers. Engineer White made no attempt at
resistance, but his fireman, Joseph Jewel,
tried TO escape from the cab. He was
stopped at the point Of pistol and he
and White were led back to the last of
the four cars that made rp the train. Ore
man was left to guard the train crew and
the other two attacked the express car
and forced Messenger T. A. Hopson to
admit them. First he was taken to the
rear car and then brought back to open
the local safe. He would not do this. Tho
robber retired from the car again while
the through safe was demolished with
charge of dynamite which blew hole
through the bottom Of the car and tore
great gaps in the roof
Just how much the safe may have con-
tanned Is not known, but it is said that
currency and packages OF yaluableS were
hurled into the fields.
Two shots were fired during the raid,
one at James McGrath, brakeman. who
swung his lantern at the head Of the
leader of the bandits, and n second at
Brakeman Palmer, who crawled beneath
the cars, and ran to flag an east bound
fast freight which was almost due.
Palmer escaped injury and stopped the
freight train with his shirt for a signal.
After the robbers had deserted the on
g'ue of the mail train at Courtland En-
gineer White pushed on to Dekalb.
Brakeman Palmer had reached Elbuim
meanwhile and sent word of the robbery
to w. r. Morse Galena division sup
erintendent at Oak Park
The victims of the robbery unite ia de-
claring the bandits a determined group OF
men. They went about their work
quietly and without sign OF nervous
ness. One II them paused 70 borrow
chew OF tJbacco from the assistant ex-
press messenger, Elmer II. Painter. The
night was exceedingly dark, and this
greatly aided the thugs in their escape.