The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-10-11
TRAIN ROBBER KILLED.
Messenger Baxter Shoots One and
His Partner Skips.

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Council Bluffs. Oct. 4.-Lving at the
morgue in this city, with bullet
through his heart, is man. power
fully built, black hair, mustache,
| about feet tall, aged apparently AS
years. He was one of ty- I, men who
held up the Kansas City passenger
train on the Burlington road. three
miles south of this city, at midnight.
Express Messenger Charles Baxter
killed him.
Two men boarded the train at the
Union Pacific transfer station and
climbed over the tender just as the
train was crossing the Moquito creek
bridge. Engineer Donnelly and Frank
Holman, fireman, who were in charge
| of the engine, were ordered to slow
up as soon as the train had crossed
the bridge. While the now dead man
held revolver on the engine crew
his companion went back and cut off
the baggage and mail cars, leaving
the day coaches and sleepers standing
on the main line.
Acting under orders, the engineer
pulled the train half mile down the
track, where a stop was made. Here
the robbers approached the express
car and ordered Messenger Baxter to
| open the door. He refused to do so.
Under compulsion, Engineer DonnellN
attached stick of dynamite to the
side of the door and blew it open.
In the meantime Messenger Baxter
seized his guns and escaped from the
door on the opposite side of the car.
AS soon as the door was opened, one
of the robbers entered the car, while
his companion marched the engineer
and fireman back to the engine. BaN-
ter crept around in front of the en-
CINE, and seeing one of the robbers
keeping guard over the engine crew,
| fired one shot, killing him instantly.
AS soon as the shot was heard the
robber in the car jumped to tho
ground and fed through cornfeld.
The dead man was picked up, placed
on board and the train was backed
into the city. The body was searched
but nothing could be found on it by
which it could be identified. 1t was
dressed in neat suit of black clothes,
over which overalls and jumpers had
been drawn. In the pockets were
found about SIS in money ana .
watch and chain.
The door of the expires; car was
badly shattered by the explosion of
dynamite. The robber inside the can
was preparing to blow the safe at the
time his companion was killed. He
ceased operations at once, and no
damage was done to the contents Of
the car, nor was anything taken.
Omaha, Oct. 5.-The only develop.
ment in the Kansas City train. rob-
berry is the identification of the dead
robber as man who worked for a
short time in the barber shop of Fritz;
Bernhardt in Council, Bluffs. Little
can be learned of him. A posse is still
pursuing the robbers companion. A
man who gave the name of d. L.
knight, was arrested yesterday after.
noon on suspicion of being tie accom-
plice of the man who was killed in
the holdup.
st. Joseph, Mo-, Oct s.-The dead
train robber who was shot near Coun,
ell Bluffs, Iowa, last week, has been
identified from photograph as AL
bert ii. Poone of Topeka, Kan, py
Mr.. and Mrs. N. Nay of South ST.
Joseph. The Nays are very positive
IN their Identification. They say they
have known him for twenty years.
The Burlington railway has sent TO
Express Messenger Baxter of Kansas
City warm letter of commentator
for his courageous act in frustrating
the holdup by shooting and killing
one of the robbers. The letter also
contained draft for $500 as further
evidence of appreciation. Baxter will
also probably be rewarded by the
Adams Express company, by whom
he was EMPLOYED,