The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-12

rear of the one in which the murder oc-
Cured. AS a result of his narrative the
police are looking for four persons, OF
whom they have slight descriptions. Bag
gage Master Fletcher made the following
statement this morning:
Lane was all right at Richmond. and
then again at Greenville. / saw him put OH
and take on freight at Urbana. After we
left Urbana everything went well until we
reached Capeli, where we made a stop.
remember now that L heard talking there.
When / first heard the voices they appeared
TO be coming along the train, there being
two or three of them, and one man stepped
on a piece OF rotten wood. which attracted
my attention just before the train got un-
der way. / thought the men were going
to get left. We stopped at Plain City and
Milford, and 1 heard no unusual SOUNDS.
After we left Plain City thought / would
wash UP. and tried the door OF the express
car, but found it would only move about
an inch. 1 concluded that Lane had freight
against it. We stopped at Marble
Cliff, and there 1 saw two men running
toward the train. One was an old man and
the other a young fellow. Both were
dressed in dark clothes"
DID NOT TOUCH SILVER.
Fletcher was able TO give sort of de-
scription of these four persons. and the
police are trying to locate them. 1t is
claimed by the detectives that the men who
committed the robbery and murder were
perfectly familiar with the train and the
customs of the people on board. The ban
dts overlooked or purposely left large
quantity of silver bullion and a number or
east-bound packages of value. They seem
to have been pressed for time In their
operations. After leaving Marble Gin the
train made no stop, except at the Hooking
Valley crossing in the suburbs OF this city.
The crime was not discovered until the
train pulled into Union Station here. When
Extra Messenger Sheldon. of the Adams
transfer Office at the station, went to the
car he was surprised to find the side door,
which is usually opened by the messenger
as the train pulls into the station, closed.
Pushing the door back Sheldon was startled
by the sight of Lanes body lying face down
ward in a pool of blood between the stove
and the side of the car in the forward end.
The body found to have been riddled
with bullets and there were evidences that
less than eight bullet wounds were found,
| three in the right side of the back. one in
| the left side and four in the right leg. II
seemed that two Of the bullets might have
been fired into the mans back as he lay
on the floor. The bullets extracted were OF
oS-calibre. The robbers had taken .he key
| to the local safe from the messenger S
| pocket, opened the safe and looted it of
| everything Of probable value. The key
was left sticking in the safe door. The
messengers revolver, with two chambers
| empty. was found in the safe, where il
| had probably been laid by the robbers after
| being wrenched from his hand
| The murder was probably committed just
after the train left Milford Center, twenty
| eight miles west of Columbus. where it is
believed the robbers boarded the train.
| Conductor Taylor saw and talked with
Messenger Lane there. When the body was
discovered here it was cold, and the blood
clotted, showing that death had occurred
| at least half an hour previous. Lane had
washed and changed his clothes prepara-
tory to leaving the train when attacked by
the robbers. This be probably did near
| Milford Center.
| DOOR WAS LEFT OPEN.
The robbers had no difficulty in gettine
into the car after boarding the train as the
end door had been left open on account OF
| the heat. The train made only two stops
between Milford Center and Columbus, one
| at Plain City and the other at Marble Cliff
the latter five miles out of the CITY, Al
| the latter place the train was tagged tC
| take on a passenger, an old man. The po-
| lice were first inclined to the belief that
the robbers got on the train at Marble
| Cliff, but the express officials do not enter.
tain that theory. They think it more likely
that the robbers got off there, or as tn,
train slowed up coming into the city.
All the city detectives were Immediately
sent out along the line of the railroad and
they are securing all the neighboring coun
| try. How many of the robbers there wer,
| is not known, but it is considered certain
| there were at least two. because of the
number of bullets fired into the body o.
the express messenger. Early this mornine
two tramps were found in a boxcar neal
Marble Cliff and sent in on suspicion.
Nothing is known by the police here
| about the reported arrest of four men a
Plain City, charged with the murder Of
Lane. Three men were placed under sur
veillance there to-day to identify Hamilton
the farmer. who later called at police head
| quarters in this city and told his story
The men were allowed to go as soon a:
Hamilton's statement was secured.
The express officials still profess to be un
able to make an estimate of the loss, say
ing that until the waybills from all station,
between this city and st. Louis have beer
checked there is no manner in which the,
can fix the amount.
CHARRED BODY FOUND.
All that Remained of One Train Rob