Evening star., 1900-08-11
KILLED AT HIS POST
Express Messenger Lane Murdered
While Train Was Moving.
ROBBERS TEEN LOOT THE SAFE
Deed Committed on Pennsylvania
Train Near Columbus, Ohio.
NO CLUE TO PERPETRATORS

| pennsylvania passenger train No. 8, which
arrived here from st. Louis at 11:4O last
| night Charles Lane. an Adams Express
messenger, formerly of ST. Louis, but re-
| Gently resident of Columbus, was shot
and killed shortly before the train reached
| the union station in this city and the
| local. safe was robbed of all the money
and valuables which it contained. The rob-
bers escaped. and they were not seen
| by any living person. so far as now known.
| the affair is shrouded in mystery. How
| much booty the robbers secured Is purely
| matter of speculation. The safe robbed
| contained only the packages of money and
| valuables collected after the train left St.
| Louis, and the officials of the express COM
| pany insist that the sum not large.
| All the money forwarded from ST. Louis
| and points west was in a sealed safe, which
| was not disturbed by the robbers. probably
for the reason that they did not have time.
Crime Discovered at Station
train pulled into the union station here
| When Extra Messenger Sheldon of the Ad-
| ans transfer office at the station went into
| the car he was surprised to find the side
| door, which is usually opened by the mes
| senger as the train pulls into the station.
| closed. Pushing the door back Sheldon was
| startled by the sight of Lanes body lying
| AoSC uo"HNdlu III Il pObl OI DlOUu DGIWteil
| the stove and the side of the car in the
forward end.
| The body was found to have been rid
died with bullets and there were evidences
that desperate struggle had taken place.
No 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. 1t seemed that two of the bullets
| might have been fired into the mans back
| as he lay on the floor. The bullets ex-
| tracted were of .3S caiber. The robbers
| had taken the key to the local safe from
| the messengers pocket, opened the safe
| and looted it CT everything of probable
| value. The key was left sticking in the
safe door. The messengers revolver, with
two chambers emptied, was found in the
| safe. where 1t had probably been laid by
the robbers after being wrenched from his
| hand.
! Where the Crime Was Committed"
! 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 oc
| CURED at least half hour previous Lane
| had washed and changed his clothes pre-
| paratory to leaving the train when attack
ed by the robbers. This he probably did
/ near Milford Center.
The robbers had no difficulty in getting
| 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.
At the latter place the train was tagged
| to take on passenger an old man. The
police were first inclined to the belief that
| the robbers got on the train at Marble Cliff
| but the express officials do not entertain
that theory. They think it more likely that
| the robbers got off there, as the train slow
| ed up, coming into the city.
Detectives After the Murderers.
All the city detectives were Immediately
| sent out along the line of the railroad, and
they securing all the neghboring coun-
| try. How many Of the robbers there were
| is not known, but it is considered certain
there were at least two. because of the
| number of bullets fired into the body of
the express messenger.
Early this morning two tramps were found
in box near Marble Cliff and sent in
on suspicion, but it is not really believed
they had anything to do with the crime.
Lane, the murdered messenger. was twenty
eight years old, and leaves wife and child.
No Estimate of LOSS.
Express officials still profess to be unable
to make an estimate of the loss, saying
that until the way bills from all stations
between this city and St. Louis have been
checked there is no manner in which they
can fix the amount.
An engine which sent out on the
line early today In an effort to secure some
trace of the murderers returned about
daylight without having seen or heard of
anything like a clue.
The entire local detective force the de-
tectives from both the east and west, all
| the railroad and the express officials. as
we'll as the police departments within fifty
miles, are using their utmost endeavors to
CAPTURE the OF whom there
posed to have been two. Every suspicious
character is being picked up, but thus far
1t is not thought the right persons have
been secured.
The only bit of light thrown on the af-
fair is by John Fletcher baggagemaster
| on the train, who occupied the car direct
ly in the rear of the one in which the mur-
der occurred. As result of his narra-
tive the police are looking for four per-
sons, of whom they have slight descrip-
tions.
Baggage Masters Story.
Baggage Master Fletcher made the fol-
lowing statement today:
after we left Urbana everything went
well until we reached Capell, where we
made stop. l heard talking there. The
speakers first appeared to be coming along
the train, there being two or three Of them.
One man stepped on piece of rotten wood,
the train got under way. We stopped at
Plain City and Milford, and heard no un-
usual sounds. After we left Plain City
thought ! would wash up and tried the
door of the express car, but found that It
would only move about an Inch 1 con-
cluded 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, the other a young
fellow. Both were dressed In dark
clothes"
Fletcher gave a meager description of
these persons. The bandits overlooked or
purposely left, large quantity of silver
bullion and a number of eastbound pack
ages of value. They seem to have been
pressed for time in their operations.
In addition to the two suspects arrested
here, four men are held at Plain City
Claim That Losses Were LIGHT.
CHICAGO, August u.-Lecai officials Of
the Adams Express Company here claim
to be in possession of no facts concerning
the robbery of the Pennsylvania express
near Columbus. Ohio. last night. and the
murder of Messenger Lane. They state
that the safe opened was local one not
likely to contain large sum, and that the
losses probably will not be known until
shippers make their claims