Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-12-14
BOLD RAILWAY
ROBBERlES.
4 Cotton Belt Express and Mail
Car Looted,
THE CLERK NEARLY KILLED
,mnOI, central Fast ""'i Held Up
ycar New Orlcans-A Lone High
wayman Did L.

revarkana. Ark, Dec, IA bold
.,bherv on the Cotton Belt railroad
..,grral today at Bassetts, Tex, thirty
miles south Of TeXarkana on the train
,omlpe north, in which Postal Clerk
-,br N. Dennis was almost killed and
,bs mail pouches OF his car rihed OF
,ns,r contents. The amount stolen Is
not known
As the train left the Bassetts water
.,nt M a. m, the express and mail
Sars we're separated from the train but
~, trau crew soon had them coupled
selir In the run from there to TeXar-
10 tbe coaches We're uncoupled
,,' i I'M very mysterious manner
Tp4r the arrival Of the train here
,e United States transfer clerk went
a. tba door Of the mail car and knocked
s,r thp postal clerk TO open It. No re-
srorsa was given officials then forced
am entrance and were astonlshed 20
ana the clerk, John II. Dennis,
stretched upon the floor. apparently
dead.
tbo registered pouches had been ripped
o1en and robbed OF their contents, the
most valuable OF which was the
WAYNE Memphis through pouch con-
tanning q large amount Of valuable
packages
s physician was sent for and found
mat Dennis was alive but unconscious.
An ugly wound on the top Of his head
told the story.
Two hours after he was taken 20 the
hospital he revived enough TO give the
details Of the robbery. Just as the
train parted at Bassetts tank, Dennis
went into the Vestibule Of the mail-car
10 stir up the FIRE. when he opened
the yestlbule door he saw two men
standing by the stove, one Of whom
dealt him a terrible blow over the
head with a heavy fire shovel. The
first blow felled him and he was then
quickly beaten into a senseless condi-
ton. He knew nothing more until he
was removed to the TeXarkana
hospital lie is I'm a critical condition.
Examination Of the car showed that
the robbers gained entrance by crawl
ing through a small trap-door through
The floor OF the vestibule.
Word reached here at noon that two
suspects have been arrested az Naples,
near the scene Of the robbery. but none
Of the stolen packages were found.
Dennis Is an old and trusted mail clerk.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL HELD UP.
New Orleans, La, Dec. 13.-The
s1uthbound Illinois Central fast mail,
due here az 7:l5 p. m. was held up and
robbed by a lone train-robber about
one mile above the upper limits OF the
city tonight. His booty consisted OF
only one registered mail pouch from
Durant, Miss, and six ether registered
letters from points between Cairo and
New Orleans. Conductor Kennebrew
was shot in the groin, and j. G, Parker
railway mail clerk, had his left eye
powder-burned by a shot directed at
his head,
The robber got on the train, It IS
supposed, at some point above the city,
and after passing Kenner, the last
stop before the train arrives In New
orleans, he climbed over 20 the engine
ana covered the engineer and fireman
and brought the train TO a standstill.
When the conductor came forward TO
see what the trouble was, he was shot
by the robber. r. +. Goldsby one Of
the railway mail clerks, stuck his head
out Of the door and was ordered 10
jump down, which he did Then the
robber led the engineer, fireman and
Goldsby toward the express car and
made one Of them blow the side out
with a stick of dynamite, which he
supplied. This train carries no money
and has no safe.
The robher then made for the mail
car and there discovered Parker who
had hidden the registered pouches He
shot at him and then one Of the
pouches was produced and the robber
made or with e. He uncoupled the
engine from the train and ran It 10 a
point near Carrolton avenue where ne
abandoned Il. The route OF the en-
CINE was marked by mail pouches and
letters. which the robber threw or
cropped out as he escaped The robber
was evidently well acquainted with
roiroadlng His face was blackened,
ana he was man little less than six
ieet tall, weighing about 100 pounds.
he took Conductor Kennebrew's watch
after he shot him.