Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-08-12

ldtlef I'VE mllcS OUT Oh the city. ~
the latter place the train was tagged
to take on a passenger, an old man.
The police were at first inclined to be-
lieye 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 slowed up, coming
into the city.
All the city detectives Immediately
set out along the line of the railroad,
and they are securing ali the neighbour
ing country. How many of the rob-
bers there were is not known, but it
is considered certain that there were at
least two, because of the number of
bullets fired into the body of the ex-
press messenger.
Early this morning two tramps we3a
found in a box car, near Marble Cliff,
and sent up on suspicion, but it Is not
believed that they had anything to do
with the commission of the crime.
Lane, the murdered messenger, was
2S years old and leaves a wife and
child.
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 was sent out on the line
early to-day in an effort TO secure
some trace of the murderers. The en-
CINE and crew returned about daylight
without having seen or heard OF any
thing like a clew to the murderers.
The entire local detective force, the
detectives from both east and west, all
the railroad and express officials, as
we'll as the police departments within
so miles, are using their utmost en-
deayors TO capture the men of whom
there are supposed to have been two.
Every suspicious character is being
picked up, but thus far it is not be-
lieyed the right persons have been
secured. The only bit of light thrown
on the affair is by John Fletcher, bag
gage master on the train, who occu-
pied the car directly in the rear of the
one in which the murder occurred. As
a result Of his narrative, the police are
looking for four persons of whom they
have slight descriptions.
Arrived in Pittsburg.
PITTSBURG, Pa, August 1.-THE
Pennsylvania Gay express No. s, which
was robbed during the night between
Cincinnati and Columbus, o., arrived
in Pittsburg at $50 a. m, and pro-
ceeded eastward at once. The crews
having been changed at columbus, o.,
the trainmen here could tell little of
the robbery and of the death of the
express messenger who was made the
victim of the thieves.
Conductor Albert Deemer stated that
the first intelligence he had of the
robbery was when the lifeless body OF
the unfortunate messenger was car
ried from the car. The train was
not delayed on account of the incident,
and left Immediately for Plttsburg.
This is the first robbery that has oc-
CURED ON the Panhandle in several
years, and the bold plan of the per-
petrators has caused great excitement
among railroad men. 1t is just year
since an attempt was made to rob the
Chicago special on the Fort Wayne
was discovered by Pittsburg officers,
and a melee occurred in the train at
Sewickley, in which the robbers made
their escape.
CHICAGO, August 11.-Local Off
Gals of the Adams Express Company
here claim to be in possession of no
facts concerning the robbery of the
Pennsylvania express near Columbus
last night, and the murder of Messen-
ger Lane. They state that the safe
opened was a local one, and not likely
to contain large sum, and that the
losses will not be known until snip
pers make their claims.
A Clue Secured.
COLUMBUS, O., August 11.-Bag-
gagemaster Fletcher made the follow
ing statement to-day:
After we left Urbana everything
went we'll until we reached Cappelle,
where we made a stop. | heard talk
ing there. The speakers first appeared
t. be coming along the train, there
being two or three of them. One man
stepped on piece of rotten wood.
which attracted my attention, just be-
fore the train got under way. We
stopped at Plain City and Milford, and
| heard no unusual 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 ten inches. l con-
Guided that Lane had freight against
iii. We stopped at Marble Cliff, and
there | saw two men running toward
the train; one was an old man and the
other a young fellow. Both were
dressed in dark clothes"
Fletcher gave a meagre description
of these persons. The bandits over
locked. or purposely left, large guam
tity of silver bullion and a number OF
east-bound packages of value. They
seem TO have been pressed for time in
their operations.
In addition to the two suspects ar
rested here, four men are held at Plain
City.