The sun., 1901-04-24
BOLD THIEVES
HOLD UP TRAIN
Over $4,000 Secured in a Robbery
Near Memphis.
DYNAMITE FREELY USED
The Robbery Accompanied by Many
Sensational Incidents, q Porter
Being Shot and the Express
Messenger Badly Beaten.

Little Rock, Ark, April 23.-It is
stated that over $4,000 was secured III
the hold up of the Choctaw, Oklahoma
and Gulf passenger train near Iron
Mountain crossing. 4la miles west or
Memphis. The train reached Little
Rock half an hour late.
Sidney Drew, negro porter, VINO
was shot by the bandits, was taken to
st. yincent's hospital, where his wound
was dressed. His condition Is serious.
G. T. Meader, the express messenger,
was badly beaten over the head anu
shoulders with a pistol, but was able
to continue his run. The passengers
were not molested.
Six masked men boarded the train
when it made the usual stop at Bridge
Junction, Ark, after crossing the Mis-
sissippi river bridge. They escaped OBJ
servation. When point half mile
west of Iron Mountain crossing had
been reached Messenger Meader start
ed to pass from the first car to the sec
ond, where the express safes We're, as
he had finished arranging the baggage.
AS he opened the door he was con-
|
were two reyolvers and two shotguns.
One of the gang grappled with Meader
and secured the pistol he carried in his
belt around his waist.
Train slows Up.
About this time the train began to
slow up and soon came to full stop.
: Then shooting began. The two men
| Il +l.A Of
: ond car captured Sidney Drew, the
! train porter, and made him uncouple
o the cars. Under orders from two of the
: men, who had mounted the cab, En-
gineer Johnson pulled the two baggage
}, and express cars about half mile
: away from the balance of the train TO
= a point in the midst of dense cane
brake and 10 OF 10 miles from any hab-
> itation.
I When the engine stopped George
: Ward, a boy who had been riding on
u tne blind baggage car. sprahg off anu
started into the woods. shot from
a one of the robbers brought him back
l. to the train.
IS "Open the local safe, or we will kill
k youw shouted the leader of the gang
D. to the messenger. The messenger
l. obeyed. and one of the men placed the
l. contents of the local safe in sack.
,s Brutal Attack on Meader.
s Now you and the kid get into the
ear ahead" was the next order. Mea
der did not seem to move fast enough
to suit the bandit who had him il
charge. and he fell upon Aleader will
h the but Of revolver, with which th'
express messenger was severely beatc
over the head and back. The boy
lie frightened almost out of his senses
III covered in corner of the car and wa;
y not attacked.
III Meanwhile four of the gang We're Il
work ON the through safe in the sec
y ond car. About Il pint of nitroglyceril
: was poured into the edges of tie door
a. when everything was ready fus
lv was lighted and all left the car.
AZ A terrible explosion followed. tn
,g door of the safe was blown off ant
ID hurled through tile side of the cai
striking tree 20 yards away. Th
). robbers then re-entered the car, and
h, was the work of n few moments t
transfer the contents of the safe to til
sack. Everything was taken. III
TG robbers then jumped off and with
parting shot disappeared into the cane
i'll brake.
Engineer Johnson ran back to tn
rest of the train and as soon as til
no coupling was made pulled away fo
w. Edmonson, the nearest telegraphic st;
Z. ton II miles distant. Here the affa1
a5 was reported to Superintendent Hal
70. ris, VINO llnediateiS seeureu Il l''cN
rs bloodhounds and hurried to the scene,