The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1901-04-27
IN JESSE JAMES STYLE
Midnight Choctaw Express Held
Up By Six Bandits Four Miles
West of Memphis.
coloRED PORTER vICTIMOF BANDIT BULLET
Express Car Shattered BY Dynamite Ex.
plosion and Messenger Meador Badly
Injured = Choctaw and Express Com
pany Oficials Offer Reward.

pany Oficials Offer Reward.
The Choctaw express, west bound,
was held up at 1890 ON the night Of
the 22d at point where the Choctaw
crosses the Iron Mountain, about four
miles west Of Memphis. Six men en-.
gagged in the hold-up, and from the
manner in which they did their work
they were evidently experts in the bus
mess. The through safe in the express
car was blown open with nitro-glicer-
Inc and a considerable amount Of
money secured, but the exact amount
Is not known. officials Of the express
company state, however, that less than
four thousand dollars was in the
through SAFE The brakeman discov.
cred three men Of suspicious charac-
ter on the train when it pulled out
form the Memphis bridge, but it was
decided not to make stop to put them
off until the train reached the next
station. Near the point OF the hold
up the three men on the blind baggage
orawled over the engine tender and
compelled Engineer Johnson to slow
up. The brakeman, thinking the stop
was for the purpose Of putting the
men off. got off with them. One Of
the robbers ordered him to get inside,
but before he could comply one Of them
emptied a load Of buckshot into his
thigh. At this stage the other three
robbers made their appearance. The
fireman was ordered to uncouple the
mail and express cars from the rest
OF the train, and after 1t was run down
the track about half mile 1t was
stopped. The mail car and passengers
were not molested by the robbers,
who seemed to be satisfied with what
they secured from the safe in the
through express. Chas. 7. Meador,
the express messenger, whose home Is
at Sulphur Springs, Benton county,
was badly used up by the robbers,
who beat him over the head with their
reyolvers because he refused to open
the through safe, which was impossi'
ble as 1t was equipped with a time
lock. ..... ..
A passenger on the train gives thu
following version Of the hold.up:
1.-THE train left Memphis at 11:40
When point half mile west Of the
Iron Mountain crossing had been
reached, Messenger Meador started to
cross over from the first car to the
other, where the express safes were,
a. he had finished arranging the bag
gage As he opened the door he
found himself staring into the barrels
OF two revolvers and shotguns
and saw men standing on the platoon
He was grabbed by one Of the robbers
and his pistol, which he carried In a
belt around his waist. was taken from
him. About this time the train began
to slow up and came to full stop,
Then the shooting began and two men
who had boarded the rear OF the second
car captured the brakeman, and made
him uncouple at that point. The
engineer and fireman had been taken
care Of by this time. Two robbers
mounted the engine cab and forced
Engineer Johnson to pull the baggage
ana express cars about half mile
The place where the cars stopped Is
In the midst Of a dense cane brake
and ten or fifteen miles from any hab
itatlon. "open the safe or we will
kill you" was the order given to the
messenger by ONE Of tho robbers who
seemed to be the leader. He was very
calm while the other three were very
much excited and worked like ANA
tours. The messenger obeyed and one
OF the men who carried sack, placed
all the contents OF the local safe In It
Ono Of tho robbers stood guard over
tho two prisoners, the other two join
Ing their comrades In the express car
where they were at work on the
through safe, which was locked, and
could not be opened until Little Rock
was reached. They had about a pint
Of nitro.glycerlne and poured It In q
crack Of the safe. When everything
was ready all left the cur and the ex'
plosion followed, II was a complete
success, for the door of the safe was
blown of and hurled twenty feet away,
striking 4 tree trunk and smashing Il
Tho robbers roentored the car and II
was the work Of but few moments
to transfer the contents Of the safe to
the sack, Everything was taken, The
robbers thon jumped of and with
few parting shots disappeared Into the
cane brakes"