Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-08-17
BANDITS ROB A TRAIN
Hold-Up il True WiId-Western
Style at Caney, | T.
JOLLY OVER THE ADVENTURE
They Make Postal Clerk Garry a Mail Sack
While Passengers Throw in Money
and leMelry.

and lewelry.
Fort Worth Tex. Aug. IA The
southbound Missouri kansas and
Texas train No. due here at 9 80 a.
m. was robbed at Canev Switch, Ind.
t., early yesterday morning by five
masked men. The express car was
blown open. the safe wrecked and the
mail sacks rifled. All the passengers
were robbed of their money.
Caney, where the robbery occurred,
is o side track thirty -nlne miles
north of Denison. 1t is in the Choc-
taw Nation of the Indian Territory
and the POPULATION surrounding the
station is only 1876. The train does
not stop at Caney, except on signal.
AS the proper signal was given the
engineer whistled his reply and the
train slowed down for the stop.
Instead of the usual signal to go
ahead the engineer and fireman were
confronted by two men with masked
faces. About the same time tine ex-
press messenger and the mail clerk
were communicated with through the
closed doors OF their ears. Three of
the robbers shot wildly and then they
all went to the messenger and clerk .
open up, herei Open up, and don I
be too slow about 1t r.
From within came no response and
the robbers again called out: open
the door or we will blow ii open and
blow you to he T.
There was no response TO the
second call and the firing began
again, fully twenty shots being dis
charged. Still there was no response
and the three men prepared a small
blast of dynamite against the car
door.
CONDUCTOR WARNS S.SEN-
GERS.
"a tie nloanflme IA shooting i q
awakened the passengers. The con-
ductor, brakeman, and porter ran
through the tram, and as they called
out: Its holdupl'' the passengers
tried to hide their money and valu-
ables.
The dynamite was at last exploded.
1t was small charge. and was in-
tended more for fright than for any
thing else. A larger blast OF dynamite
was prepared and exploded. This tore
the side off the express and mail car,
and the robbers leaped through the
opening and overpowered the mes
senger. He was ordered to openfthe
safe, but he could not as the combi-
nation was at the end OF the run.
The robbers then put a charge of
dynamite to the safe and blew it
open. They demolished the safe, but
secured only $3.50 as the money had
all been left at Muskogee to be picked
up by the Katy Flyer, which runs
through the Territory by day
The messenger and clerk were fore
ed to assist the bandits in their work
Every mail pouch was emptied and
the mail considered valuable by the
robbers was taken.
Then, with Postal Clerk Tulley
holding an empty mali sack, the rob-
bers went through the coaches and
robbed every passenger. They secured
$3.50 in one coach. A negro who re-
fused to give up his money wps
severely beaten. The passengers were
compelled TO throw their yaluables
into the pouch.
PROBABLY NOT A HEAVY HAUL.
Superintendent Sam Gaines, of the
railway mail service, says he does not
believe the robbers got much money
out of the mail pouches After the
work was done the robbers, who
seemed 70 ENJOY the situation sat
around and laughed over the matter
and one even went back into the car
to get something.
After holding the train two hou
the robbers left going into the dense
bottom timber from which the tor
tuous Caney Creek is named.
The trainmen cut out the wrecked
express car, ran down to Caney Sta
tion and advised officers up and down
the road. Within two hours posses
OF United States marshals, with blood
hounds were on the trail The ex
press company says that it lost moth
ing and the conductor estimates the
passengers loss at about 800, not
the jewelrv.
The robbers gave Engineer Lang
ham a diamond ring and shirt stud