The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-02-04
TRAIN ROBBERY.
Sealed P. R. R. Adams Ex-
press Car Entered and
Heavy Cases Taken.
THROWN OUT ALONG THE LINE
No One Knew of the Theft
Until Jersey City Was
Reached.
THROWN OUT ALONG THE LINE

An Adams Express Company car was
robbed of about 5000 worth of goods yes
tefday morning between the hours of
II midnight and o'clock in the morning,
somewhere between Philadelphia and this
city while the train was running at full
speed. There is no trace of the robbers.
They did their work quickly and SO COM
pletely that only the most valuable of
merchandise was taken. Not clue so
far as is now known was left for the Ex-
press Companys detectives and the police
of several cities to work on. The looter
car was one of three express cars at
tached to the "owl' train Of the Pennsyl-
vanla Railroad, which left Philadelphia at
midnight and was due here shortly be-
fore o clock.
A messenger named Barbour was in
charge of the cars. He rode most of the
distance in the car nearest the engine.
The car robbed was the middle one. All
We're sealed when they left Philadelphia
and how an entrance was effected by the
robbers is not known The robbers are
thought to be not very conversant with
the ways of the messengers on the train
in general because the car robbed was the
one usually occupied by the messenger.
On this trip the messenger had full
three hours work in the front car and
that kept him from the post usually as
signed to him.
Nothing was known about the robbery
until the train reached this city. 1t was
drawn into the express pier here and
opened. Then for the first time it was
seen that the seal ON the middle car had
been broken and the end door swung open.
Inside the car looked as if it had been
struck by a cyclone.
Strewn about in the most disorderly
fashion were great number of cases and
packages, all so mutilated as to show
thenr. contents. An inventory showed
that many cases of weight and several
packages were missing completely
Messenger Barbour reported the state
of affairs and an investigation was be-
gun. 1t was clear that the robbers had
taken their time in selecting what they
would carry off, Among the cases OPEN
ed and about the car were many that
contained wine, dry goods, silks, canned
food, eweljry, butter fiirkins, clothing,
shoes and hats.
The idea prevails that while passing in
the vicinity of some lonely station the
robbers threw OFF many cases of goods
with the intention of gathering them up
as soon as they could return. An investi-
cation along the line of the road from
Philadelphia has been made, but there is
as yet nothing tangible.
When the local officials of the company
had completed the inventory they report
ed the matter to the police of all the cities
passed and they are now at work on the
case.
Detectives McNally and Larkins of Chief
Murphys staff are at work on this end
of the case. Superintendent Depu this
morning refused to talk of the case.
1t was shown that a jimmy was used
to force an entrance and to open the
cases. The police believe that an organ
lied gang of thieves from New York City
are responsible.
The train stopped at all stations along
the route and it is thought that it was
boarded at a point slightly to the east
of Trenton.