The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-02
BANDITS HOLD UP A BALTIMORE AND
OHIO EXPRESS TRAIN.
TWO MALL CARS BLOWN OPEN
The Engineer Under Orders Cuts
Loose and Runs Ahead With the
First Car-On Finding TO be a Mail
Car He Is Sent Back After the Sec.
ond-This Also Proves to be a Mall
Car-The Robbers, Uneasy at the
Delay, Abandon the Attempt and
Take to the Woods.

Ohio passenger train from the east |
due to arrive in the Grand Central de-
pot, Chicago, at o'clock tonight was
held up by five masked men at s |
O'Clock between Edgemore and Grand
Calumet Heights Ind; thirty -one miles
out from Chicago. |
One of the mail cars which contained
no money was dynamited and wrecked.
The attempt at robbery was made af-
ter the two mail cars had been detach |
ed from the train and run a quarter of |
a mile ahead
The failure Of the robbers to make
a rich haul was due to the fact that
the express car, which contained the
trains treasure was in an unusal place
1t was the third car in the train.
AFTER Wrecking the mail car and oh.
tanning no booty, the robbers disap-
peared in the darkness, without at
tempting to rectify their mistake. The
only loot that they carried away with
them as a result Of their adventure
was the gold watch of the engineer.
Ihe train was the New York and
Washington vestibule limited. Most of
the tralnmen were shot at and had nor
row escapes from the bullets No per-
son was injured either by dynamite or
occurred is a lonely district in which
few people live and houses are far be-
tween. No better place for a train
robbery could be desired by the rob-
.bers.
The train was running at a high rate
OF speed as it passed Calumet Heights.
| and Immediately after passing out OF
sight of the station Engineer J. w. Col
llnS saw directly in front of his engine
large fire on which some rails had
| been placed. He slowed down, and as
| he did so, three men wearing masks
| over their faces jumped into the cab
| and covered Collins, and his fireman
James Whipple, with revolvers
| Just before climbing into the cab, the
| three men commenced to fire their re-
volvers to frighten away all assistance.
/ The shots produced the lfvelieSt kind OF
! a panic in the sleeping cars, where the
! passengers made every attempt to
| hide their money and valuables before
the robbers could get at them. No at
tempt was made. however, to rob any
! of the passengers. The fuSillade had
the effect of making them keep inside
| the cars.
! After mounting into the cab of the
| engine the robbers, covering the engi-
| neer and fireman with their revoIvers
| made them step down, and go back the
| length of two cars. They ordered the
men to uncouple the first two cars,
| which was done. They then hustled
the trainmen back into the cab and,
still keeping the engineer covered with
revolvers, directed him to pull UP some
distance from the rest Of the train.
Collins ran up 200 feet and was then
directed to STOP He did so and while
one of the men remained to guard him,
the others jumped Off and hurting dy-
Mantle at the door of the car which
they judged to be the expresses car,
burst open the door. Hastily climbing
in to get at the safe they were aston
ished to find that they had broken into
q mail car. They threatened the engi-
| neer with death for not telling them
that the cars which he had uncoupled
were not express cars and ordered him
to return at once and uncouple the
next car behind the baggage cars.
| Climbing once more into his cab, Col
lins backed his engine down, coupled
on to the third car, which the fireman
| was made to uncoUple at the rear end
. and still with the muZZle of the revol-
yer at his head, Collins was ordered tC
run down the track, as before. He
drew away from the balance OF the
train about the same distance as on the
| first occasion and the robbers, still
, leaving him under the charge of one ol
their number, made for this car. When
they reached il, they found to theil
great wrath that they had attacked
another mail car and that it contained
no money. The train had been delayed
now fully thirty minutes, and, fearing
that if they delayed any longer, hell
) would be coming to the train crew, the
robbers gave up their attempt to rof
the train and jumping down, rar
; into a thicket of scrub oaks, at the side
of the track and disappeared.
: The train was hastily made up, and
: came on to Chicago. arriving here
somewhat late, stop having beer
4 W f1,c nyL
! Officers were at once sent after th'
| robbers, and within an hour after th'
| robbery a large posse was on thei
= trail
Charles A. Cross, conductor Of tn
train, brought into the city tonigh
several sticks Of dynamite that bat
been left by the robbers at the side
, the track.
'I heard some shooting" said tn
conductor, 'and looked out to see wha
was the matter. / saw the eng1nee
and fireman running down the tracl
followed by three men. had no tim
to look at more than that, for / saw
| two flashes Of flames close to the ca
{ and a bullet went by my head as on
e of them called out: Keep your head II
0 there! If you don't want it blown OF.
s Certainly said, and I pulled 1t II
as quickly as I knew how. saw tn
men We're making mistake In gettint
| the wrong cars so when heard then
> go off up the track expected to hea
: them come back in a few minutes
! which they did. However, they had n
I better luck that time than on the frs
? trip and it was not a robbery OF mucl
. profit to them. I think there were NOR
e than three men engaged in the robbery
D for I saw two other men standing be
E side the track, just at the time the en-
q eineer pulled out with the two cars
2 They evidently saw that their compan
ions had made mistake and judges