The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1901-08-17
ROBBERS LOOT A TRAIN.
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Train
No. 3, South Bound, Held Up
at Caney Switch, l. T.
ROBBERS WENT THROUGH COACHES.
The Postal Clerk Compelled to Garry .
Sack to Collect Passengers' Nalunbies-
Tho Express safe Blown Opon and
Looted-The Robbers Arrested Wthin
Few Hours.

Fort Worth, Tex, Aug. 14.-Ths
south bound Missouri, Kansas IL Tex
as train No. 3, due here at $3.50 a. M,
was robbed at Caney Switch, /. H., at
1:O5 o'clock yes erday 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, the place where the robbery
occurred, is a side track 80 miles
north of Denison. 1t is in the Chloe =
taw nation of the Indian territory,
and the population surrounding the
station is only 1875. The train does
not stop at Caney except on signal
and the proper signal was given. The
engineer whistled his reply, and the
train slowed down for the stop.
Instead of the hurried signal to go
ahead, the engineer and fireman were
confronted by two men with faces
yelled with black netting. About the
same time the express messenger and
the mail clerk were communicated
with through the closed doors of their
car. Three Of the robbers shot wildly
and then the call went to the mes
senger and clerk:
"Open up here, open up, and don't
be too slow about it,"
From within came no response. The
two men could not be seen. They
awaited only the result. When there
was no reply from within the robbers
again called out:
"Open the door. or we will blow 1t
open and blow you to hell"
There was no response to the Sec
ond call, and firing again began, and
fully 20 shots were discharged. Still
there was no response to the firing
and the three men prepared small
blast Of dynamite against the car
door, In the meantime the shooting
had awakened the passengers. The
first information that il was a hold
up" sent the conductor, brakeman and
porter back into the train, and as
they came in they called out:
cts hold up"
The passengers tried to hide their
money and valuabes. The dynamite
blast was exploded. 1t was small
charge and was intended more for
fright than anything else. A larger
blast of dynamite was prepared and
exploded. This did the work. II tore
the side off the car. The robbers
leaped through the opening, and the
frightened messenger had nothing to
do but accept their orders. He was
overpowered, and narrowly escaped
being torn in shrcds as was his car.
He was ordered to open the safe, but
he could not, as the combination was
at the end of the run. The robbers
then put charge Of dynamite to the
safe, and blew it open. They demol.
ished the safe but got only Sl.50, as
the money had all been left at Musko-
gee, to be picked up by the katy
Flyer which runs through the ter
ritory by day.
The messenger and clerk were
forced to assist the bandits In their
work. Every mail pouch was emptied
and the mail considered valuable by
them taken. With Postal Clerk Tul-
ley, holding an empty mail sack, the
robbers than went through the
coaches and robbed every passenger.
They got $3.50 in one coach, A negro
who refused TO give up his money
was severely beaten. The passengers
were compelled to throw their valua.
bles into the pouch,
Superintendent Sam Gaines, Of the
railway mail service, says he does not
believe the robbers got much money
out Of the mail pouches.
The trainmen cut out tho wrecked
express car and ran down TO Caney
station and advised officers up and
down the road. Within two hours
posses Of United States marshals,
with bloodhounds, were on the trail.
The express company says that II lost
nothing, ana the conductor estimates
the passengers losses at about four
hundred dollars, not counting the
jcwelry. The robbers gave the engi-
neer, I.anham, diamond ring and u
shirt stud, Both safes were demol-
ished by the explosion and the car
IL q wreck,