Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-04-24
SIX BOLD BANDITS
HOLD UP A TRAIN
"Open the Local Safe, or Well
Kill You"
THAT SAFE WAS OPENED

| %>ASCH HPpEVpTAdIAHg AtS NOHI IenCSs
They Blew Up the Express Safe,
Transferred Its Contents to Their
Bag and Made Their Escape.
LITTLE Rock, April %. The Choctaw
Oklahoma and Gulf passenger train was
held up at midnight near Iron Mountain
crossing, AZ miles west of Memphis,
and arrived here at 6:1O this morning,
half an hour late.
Sydney Drew, the porter. who was
shot by the bandits, was taken Co st.
Vincent's hospital and his wound
dressed by the company's local ply.
slclan. His condition is serious and he
may die.
@. T. Meader, the express messenger,
was badly beaten over the head and
shoulders with pistol, but he was able
to continue his run
The passengers were not molested.
Frank w. Haskell, the local agent of
the Wells Fargo Express ompany, could
| not estimate the amount the robbers Sc
cured, but 1t is said to be over S., 900.
Story of the Holdup.
The train left Memphis at 11:4O last
night, and after crossing the bridge,
made the usual stop at Bridge junction,
Ark. At this point six masked men
boarded the train but were not seen by
any of the train crew. When a point a
half mile west of Iron Mountain cross
| ing had been reached, Messenger Mea-
der started to cross over from the first
car to the other, where the express safes
were, as he had finished arranging the
baggage. AS he opened the door he
found himself staring into the barrels
| of two revolvers and two shOtguns and
saw four men standing on the platform.
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
shooting began. Two men who had
boarded the rear end of the second car
captured Sidney Drew, the train porter
and made him uncouple at that point
The engineer and fireman had been
taken care of by this time. Two of the
robbers mounted the engine cab and
forced Engineer Johnson to pull the
baggage and express cars about half q
mile. The place where the cars stopped
is in the midst of dense canebrake and
10 or 10 miles from any habitation. The
track is raised 10 feet above the sur.
rounding country. When the engine
stopped George Ward, boy who had
been riding on the blind baggage, sprang
off and started into the woods A shot
from one OF the robbers brought him
back to the train.
Command ISrOmn.lv Obaved
Then open the local safe, or we will
Kill your' was the order given to the
messenger by one of the robbers, who
seemed to be the leader. He was very
calm, while the other three were very
much excited and worked like amateurs.
The messenger obeyed, and one of the
men, who carried a sack, placed all the
contents of the local safe in it.
''Now, you and the kid get into the
car ahead, was the next order Mea-
der did not seem to move fast enough to
suit the robber who had him in charge,
SO he delivered a few blows with the
heavy revolver he carried. After the
messenger was in the other car the rob.
ber continued to beat him, the messen-
ger says, until he was badly bruised.
He received a bad cut over the right
eye.
With Nitro Glycerine.
One robber stayed to guard the two
prisoners, the other two joining their
comrades III the express car, where they
were at work on the through safe, which
was locked and could not be opened un.
til Little Rock was reached. They had
about a pint of nitro -glycerine and
poured it i'll the cracks of the safe.
When everything was ready, all left the
car and the explosion followed. 1t was
a com plete success, for the door of the
safe was blown off and hurled 20 feet
away, striking tree trunk and smash
ing it. The robbers re- entered the car,
and 1t was but the work of a few mo-
ments to transfer the contents of the
safe to the sack. Everything was taken.
The robbers then jumped off and with
few parting shots disappeared into the
canebrakes.
The engineer ran back to the rest of
the train and as soon as the coupling
was made started as fast as possible for
Edmiston, ~ miles away, the next tele-
graph station, where the affair was re-
ported to superintendent John H. Harris.
The superintendent immediatelyw
to the convict camp at Hubert, miles
this side of the scene of the hold-up,
asking that the bloodhounds there be
placed on the trail of the bandits. Re-
wards will be offered.
Story of the Messenger.
Messenger Meader, in relating his ex-
perience, said:
81 started to the other car, and upon
opening the door found two pistols and
two guns pointed in my face. I threw
up my hands and one of the robbers
searched me, taking my pistol. About
this time the train stopped, and later,
when we had uncoupled and run ahead,
was made to open the local safe with
my keys was then ordered into the
car ahead and heard them blow open
the safe. They beat me with their pis-
tolls just for pastime. did not care to
get shot. / saw six of the men and all
were masked. They appeared to be
young men, and all were excited but
one, who seemed to be the leader.
Sidney Drew, the porter. lives in
Memphis. He is shot in the thigh and
may die. He refused to uncouple the
train when first commanded to do so
and one of the robbers fired at him.
The ChOctaw officials will cooperate
with the express company and will spare
no expense to capture the bandits.
Alabama Postofnce Robbed.