The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-01
|B. x 0. TRAIN IS HELD UP Bold Work of Robbers Near Chicago. THEY OBTAINED NOTHING Blew Open Mail Instead of
 Express Car. The Passengers and Crew Were
 Ordered to Stay Within Doors While the Train Was Cut in Two.
THEY OBTAINED NOTHING

Chicago. July 31.-The Baltimore and
 Ohio passenger train from the East
 which was due to arrive in the Grand
 Central depot. Chicago, at 9 o'clock to-
 night, was held up by five masked men at o'clock tonight between Edge
 Indiana. thirty-one miles out from Chicago
 One of the mail cars which contained no money. was dynamited and wreck ed. The attempt at robbery was made after the two mail cars had been de- tached from the train and run a quar- ter of mile ahead. The failure of the robbers to make rich haul was due
 to the fact that the express car, which contained the trains treasure, was in an unusual place. It was the third car in the train. After wrecking the main car and obtaining no booty the robbers disappeared without attempt ing to rectify their mistake. The only loot that they carried away with them as result of their adventure was the gold watch of the engineer. Most of sAaS tAoAhAA@h WCiC ShOI ul dllu Hd0 narrow escapes from the bullets. No person was injured either by the dyna- mite or fire arms. The place where
 the robbery occurred is a lonely dis trict in which few people live and houses are far between. No better place for a train robbery could be de- sired by the robbers.
 The train was running at a high rate of speed as 1t passed Calumet Heights and immediately after passing | the station Engineer Collins saw di- rectly in front of his engine a large fire on which some rails had been placed.
 ---- Covered With Revolvers. 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 Whip pie. with revolvers.
 Just before climbing into the cab the
 three men commenced to fire with
 their revolvers in order to frighten away all assistance. The shots pro- duced the liveliest kind of a panic in
 the sleeping cars. where the passen- gers made every effort to hide their money and valuables before the rob bers could get at them. No attempt
 was made. however, to rob any of the passengers. The fusilade had the effect of making them keep inside the cars.
 After mounting the engine, the rob- bers, covering the engineer and fireman ith their revolvers made them step down and go back the length of two cars They ordered the men to uncou- pie the first two cars. which was done. They then hustled the two trainmen back into the cab, and, still keeping the engineer covered with revolvers, di- rected 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 hurling dy- namite at the door of the car which they judged to be the express car, burst open the door. Hastily climbing in to get at the safe they were astonished to find that they had broken into a mail car. They threatened the engineer with death for not telling them that the cars which they had uncoupled were not express cars and ordered him to re- turn and uncouple the next car behind the baggage cars.
 Got Another Car.
 Climbing once more into his cab, Col lins backed his engine down, coupled on to the third car, which the fire man was made to uncouple at the rear end, and still with the muzzle of a re- volver at his head. Collins was or dered to 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 of their number, made for this car. When they reached it they found to their great wrath .nat they had at- tackled another mail car and that 1t contained no money. The train had been delayed fully thirty minutes, ard, evidently fearing that if they delayed any longer help would he coming to the trains crew, the robbers gave up the attempt to rob the train and, jumping down. ran into thicket at the side of the track and disappeared.
 The trair was hastily made up and came on to Chicago, arriving here somewhat late, a stop having been made at Whiting to report the at tempted robbery. Officers were sent after the robbers and within an hour | after the attempt large posse was on | their trail. Charles A. Cross, conduc- | tor of the train, brought into the~city 1 tonight several sticks of dynamite that | the robbers left at the side of the track.
 The Conductors Story.
 T heard some shooting" said the and looked out to see what was the matter I saw the engineer and fireman running down the track l had TO time to look at more than that for I saw two flashes of flame close to the car and a bullet went by my head as one of them called. Keep your head in there if you don't want It blown off
 Certainly said. and pulled it in as quickly as I knew how. When I heard the men go off up the track I ex- pected them to go back again in a few minutes. However. they had no better luck that time than on thc first trip and 1t was not robbery of much profit to them"
 F. A. Applegate of Newark. O.. the messenger. had no idea that a robbery was being attempted until he heard the shooting on the outside. He