The times., 1901-05-26
EXPRESS CAR INCIDENTS.
Related by n Messenger
on the Train.
(From the Chicago News


THE next instant the air was fun of
| bits of currency, silver dimes and dollars,
fur-and there was the freshly severed
ear OF live animal said the express
messenger, who was telling how II felt
to be blown up by train robbers.
That recent fire at Western Union
Junction. on the Chicago, Milwaukee and
St Paul road he said. brings back to
my memory that awful night when a gang
of robbers held up the fast mail, on the
| rear end of which was hauled an express
| car. No one knows how much money
was carried away that night, but there
were bags of II. In the rear end Of the
car was a pile Of furs, consigned to a
| firm in Milwaukee. In crate right over
| the place where the charge was set on
was big sheep 1t was the worst-scared
beast you ever saw. After we got a
| chance TO look at him closely it was found
| that one of his ears had been shaved off
| close to the head as neatly as it could
| have been removed with d keen knife.
| That explained the ear that came down on
| US, and that supplied one of the little In
| cidents which served prematurely to
| whiten the head OF an expressman.
| Not long after that" continued the
| man in jumpers, we discovered one
| night that the express car was on fire
| IL was the same No. 50 on the st. Paul
| road and we were running over the rails
| at terrific clip. We had to climb over
a mass of packages, barrels. and oyster
| tubs to get TO the emergency valve, and
when the train was finally stopped that
| blazing car was a regular fiery furnace.
There was all kinds Of inflammable stuff
in the car and abOLt a peck OF cartridges
which we carried for use In our rifles and
| reyolvers in case of an emergency. There
was plenty of excitement on the train
| We were at a little station near Brook
| Aeid. The conductor and engineer ran the
train under the water tank, so they could
| soak the blazing car with water. BY
| that time the cartridges were doing an
| unexpected turn, and the guns in the
| rack. being heated up, were popping away
with utter disregard for the surroundings
About this time train hand with oily
| clothes got too near the flames | can
| see that fellow yet, rolling over and over
| in the snow SO as to put out the fire in
| his garments Piles of valuables were
| lying around on the ground in anything
| that would hold the stuff that we dragged
from the express car. but none Of it was
lost. I might show you 4 letter which /
received from the company. giving us
substantial recognition of our work on
that wntry morning when nothing but
| tie wheels of the express car remained
Oh the rails.
Then how would you like to be sitting
in car fun of valuabies and see a hand
slip in from the darkness outside and
tumble with the door chain?
That's what happened 10 me one night
while we were lying at a station The
chain that was hooked to the door al
lowed il to slide back far enough for
man to get his hand through. Everything
had been checked up and we were having
an easy spell. The car was but dimly
lighted. Suddenly | heard a shuttle out
side and then a hand came in cautiously
and took hold of the chain as il to un-
fasten IL.
Lying on the floor just within my
reach was a barrel staYe / seized IL and
crept to the door Then | swung IL over
my shoulder and swatted that hand with
ali the power that was in me. At that
moment the train started and all heard
was a groan. When / looked out no one
was In sight and the train rolled rapidly
away from the station.
when we stopped the next time I told
the conductor what happened. Great
Scottr he said. Was it you who hit that
man? i have got load OF kilograms
about it, That hand belonged to an Off
cial of the road who wanted to get into
the baggage car and tackled the wrong
door,
II saw the official afterward. and he
told me- after he heard my story. that
he would have done the same thing. That
hand fumbling with the chain that night
was the ghostliest object / ever saw"