The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1901-08-21
HELD UP A TRAIN.
Robbers Laughed and Talked as They
Robbed a Train.

>~NSSs&s 0@o - h0o oAu L alh6u do Il 10y
Robbed Train.
A train was held up al robbed near
Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday night.
Tho express car was blown open, the
safe wrecked and the mail sacks riled.
All the passengers were robbed of taeir
money. Ell Clney, where the robbery
occurred, is q side track tAirty-nine
miles north Of Denisou. 1t is in the
Choctaw nation OF the Indian Terri
tory and the population surrounding
the station is only 125. The train
does not stop at Csney except on signal.
AS the the proper signal was given the
engineer whistled his reply, and the
train slowed down for the stop. In
stead of the hurried signal to 20 shead,
the engineer aud fireman we're con-
fronted by two men with masked faces.
About the same time the express mes
seuger aud tho mail clerk we're COM
municsted with through the closed
doors OF their carr. Three o. the rob-
bers shot wildly and then the call went
to tho messenger aud clerk:
be too slow about i'll"
From within came no response and
the robbers again called out: "Open
the door or We will blow it open and
blow you to beli' There was no rs-
sponse to the second call and the firing
again began, fully twenty shots being
discharged. Still there was no re-
sponse, aud the ttrae mon prepared q
small blast of dynamite against the car
door. In the meantime the shoot
ing had awakened the passengers. The
conductor, brakemen and porter ran
through the train, snd as they called
out: It's hold upl'
The passengers tried to hide their
money aud valusbles. The dynamite
vas at last exploded. 1t was a small
charge a1d was intended more for fright
than anything else, A larger blast OF
dynamite Was prepared and exploded.
This tore tho side eff the express and
mail car d the robbers leaped through
the opening, and, overpowsred the mes
senger. He WAS ordered to open the
safe, but he could rot, as the oombins-
tion was at ond Of the run. The rob-
bers then put charge of dynamite TO
the safe and blew it open. They de-
mo!ished the safe, but secured only
$l.5O, IS the money had all been left at
Muskogee to be picked up by the "Katy
flyer, which runs through the territory
by day, The messenger and clerk were
forced to assist the bandit. in their
work. Every mail pouch was emptied
and the mail considered valuable by the
robbers wa, taken, Then with Postal
Clerk Tulley holding an empty mail
sack, the robbers went through the
coaches and robbed every passenger.
They secured $3.50 in one coach. A
negro who refueed to give up his money
was Lev.roiy beaten. The passengers
were compelled to throw their valuable
into the pouch.
After the work was done the robbers,
who seemed to rejoice In the situation,
sat around and laughed over the matter.
After holding the train two hours, the
robbers left, going east into the dense
bottom timber, for which tortuous
Caney creek is ro.ed. The trainmen
out out the wrecked express car, ran
down 10 Csney station and advised Off
GERS up and down the road In two
hours posse of United States marshals
With blood hounds were on the trail.
Tne express company said it lost moth
ing, and the conductor estimates the
passengers lo,s at about 500, not
counting the jeselry.
THE ROBBERS CAUGHT.
A dispatch from Danison, Tex says:
}. b. DVais, deputy marshal at Colbert,
|. T., arrived here Wednesday night
from the scene of the robbery at Caney.
The following men have been ar
rested on the charge OF committing the
robbery, said Mr.. Davis: &c. L
Richmond, Bob Alfo:d, Geo. Brown,
John Gibson, Tom Edwards and Jack
Barr, These men were arrested at
CAney and taken to Atoka Thursday
morning. The operator at Caney,
when he heard the shooting, suspected
the train was being held up and put out
the light in the depot and telegraph ed
Atoka, IL miles away, for officers.
Within two hours after the robbery
blood hounds had trailed these men to
their homes. We ,ouni the wet cloth
ing identified by passengers as that
worn by the robbers. We also found
three masks and found in the fire box
Of the cook stove when the arrests were
made the shoes OF the men srrested.
The tracks were measured and fitted the
shoes exactly"