The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-01
THE ROBBERS FOOLED
,srD DYNAMITE TO BLOW UP MAIL
CARS.
TOOK THEM FOR EXPRESS.
pARING HoLD-UP LAST NIGHT ON
THE ID. 81 O.

,,oxx Omen First One Mail Car and
Then Another, but Were Afraid TO
Tr>- AGain-Passengers We're B"diy
Frirhtened, but the Only Booty
tho Robbers Took Was the Engi-
ucer's Watch.
chicago. July 31-The Baltimore and
obio passenger train from the East,
which was due to arrive in the Grand
central depot at Chicago at o'clock
.o,iqht was held UP by five masked
NON at o'clock between Edgemoore
and Grand Calumet Heights, Indiana
q miles out from Chicago. One of the
mail cars. which contained no money,
,.oe dvnamited and wrecked. The at
( ,sn,nt at robbery was made after the
two mail cars had been detached from
& ,ba train and run quarter OF mile
I ahead. The failure of the robbers TO
make = rich haul was due to the fact
4 that the express car, which contained
f t,a trains treasure, was in an unusual
rloce If was the third car in the train.
After wrecking the mail car and OBJ
tanning no booty, the robbers dlsap-
neared in the darkness without at
I tempting to rectify their mistake. The
onlv loot that they carried away with
them as a result of their adventure was
the gold watch of the engineer.
The train was the New York and
washington vestibule limited. Most
of the trainmen were shot at and had
narrow escapes from the bullets. NO
nerson was injured either by the dyna-
mite or firearms.
Good Place for Robbery.
The place where the robbery occur
red is a lonely district in which few
people live, and houses are far be-
tween No better place for a train
robbery could be desired by the rob-
bers.
The train was running at a high rate
of speed as it passed Calumet Heights,
and Immediately passing out of sight
OF the station, Engineer j. w. Col
Inns saw directly in front
of his engine, a large fre
on which some rails had been
placed. He slowed down and as he
did so three men wearing masks ever
their faces jumped into the cab and
4 covered Collins and his fireman, James
Nmppfe. with revolvers. 1eg-Q-ssa
Just before climbing into the cab the
three men commenced to fire with their
i revolvers in order to frighten away all
assistance. The shots produced the live
liest kind of panic in the sleeping
cars, where the passengers made every
effort to hide their money and valua-
bles before the robbers couid get at
them. No attempt was made, how
ever, to rob any of the passengers. The
fusilade had the effect of making
them keep inside the cars.
Enriuaar MD us He Was TOId
After mounting into the cab of the
engine the robbers covering the en-
gineer and firemen with their reVolvers
made them step down and go back the
length of two cars. They ordered the
men to uncouple 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, directed him to pull up some
distance from the rest of the train.
Collins ran up two hundred 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
hurllng dynamite at the door of the
car which they judged to be the ex-
press car, burst open the door. Hasti-
~ climbing in to get at the safe, they
were astonished to find that they had
broken into mail car. They threaten
ed the engineer with death for not tell
ing them that the cars which he
mad uncoupled were not express
cars and ordered him to return at
once ana uncouple the next car behind
the baggage cars.
Ihey Make the Second Break.
Climbing once more into his cab Col
ms hacked his engine down, coupled
on to the third car, which the fireman
IN 10 ID
ana sun with the muzzle of the revol-
yer at his head, Collins was ordered to
Iuu down the track, as before. He
u'eW away from the balance of the
Ualn about the same distance as on
Ihe hrst occasion, and the robbers, still
ed'lng him under the charge of one
vi, lhelr number, made for this car
Ten the preached it they found to
t,eiF great wrath that they had attack
' another mail car, and that it con-
baI no money. The train
,oo been delayed now full
thirty minutes, and fear
sIS that if they delayed any longer
Up would be coming to the train crew,
ne robbers gave up their attempt to
~ 'ne train, and jumping down, ran
sif o thlcket of scrub oaks, at the
traI ol the track and disappeared. The
u'l" was hastily made up and came
G,. " lhicago, arriving here somewhat
stop having been made at Whit
s '' report the robbery. Officers
ae ai once sent after the robbers,
"I'hin an hour after the robbery
"' -r posse was on their trail
Iles A. Cross, conductor of the
s'l' brought into the city tonight
H. ~ sticks of dynamite that had
The track ''s 'iue u
ihe Conductors story.
cou5 heard some shooting" said the
wa. tor and looked out to see what
0ro,e ,ne matter. / saw the engineer and
I''l running down the track fol-
l,ol py three men. / had no time to
0,,t al more than that, for l saw two
b,U or lame close to the car and q
c1lo5 vent by my head as one of them
dor.t ep your head in, there, if you
wa I want 1t blown off,
IN o., eIlalnly' I said, and I pulled II
tho quIckly as / knew how, | saw
Rettfni, We're making a mistake in
he..J lne wrong cars, so when
ne mem so Off up the track. ex-
in 10 near them come back again
H, lew minutes, which tbev ala
TIM Yer, they had no better luck that
no. nan on the first trip. and IL was
robbery of much profit to them.
''iN there We're more than three
tv., .saBed In the robbery. for I saw
Co. ''ilef men standing besido tbo