The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-08-14
DARING TRAIN ROBBERY
Express Held Up Within Thirty-one
Miles Of Chicago.
DYNAMlTED THE WRONG CARS

Baltimore and Ohio Flyer Held Up BY
Three Masked Men. Who Blow Open
Two Cars, But Fail to Get at $4,000
Thieves Mistook Baggage Cars For
Express Coaches.
Chicago.-Four masked men held
up the New York and Chicago Ex-
press on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road at Calumet Heights, just across
the Indiana line. at 8 o'clock p. m.
They got no cash. They blew open
one Of the baggage cars. thinking 1t
the express car. terrorlzed the train
men and passengers by shooting. and
escaped in the scrub oak to the west,
going toward Thacy, Ind.
The attempt at train robbery is one
of the boldest on record. There Is
little doubt 1t would have been sue
cessful if there had been a safe in the
car as the robbers expected. The train
was brought to stop by the swing
Ing Of q red light across the tracks.
1t was in lonely place with open
prairie, studded here and there with
shrub oak. None of the train men
made any resistance to the robbers.
AS soon as the train came to
standstill two of the robbers mounted
the engine and placing revolvers at
the heads Of the engineer and fire.
man compelled them to uncouple the
express and baggage car. Then the
engineer was ordered to go ahead
about two hundred feet. When this
was done one of the robbers placed
a stick of dynamite at the door of
the baggage car and lighted the fuse.
The explosion blew big hole in the
side and floor of the car. The rob-
bers then compelled the engineer and
fireman to get up into the car with
them and q search was made for the
safe.
All the time the bandits were oper-
ating in the baggage car they kept
up a constant firing to keep the crew
in subjection and to compel the pas
sengers to remain inside the coaches.
Not finding what they sought. one
of the robbers said: What will we
do now?" The other said: Lets
get out of this" Both leaped to the
ground, ran to the side Of the track.
climbed the fence and were lost in
the darkness.
While this was going on in the
front part Of the train the other rob-
bers were keeping watch over the
coaches in the rear. They fired fire.
quently, but no one was hurt. the
passengers remaining in the coaches
and the crew making no sign. Just
before the robbers who were with
the engineer quit the spot one of them
wrenched the engineers watch from
the chain. This was all the property
that was taken.
F. A. Applegate, of Newark, Ohio,
was, the express messenger. and was
alone in his car. He had no idea
that q robbery was being attempted
until he heard the shooting on the
outside. He then seized rifle. and
climbing on the top Of the snfeawaited
DEVELOPMENTS, determined to make the
best fight in his power. He was not
molested in any way. He said that
there was considerable gold and silver
In the car, and that the robbers might
have secured q rich booty If they
had come to the right place.
81 had no idea Of what was going
to do," said Applegate, except that
[ had made up my mind that there
was going to be fight. and that l
was going to do the best l could
It is estimated that $4,000 was
stored in the express car, and it Is
believed the robbers knew of the
large amount Of money and valuables
aboard.