The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-09-27
Brave Men and Train Robbers.

A few weeks ago The Post ventured
upon a discussion of train robbers, and.
taking the instance then before us, ven
tured the remark thai one or two de-
termined men could always beat off the
road agents by a display of pugnacity.
We said further that for a trainload Of
men. passengers and crew. to sit down
quietly and let two or three or even five
or ten robbers hold them up, browbeat
and loot them, was an act of cowardice
pure and simple. of which the whole lot
of them ought to be heartily ashamed.
Our argument was that the rain rob-
bers were always at a terrible disadvan-
tage; that they could not afford to stand
a moment against the least demonstra-
ton of resistance, since the first overt
act represented an and there
fore a d~emoralizing quantity. Every
man who has been under fire or had the
smallest experience of hot corners"
knows this to be true. Only an intend
ing suicide will knowingly run against
an ambush.
Here is a case in point: In our edition
of Sunday morning there appeared a
special Geographic report from Cumber-
land. 1t contained an account of an at
tempt to hold up the Pennsylvania train
at Mount Dallas, Bedford division. In
the rear car were the paymaster of some
III lilililiS dHu llAS
manager Of a coal company-apparently
business associates. They had with
them S25. 900 in coin and notes to pay off
their employees. Our special dispatch
tells the rest Of the story:
while the train was standing at the
Mount Dallas station. where the engines
were being changed, Mr.. Soudar, who,
with Mr.. Kay, was seated in the back OF
the rea car was startled by a bullet
whizzing through h car window. 1t
burned his hair, but did no injury.
simultaneously two men, with
drawn revolvers. entered by the front
and rear doors. The third man, who fired
the shot at Soudar. stood on the outside
as a guard. but Soudar was too quick.
Drawing his revolver he fired at the
man, the bullet entering the top of his
head, coming out under his chin, killing
him instantly.
"Soudar was elevated above the man
and shot almost straight down. The
other two bandits. frightened at Sou
| dar's shot. and a shot from Kay's re-
volve aimed at one of them, escaped
This is not an exceptional case. II
| the story of innumerable similar incl
| dents. 1t is a faithful reproduction OF
| every train-robbing drama where the
| proposed victim Cor vict1msl has seen III
to make a fight. Our remarks of SOM
| weeks ago above alluded TO eXtorteC
| from quite a number Of powerful editor:
a similar number of disappearing criti
| cisms-sarcastic, argumentative, anc
| ot~herwise-but it was not at all difficult
to perceive that the critics were unfa'
miliar with danger and regarded deadl!
weapons with superstitious awe. The!
were evidently unaware Of the fact-fol
such it is tina the average pie. beer
express or delivery wagon driven by {
scorbutic youth OF eighteen or invent!
years Of age. is ten times more danger
ous to life and limb than the averag
train robbery with his trumpery pistol
his low. hollow voice. and his theatrlca
parade. We venture to say that in MIN
cases out Of ten which al De duly au
thenticated the would-be robbers haV
scampered away at the first hint OF dan
ger.
Twenty a ago-during the white
Of 1SS0-1-two bland and courteou
Yankee boys named respectively Gree
and Senter, seated themselves on TN
roof of the regular stage then plying be
tween Queretaro and the City Of Mex
leo. They were agents Of New York o
New England commercial houses, an
had been collecting. The stage started
was soon bowling merrily along; gu
late in the afternoon. and many miie
from the point OF departure. 1t wa
, halted-not by a handful Of brigano:
but by TWENTY-FIVE or thirty weH-mouh'