The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-08-02
TRAIN HoLDUP THAT YIELDED
NO LOOT.
DYNAMITED WRONG CAR
Makeup Of Train Fools Highway
men and Saves $4,000 for
Express Company.

Chicago, July Slime New YORK
and Washington vestibule limited
train on the Baltimore & Ohio rail-
road due to arrive in Chicago at 3
o'clock tonight was held up by three
masked men near Grand Calumet
Heights, Ind. The storage mail car,
mistaken by the robbers for the ex-
press car, was blown open with dyna-
mite. The attempt at robbery was
made after two mail cars had been
detached from the train and ran a
quarter of a mile ahead. The failure
of, the robbers to make a rich haul
was due to the fact that the express
car, which contained the trains treas
ure, was in an unusual place.
The place where the robbery oc-
Cured is a lonely district in which
few people live and houses are far
between. No better place for a train
robbery could be desired by robbers.
The train was running at a high rate
of speed as it passed Calumet Heights
and Immediately after passing out of
sight of the station Engineer J.. N.
Collins saw directly in front Of his
engine a large fire, OF which some
rails had been placed. He slowed
down and as he did SO three men
wearing masks over their faces
jumped into the cab and covered Col
Inns and his fireman, James Whipple,
with revolvers.
Just before climbing into the cab,
the men commenced to fire their re-
volvers in order to brighten away all
assistance. The shots produced the
liveliest kind of a panic in the sleep
ing cars where passengers made
every effort to hide their money and
valuables before the robbers could
get at them. No attempt was made,
however, to rob any Of the passen-
gers. The fusilade had the effect of
making them keep inside the cars.
After mounting into the cab of the
engine the robbers made the engineer
and fireman step down and go back
the length of two cars and %uncouple
the first two cars. Then they hustled
the trainmen back onto the cab and
still keeping them covered, directed
the engineer 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
hurting dynamite at the door OF the
car which they judged to be the e
press car, burst open the door. Hastily
climbing in to get at the safe, they
were astonished to find that they had
broken into a mail car. They threat
ened the engineer with death for not
telling them that the cars which he
had uncoupled were not express cars,
and ordered him to return at once and
uncouple the next a behind the
baggage cars. Climbing up into his
cab Collins backed his engine down
S&PL8 LE
and coupled onto the third car which
the fireman was made to uncouple at
the real end and still with the muZzle
of a revolver at his head Collins was
ordered to run down h track as be
fore. He drew away from the bal
ance of the train about the same dis
lance as on the first occasion and the
robbers, still leaving him under the
charge of one of their number, made
for this car. When they reached it
they found. to their great wrath, thai
they had attacked another mail cal
and that it contained no money. The
train had been delayed now fully &c
minutes and fearing that if they de
layed any longer help would be com
ing, the robbers gave up their at
tempt to rob the train and jumping
down ran into a thicket of scrut
oaks at the side of the track and dis
appeared. The train was hastily made
up and came on to Chicago, arriving
u0Ic udt AdIS, d sup having
been made at Whiting to report the
robbery. Officers were at one sem
after the robbers and within an hou1
after the ROBBERY a large posse was or
their trail.
It is estimated that $4,000 was stor
ed in the express a and it is be
lieved that the robbers knew of the
amount OF money and valuables
aboard. After leaving the train the
robbers turned toward Lake Michi
gan. It is believed they made theil
escape in boats.
General Sympathetic Strike.
Seattle, July 31-According to
widespread rumor in organized Labor