The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-01
B.&O. TRAIN HELDUP
FIVE MASKED MEN DYNAMITE TWO
MAIL CARS AND GET
NOTHING
BANDITS MADE A MISTAKE
Thought They Were Getting the Ex-
press Car, Which Was Saved
by Being Out of Its
Regular Place.

CHICAGO, July 3l.-The Baltimore &
Ohio passenger train from the East,
which was due to arrive in the Grand
Central depot, Chicago, at 8 o'clock
tonight, was held up by five masked men
at o'clock tonight between Edgemore
and Grand Calumet Heights, Ind, tn rty-
one miles out from Chicago One Of the
mail cars which contained no money was
dynamited and wrecked The attempt
at robbery was made after the two mail
cars had been detached from the train
and ran a quarter Of a mile ahead. TIE
failure of the ROBBERS to make a rich
haul was due to the fact that the eX-
press car, which contained the train S
treasure, was in an unusual place. 1t was
the third car in the train. After
wrecking the mail car and obtaining no
booty, the robbers disappeared in the
darkness without attempting to rectify
their mistake. The only loot that they
carried away with them as 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 mar
row escapes from the bullets. No peIs n
was injured by the dynam te or firearms
is a lone district in which few people
live and houses are far between. No
better place for a train robbery could be
desired by the robbers
The train was running at a high rate Of
speed as it passed Calumet Heights, and
immed jately after passing out of sight
OF the station, Engineer J. w. Collins
saw directly in front of his engine a
large fire on which some rails had been
placed. He slowed down, and as he did
so three men wearing masks over the r
faces jumped into the cab and covered
Collins and his fireman, James WhippIe,
with rCvolvers.
FRIGHTENED PASSENGERS.
Just before climbing into the cab the
three men commenced to fire with their
revolvers in order to frighten. away all
assistance. The shots produced the
liveliest kind of a panic in the sleeping
cars, where the 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 passengers. The fusiIlade had
the effect of making them keep inside the
cars.
After mounting into the cab of the en-
gine, the robbers covered the engineer
and fireman 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. Then they hustled the two train
men back onto the cab, and still keeping
the engineer covered with revolvers, di-
rected him to pull up some distance from
the rest of the train.
Collins ran up 200 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 dyna-
mite at the door of the car which they
i1A tn ha he
the door. Hastily climbing in to get at
the safe, they were astonished to find
that they had broken into a mail car
They threatened 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 car behind the baggage
cars.
MADE A SECOND ATTEMPT.
Climbing once more into his cab. Col
Inns backed his engine down and coupled
onto the third car, which the fireman was
made to uncouple at the rear end and
still with the muzzle of the revolver at
his head Collins was ordered to run down
the track as before. He drew away from
the balance of the train about the same
distance 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, that they had at
tackled another mail car and that it con-
tanned no money. The train had been
delayed now fully thirty minutes, and
fearing that If they delayed any longer
help would be coming to the train crew,
the robbers gave UP their attempt to rob
the train, and jumping down ran into a
thicket Of scrub oaks at the side of the
track and disappeared. The train was
hastily made up and came on to Chicago.
arriving here somewhat late, a stop hav-
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