The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-14
And About 800 in Cash and Varied
Assortment of Jewelry from
Occupants of Coaches.
BLOODHOUNDS PUT ON TRAIL
SIN MEN TRACKED TO THEIR HOMES
AND PUT UNDER ARREST.
All Sent to JniI to Await Trial-Dia-
mond Ring and stud Present.
ed to the Engineer.

FORT WORTH, Tex, Aug. 13.-South-
bound Missouri, Kansas & Texas train No.
3. due here at $50 a. m. was robbed at
Caney Switch, /. T, at LOS o'clock this
morning by five masked men. The express
car was blown open. the safe wrecked and
the mail sacks rifed. All the passengers
were robbed of their money.
Caney is thirty miles north of Denison.
1t is in the Choctaw Nation of the Indian
Territory, and the population surrounding
the station is only 125. The train does not
stop at Caney except on signal and the
proper signal was given. The engineer
whistled his reply to the signal and the
train slowed down for the stop. Instead of
the hurried signal to go ahead, the engi-
neer and fireman were confronted by two
men with faces yelled with black netting
About the same time the express messenger
and the mail clerk were communicated with
through the closed doors of their car. Three
of the robbers shot wildly and then the call
went to the messenger and clerk:
"Open up, here! Open up and don't be too
slow about it,,
From within came no response. The two
men could not be seen. They awaited only
the result When there was no reply from
within the robbers again called out:
"Open the door we will blow it open
and blow you to hellr'
There was response to the second call
and the firing again began and fully twenty
shots were discharged Still there was no
response to the firing and the three men
prepared a small blast of dynamite against
the car door. In the meatime the shooting
had awakened the passengers The first
intimation that came: Hold up" sent the
conductor, brakeman and porter into the
train and they came in and called out:
Its hold up the passengers tried to
hide their money and valuables.
The dynamite blast was exploded 1t was
a small charge and was intended more for
fright than anything else. A larger blast
of dynamite was prepared and exploded.
This did the work. 1t tore the side off the
car. The robbers leaped through the OPEN
ing and the frightened messenger had
nothing to do but accept their orders He
was overpowered and narrowly escaped be-
ing torn in shreds, was his car He was
ordered TO open the safe. but he could not
as the combination was at the end of the
run. The robbers then put a charge of dyna-
mite to the safe and blew it OPEN They
demolished both safes, but got only SIS
as the money had all been left at Muskogee
runs through the Territory by day.
The messenger and clerk were forced to
assist the bandits in their work Every
mail pouch was emptied and the mail con-
sidered valuable by them was taken. Then
with Postal Clerk Tulley holding an empty
mail sack the robbers went through the
coaches and robbed every passenger. They
got $3.50 in one coach. A negro who refused
to give up his money was severely beaten.
The passengers were compelled to throw
their valuables into the pouch. The robbers
gave diamond ring and shirt stud to En-
gineer Lanham.
superintendent Sam Gaines of the rail-
way mail service, says he does not believe
the robbers got much money out of the
mail pouches. The express company says
mates the passengers losses at about $500.
not counting the jewelry.
After the work was done the robbers who
seemed to enjoy the situation, sat around
and laughed over the matter The whole
affair was carried out without a hitch, and
1t is believed the men had experience in this
line of business before.
While the robbery was going on the oper-
ator at Caney, hearing the shots. advised
the Denison office that the train was being
robbed. After holding the train two hours
the robbers left going east into the bot
toms The trainmen cut out the wrecked
express car and ran down to Caney station,
advising the officers up and down the road.
Within two hours posses OF United States
marshals with bloodhounds were on the
trail.