The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-28
BOLD TRAIN ROBBERS
SEVEN HELD UP SOUTHERN TRAIN
IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
EXPRESS SAFE HAULED AWAY.
BARLOW WARREN BELIEVED TO
BE LEADER OF GANG.

Warren Is Charged with a simiiar
Robbery Near the Same Spot In
1890 and with Later killing the
Chief witness Against Hfm-Train-
men Forced TO Cut Train I'm Two
and Run Ii Bacls-Express Messen-
ger, Threatened with Death,
Could Not open Through Safe and
Robbers Took IL Away.
Branchville, S. c., Jan. 27.--A care
fully planned and audacious express
robbery took place about O'Clock on
the Southern Railway this evening.
when the passenger train from Char
lesion reached NEARLY the exact site
of the successful robbery of two years
ago, near Fifty-eight station, five miles
from Branchville. Seven men, or
probably eight, were riding on the
platform between the engine and bag
gage car concealed by the darkness.
None was masked, At the Fifty-fve
mile board two men crawled over the
tender and covered the engineer, John
Reynolds. with Winchesters. They
fired two shots, one ball passing
through Reynolds cap. Fireman Cobb
escaped by jumping off. Conductor
Black, who ran out, was also covered
and ordered back. BY order of these
men, brakeman uncoupled the ex-
press, mail and baggage cars which
were taken to Fifty-eight station, leav-
ing the rest of the cars on the main
line. Here several shots were fired
into the express car and one man
climbing up, covered Express Messen-
ger Hall with a Winchester, compell-
ing him to open the door. Three men
entered the car and stripped the local
safe. After threatening Hall with In
stant death il he did not open the
through safe, and finding he knew
nothing of the combination, the safe
was rolled out on the platform. Then
the engineer was ordered to return
with the three cars to the train and
he obeyed, bringing the train with no
further incidents to Branchville. Moth
ing was seen of the men or the safe
on passing Fifty-eight. There was
only a small amount of booty in the
local safe and no one here knows the
contents OF the through safe. No
| mail or baggage was touched. ana
| no passenger was molested The rob
bers took the pistols from the onlv
employees who were armed and resisr-
ance was out of the question. No
measures have so far been made to
Follow the robbers. 1t is hoped that
bloodhounds will be ON hand in the
morning
me leader is supposed to be Bar
tow Warren. Warren was arrested
charged with having, single e-handed
robbed the Southern Express car lust
below Branchvile In the fall Of 1890
lie was tried in 1901, and owing to pom
ular teeilng In his favor and his able
counsel, the case resulted in a mistriaI
bail was furnished, but fearing convic-
ton, a few days before the next ses-
sion or the court, five months ago, he
killed Thomas Watson, his former
friend, but one of the principal wit
nesses against him.
Warren has since been at large and
some say that he has been seen in
Branchville at night several times
since. though $500 reward had been Of
ferede for his capture. Since the mur-
der 1t is said there has been another
attempt, before the daring performance
OF this afternoon, to rob the express
train between Branchville and Orange
burg, and this, too, has been attributed
to the ouelaw and murderer, Warren.
sIny He Same hand.
Columbia, S. c., Jan. PA telegram
has been received here asking for
bioodhounds. The postoffice at Walter
boro, twenty miles from Branchville,
was blown up with dynamite last night
and robbed Of several hundred dollars.
1t is believed the same robbers held up
the train. There is no communication
with Branchville. The wires were cut
tonight about the time of the rob-
berry.