The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-01-31
COLUMBIA TRAIN HELD Up,
EXPRESS cAR ROBBED AT 5S, NEAR
BRANCRVILLE.
Fiftz-RIght 10 the station Where a Train
was Robbed Two Years Ago-a Bald or
Seven Or Eight Men Engaged In the
Robbery-LocAl Express Safe
Robbod and the Through Ex'
preas safe Taken Off the
Train, which is then AL
lowed 10 Proceed.
YSpeeisl to News and Courier.

Especial to News and Courler.1
Branehville, January PA care
fully planned and audacious express
robbery took place on the Southern
Railway this evening when the pass
eneer train from Charleston reached
nearly the exact site of the success
full raid Of two years ago, near Fifty
eight Station, five miles from Branch
vile. Seven men, or possibly. eight,
were riding on the platform between
the engine and baggage car, con-
cealed by the darkness, None was
masked. At the fifty five mile board
two men crawled over the tender and
covered the engineer, John Reynolds,
with Winchesters. They fired two
shots, one ball passing through Rey-
nolds's cap. Fireman Cobb escaped
by jumping of. Conductor Black,
who ran out, was also covered and
ordered back. By order of these
men 0 brakeman uncoupled the ez
press, mail and baggage cars, which
were taken to Fifty eight Station,
leaving the rest of the cars On the
track. at Fifty eight several shots
were fred into the express car and
one man, climbing up, covered Ex-
press Messenger Hall with a Win
chester, compelling him to open the
door. Three men entered the car
and stripped the local safe. After
threatening Hall with instant deatl
If he did not open the through line
safe, and finding he knew nothing OF
the combination, the safe was rolled
out on the platform. Then the en-
gineer was ordered to return with
the three ears to the train and he
oheyed. bringing the train with no
further incidents to BranchVille.
Nothing was seen of the men
or the cafe >on passing the sta
tion. There was only 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 and no passenger mo-
Tested. The robbers took their pis-
tolls from the only employees who
were armed and resistance was out of
the question. No measures in the
line OF pursuit have been taken so
far. It is hoped that bloodhounds
will be on hand in the morning.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
Columbia, January 27.-There was
ths time when train robberies were
always credited to the far West, but
they are getting common just about
Station 5S, on the South Carolina
and Georgia division of the Southern
Railway. Tonight there occurred
there, for the third time in a year or
two, a glaring hold up. First there
was the Barlow Warren case, in De-
cember, 1899, when 81, 900 was stolen.
Then there was the sbortive hold mp
in October, 1891, and tonight there
occurred the chief robbery of all. 1t
was as we'll planned and as boldly
executed ss ever described in the
Nick Carter series. Every detail
seemed to have been carefully mapped
out. 1t took more than al hour to
carry through the whole robbery but
no chances were taken at any time
The robbery and hold up was OF the
regular night train from Charleston
for Columbis, leaving Charleston al
$40. and arriving here at 1925 al
night. Tonight the train did not
arrive here until considerably after
IL o'clock. The cause Of the delay
being that the band of robbers boIc
and deliberately interfered with the
traffic for more than an hour.
STOPPING THE TRAIN.
About 81 or 81 miles from Char
lesion, and quite near BranchVllle
three men crawled over the rear enc
of the tender, over coal and all, t
use their influence to have the tral1
stopped. They talked to the coloref
fireman first and told him they want
ed the train stopped. The colore(
fireman told Capt. John Reynolds
the engineer, that some men wanted