Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-25
Bardits do UP Job in, Typical Wild
West Sty le.
RIVALS ANY IOWA TR AIN ROBBERY
Express Car Blown to Al pms and Gang
Escapes With Much Eooty-Passen-
gers Observation-Disclosures Hurried to
Scene on Special. ~


Five masked, armed men held up C. r.
/. & P. fast express train No. II about
midnight last night, east of this city,
uncoupled three cars froi n the train,
took the whole outfit dow IN the track
and blew the express car into bits in
the most approved wild W, EST style The
occurrence rivals anything that has
ever happened in Iowa ia this line.
Officers are now in pursuit of the ban
dts who escaped in a Wagon stolen
from farmer near the s'cene of the
hold-up. One report says the robbers
secured $4,000 and anothe / says they
received only $4,000 for tn Pir trouble.
Passengers scarea.
Train No. II. the fast II hnsas City
express train on the Rock island rail.
road, left this city last nigi at til: so
O'clock, thirty-five minutes late. The
engineer opened the throttle and swept
through the suburbs of thil5l city at a
terrific speed in order to nj AXE up for
lost time While thunderini down the
line Engineer Shelter, of :ldon, was
startled by the appearance of a red
light being waved across til e track at
a point about two miles eai st of Dav-
EXPORT He applied the air brakes and
brought the train to stop with Jolt
that awakened every one Of the pas
sengers in each of the six coaches.
In moment the conductor entered
the cars and appraised the passengers
owl the fact that the train was being
held up.
Travellers TerrorizecI.
Women began to scream. Men hid
their yaluables and terror was depict.
ed on the faces of those to whom the
conductors announcement came as a
thunderbolt. The conductor advised
that every passenger give ZIP his val
tables without resistance aild thereby
save being shot This Incl 'eased the
terror of the people, who began to
hastily conceal watches, W, Alets and
WhateVef OF value they happened to
possess rms action OF the men,
whose races were blanched with fear
TOT tnelr ilves and the well are of the
women, did not reassure til e feminine
portion of the crowd. One passenger
says the scene resembled NJ pthing that
ever before came into his i,bxperience.
Srakeman Gives Affirm.
AS soon as the train camh to sion
brakeman core was sent hsck to flag
any trains that might be lin the reoT
and to give. the alarm FL E made all
haste to the switch shant, a mile or
30 away where he telephon ed the Day-
export police.
Police on specia 4.
Immediately preparatl ions were
made at Davenport and at Rock Is
land to send a posse out to the scene
of the crime. A switch Ell lgine and ca.
boose were called into rel Iuisition and
large number of officei S from both
Davenport and Rock ISL and boarded
the special and within ess than an
hour were speeding down the track
parallel to that taken 10y the train
which had been held up.
Discover Portion OF, Train.
Arriving at Rockingham about two
miles east OF this city, the lights of
the six coaches filed with terror
stricken passengers we re seen A
short halt was made here where ii
was learned that the en- CINE, the bag.
gage car, the express car and mail
car had been cut off and taken further
down the track.
Begins to Get E exciting.
AT this time there was no telling
swhere the robbers We're plundering the
ears, except that it wasi, some place in
the distance, further down the track
Crowd on StlAam.
The officers We're hastily bundled
saboard the special, stes IN was crowded
on and the chase was t,bn. On sped the
train with it's armed II srce ready to dc
battle with the outlaws
Ruin is SID hted.
At point two all one-half miles
further down the TRICK the engineer
sighted the cars Wi ich had been a
part OF No. IL when lit left Davenport
The train was brought to stop in 8
deep ravine. OPPOSITE was the twisted
trucks of the expires s. car which had