Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-11-24
Rock Island Train Robbers Sue.
coed in Eluding Pursuers
Thus Far.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED YESTERDAY
Turn Out to Be Tramps-POsse in
Cedar County
Today.


train on the other side of the river
last Friday night. They believe they
are on the trail of the wagon that
was stolen by the robbers, but up to
a late hour This afternoon nothing
new had been reported from those en-
| gagged in the pursuit.
j Yesterday afternoon it was thought
that the robbers were certainly
caught. y dispatch was received at
/ Davenport from Buchanan. small
station near Upton on the b., c. X. 81
y. branch, 40 miles from Davenport,
that four of the bandits had been sur
rounded in Il cornfield and that the
fifth was believed to be not far away
Orders were at once given for the
fitting out of a special train to run
to the scene and in very short space
of time a party of about twenty OIL
GERS, citizens and newspaper men,
headed by Sheriff Macarthur, and
nearly all heavily armed, set out to
bring the gang into camp. After the
train had gone another dispatch was
received stating that the bunch had
| been placed under arrest and were
being held by the town marshal.
| When the train reached Buchanan
the four fellows were found coOped
up in the hotel while the whole town
was agog with excitement. The tail,
slim man was there. as was also the
short, thick one. Upon being ques-
toned they told Il very straight story
to the effect that they were merely
knights of the road and finally es-
tabIished an alibi by showing that
| . I, IL. Il.
erty calaboose for a lodging Friday
night. They were searched and less
than 81 was found upon the four,
while one of them had some cheap
| spectacles that he was evidently
working off upon the unsophisticated.
All were released.
1t developed that the alarm had
been started by the operator at Blu
chanan, who saw the four tramps
pass his window and at once jumped
to the conclusion that they were the
robbers about whom everybody was
talking. The first thing he did was
to telegraph to Davenport and the
next to get the local officers on the
trail. 1t was a very sober squad of
men that boarded the special train
for the return to Davenport.
Sheriff CraIIe Has Some OF Remains.
Sheriff CralIc has on exhibition at
his office Il couple of pieces of sheet
steel that were blown UP in the cX-
plosion that wrecked the safe. M
though one of them is nearly half an
inch in thickness. it is bent and twist
cd in various shapes. The pieces evil
IDENTITY were part of the small strong
box that every express messenger
carries his bills and minor valuables
in. From general appearances the
strong box was placed on top of the
charge of dynamite before it was eX-
ploded upon the safe to assist in fore
ing the charge to break through the
top. This accounts for pieces of met
nj being blown some distance away
and also for some of the damage that
was done to the ear.
There is much discussion as to the
condition of the contents of the safe
after it had been opened, and many
are inclined to the belief that any
paper money it may have contained
must have been torn into useless
fragments. 1t is likely, however. that
such was not the case, for while the
bills and other papers that were
found lying about were utterly de
stroycd, they were in all probability
in the strong box, and it is likely that
the damage wrought within the safe
was comparatively small.
The express car that was the scene
of the explosion was brought through
this city and taken to the Natick
yards, where yesterday it was visited
by hundreds of Moline and Rock ISL
and citizens.
The Safe and the Blasts.
The breaking of this safe marks
new era in train robbery experience
for the United States Express com
pany 1t is-the first one of these new
safes that robbers have ever got into.
The manufacturers have, it is report
ed, guaranteed that no burglar would
get into one of them, by any means,
in less time than four hours. They
have heretofore been severely tested,
and have come out of the test uncon-
quered, and almost unharmed; mere
| ly a little married externally. But
this one went to pieces. 1t remained
for it to demonstrate the truth of
the claim that has been made, that
enough high explosive would grind
safe of that kind to bits, and that eff
forts to break into safes in this way
| had previously failed because they
were not shot hard enough. 1t is the
belief of good judges of the matter
| that the charges may have run as
] high as 20 pounds of giant powder, II
giant was used The explosive was
4 hardly ANYTHING else for giant pow
der is robust enough to do the bust
ness, and is comparatively safe to
carry, whereas nitroglycerin and
some other like agents are hard to
transport. While there is nothing to