The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-01-31
Especial to News and Courier.

Special to News and Courier.
Branchville, January PA care
fully planned end audacious cypress
robbery took place on the Southern
hallway this evening when the pnss-
enger train from Charleston reached
nearly the exact site of the success
fu, raid Of two years ago, near Fifty
eight Station, five miles from Branch
vile. Seven mon, or possibly oight,
were riding on the platform between
tho engine and baggage car, con-
cealed by the darkness, None was
masked. AT the fifty five mile board
two mon crawled over the tender and
covered tho engineer, John Reynolds,
with Winchesters. They fired two
shots, ono ball passing through Roy
nolds's cap. Fireman Cobb escaped
by jumping of. Conductor Black,
who ran out, was also covered and
ordered back. BY order of these
mon brakeman uncouplcd the ex.
press, mail and baggage cars, which
wers 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
ono 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 tho through line
snfe, and finding he knew nothing of
tho combination, the safe was rolled
out on the platform. Thon the on
gineer WAS ordered to return with
tho three cars to tho train and he
obeyed, bringing the train with no
further incidents to Branchville.
Nothing was seen of the men
CIR tho eafe on passing the sta
ton. Thore was only small amount
Of booty in tho local safe and no one
here knows the contents of the
through safe. No mail or baggage
was touched and no passenger mo.
lested. 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. 1t is hoped that bloodhountls
will be on hand in the morning.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
Columbia, January 27.-There was
the time when train robberics were
always credited to the far West, but
they are getting common just about
Station So, on the South Carolina
and Georgia division of the Southern
hallway. Tonight there occurred
there, for the third time in year or
two, glaring hold up. First there
was the Barlow Warren case, in De-
cember, 1899, when 81 900 was stolen
Then there was the abortive hold up
in October, 1901, and tonight thore
occurred the chief robbery of all. It
was as we'll planned and as boldly
executed rs ever described in the
Nick Carter series. Every detail
seemed to have boon carefully mapped
out It took more than an hour 10
carry through tho whole robbery, but
no chances were taken at any time.
The robbery and hold up was of the
regular night train from Charleston
for Columbia, leaving Charleston at
$40, and arriving here at 1925 at
night. Tonight the train did not
arrive here until considerably after
ii O'Clock. The cause Of the delay
being thst the band Of robbers bold
and deliberately interfered with the
traffic for moro than an hour.
STOPPING THE TRAIN.
About 81 or 81 miles from Char
lesion, and quite near Branchville,
three men crawled over the rear end
of the tender, over coal and all, to
use their influence to have the train
stopped. They talked to the colored
fireman first and told him they want
cd the train stopped. The colored
fireman told Capt. John Reynolds,
the engineer, that some mon wanted
him to stop the train. Engineer
Reynolds asked the fireman what it