Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-25

gaping holes in it's top, side and end.
The officers disembarked and Engineer
Charles Shelter and Fireman John
Kirkwood, both of Eldon, told their
stories.
The train was stopped at Rocking
ham by red lantern swung across
the track. Four masked men climbed
into the cab and covered the engineer
and fireman with revolvers. Engineer
Shelter was forced to stop the cleo
trio dynamo and thus shut off the
headlight and all the lights in the cab.
The engineer was then ordered to go
back and cut the train in two at the
express car and pull it ahead. This
he refused to do.
Porter Falls Into Braands' Hands.
At this juncture the porter, with
other trainmen, who had come forward
to learn what the difficulty was, was
forced to perform the service which
the engineer refused to do. A run
was made down the track to a point
about two and one-half miles from the
place where the train first stopped.
Here halt was made. Engineer Shelf
fer and Fireman Kirkwood, looking
into the miuzzles of pistols We're made
to go to the express car and endeavor
to open the door. This the messenger
steadfastly refused to do.
Work Begins.
Upon the messengers refusal to OBJ
en- the door, the engine crew were
placed in front of the engine, presum.
ably to prevent any of the crew from
getting aboard and pulling out with
out killing the engineer and fireman
The other members of the crew who
had been captured were lined up along
the fence and under the muzzles OF
revolvers made to hold their hands
above their heads for time which is
estimated by them to have been an
hour.
Begin Preparations.
In the interval one OF the robbers
was heard to mention the word "dyna
mite"
Then something was doing
Preparations We're being made to
blow up the express car. The waiting
and anxious trainmen were startled by
an explosion. 1t did not seem to have
the desired effect and second and
larger charge was exploded with a ter
rifle noise. 1t seemed that the earth
had split in twain.
A Third Charge.
The second charge of dynamite did
not have the desired effect and third
and still larger charge was exploded.
This ripped open the express car at
the end and side and tore a great hole
in the roof as well as blew the safe
into bits. The ROBBERS gathered to-
gether what plumber they could find
and after admonishing the trainmen
not to- attempt to follow fled through
a ravine which runs in a Northwestern
ly direction.
Steal Team.
Three .fourths of a mile away the
robbers stole a team and farm wagon
One horse was brown and the other a
bay. Driving at a terrific pace the
bandits went west toward Muscatine
People along the road heard the rattle
of the wagon and the hoofbeats of the
horses. This is the last that has been
seen or heard of the robbers. The
police are still hunting for clues but
so far have but little on which to work
Scene of the Wreck.
Although the express car was badly
wrecked the express messenger was
not injured.
The three explosions blew the tor
off the express car. One side was
blown out and one end was torn away
The blast also wrecked the safe. In
this latter receptacle was a package
OF jewelry. Pieces of the baubles were
blown into the woodwork. Papers in
the safe were blown into small bits
and scattered all over the car. Bolts
from the car were found in a corn field
nearby and in fact for considerable
distance around the wreck in the ad
Joining field can be found splinters
bits OF steel and other material OF
which the car was made
An Ideal Place.
The spot selected by the robbers fo.
their work is an ideal place for a
holdup. The cars and engine were
stopped in deep ravine, the banks OF
Whish are ten or fifteen feet in height
the whole being sheltered by bluff
1t Is isolaIed except for farm houses
a comparatively short distance away
Heard the Explosions.
Residents in these farm houses
heard the explosion They state that
all three were heard. The first was
not exceptionally loud but the other
two We're terrific. They were heard
in this city, nearly five miles away.
Five Men Did the Job.
1t is claimed here that five men die
the job. All Of them were masked
The Amounts Taken.
Claims as to the amount taken vary
Agent E. II. Clifford, at this place
claims that the robbers secured moi
to exceed $4,000. 1t is understood
however, that reliable information has
been secured from Muscatine to the