Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-12

the rest Of the train at the same time
following me and covering me with his gun.
We we're then ordered to get on the en-
CINE and run up with the car to the whist
ling post this side Of woodlawn. When the
car stopped the express messenger and the
bagssgeman opened the door and got dow
on the ground. When the boys got on the
ground the robbers lined us all up against
the car and made us hold up our hands
and held us there covered by their guns.
The leader then said to the messenger:
Hand over the keys to the safe"
THE messenger was then ordered to get
In the car, the leader following behind
and covering him with a shooting iron. In
a short time both men came out Of the car
and the robber said with an oath:
Big nfe Blown Open.
1.-The messenger has the money hid and
l am going to blow the car to hell
Then he told one Of his men to bring
the grip, at the same time ordering Clay
burg and myself, the messenger and the
baggageman to walk up to the front Of the
engine and stand there in 'front.' of the
binding headlight, one Of the robbers keep
ing watch over us with his gun.
The leader and one of his confederates
then went back to the express car with the
bag of dynamite and blew the big safe open.
II must have taken two blasts to do the Job,
as there we're two distinct explosions. Then
when this was done they returned to where
we we're and the leader ordered us all in the
engine and told the engineer to, open, the
throttle and pull ahead, This is the, last
we saw Of the hold ups, we ran about ten
yards and stopped. but the whole outfit
had disappeared in the darkness.
WAS l scared? Well, yes, at first, but
after that l felt a dazed sensation and went
about more like a man in a dream. The
robbers wore masks in the form of bandana
handkerchiefs tied over their faces and
from the eyes down their features were con-
cealed from view"
Messenger Was Merry.
James Lupton, the express messenger.
says that when he heard a commotion at the
first s~toppage he figured out that 1t was
a holdup. He hastily opened the small safe
in the car, which contained all OF the
money to which he had access. He grabbed
all OF the money packages therefrom but
one, threw them under the stove and hur-
riedly locked the safe again.
He had Just accomplished this when there
was a knock upon the car door and a de-
mand TO open II. He made no response and
the demand was repeated several times.
Finally he heard the voice Of Engineer Clay
burg. 1t requested the opening of the
door and assured the messenger that unless
he complied the engineer would himself be
required to explode the dynamite that would
blow 1t open. Complying with this demand
Lupton opened the door. He was ordered
TO climb down out Of the car by the rob
bers and vas escorted by one Of them some
distance along the track away from the car.
Later he was taken back to the car and wal
asked to open the safe.
81 can't open that one" said Lupton,
pointing to the big through safe.
We know that" was the prompt re-
Spouse. at is the other one that we want
you to open"
The robbers evidently knew enough about
the express business to be able to tell which
was the local safe to which the messenger
carried the combination and which was the
through safe. to which he had no access
When Lupton opened the small safe and II
was found to be comparatively empty the
marauders were greatly lncensed and with
a revolver at the messengers temple de,
manded to know what he had done with the
money. Lupton protested that he knew
nothing of any money. except what wal
found In the safe. He was then again taker
out OF the car.
Pursuit OF the quartet Of bandits hai
been practically abandoned. A drenchint
rain which began during the afternoon
prevented the further use of bloodhound
and the posses also tonight find themselve
without any tangible clue. The countr,
for twenty-five miles in all directions ha
been searched, but to no purpose, and rail
road and express officials are calling in IN
oearchers and arranging to proceed alon
other lines.
superintendent Beall OF the Burlingto1
is Of the opinion that the robbers returne