The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-06
MASKED MEN ROB A
BURLINGTON TRAIN
NEARSAVANNA, Ill.
Looted of Cash-One of the Robbers Shot to Death
Passengers Held Prisoners Stories Told by Trainmen.

Mount Carroll ILL.,, Aug. GA daring
and successful train robbery occurred at
Marcus, on the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy railway, ten miles north OF Sa-
wanna, about midnight.
The fine .vestibuled passenger train OF
eleven coaches, Conductor Emerson IN
charge, was tagged at the little station
and six masked men boarded the engine.
The engineer and fireman obeyed the I'M
perative orders and the robbers at once
'uncoupled the engine and express car
and ran them a quarter of a mile up the
track. -
They then blew up the express car with
dynamite and ran the engine north a
distance of a mile from Hanover. The
locomotive becoming dead the robbers
abandoned it and escaped.
One Shot to Death.
One Of the highwaymen was killed, be-
ing shot above the eye and also in the
leg. He met instant death while in the
engine and his body was dumped to the
ground by his companions as they sped
away. The express messenger, Bye, says
he did the shooting. go
The deed was done quickly, the train
men and passengers making no defense.
Six sacks of money were secured, but
the amount is not known. The passen-
gers were not molested. -
Easily Escaped. sr=-1.<
There was no way Of telegraphing news
of the hold-up, and a flagman walked back
ho oil A
citizens and several policemen at once
proceeded to the scene, but, as the track
runs along the Mississippi and II, the scoun-
tryIis we'll adapted to a successfuI nfght,
the1 robbers easily escaped.
The work was evidently that OF experts,
as they went at 1t coolly and nethodi-
cally. The train attacked Is, one of the
finest in the world and usually carried
much money which must have been known
by the highwaymen.
The dead robber was a stranger in this
. vicinity He was middle aged man and
well dressed.
The Official Account.
r Following is the official account Of the
robbery; issued by the general manager
of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy rail-
way: ..
Train II was held up last night about
1870 at south switch, Marcus, about ten
miles north of Savanna, Ill. The sWltcn
was turned for the passing track and the
train tagged. The head cars, mail ano
express car and composite car, were cu1
off and taken to the north switch, where
the safe in the express car was bloWr
open with. dynamite and contents taken
after which the engine was cut OH D!
the robbers and started north. T..
LAS the robbers left the express mes.
senger fired at them. One robber was
OH
Gus and his body was given to the coro
ner At least six men were concerned II
the robbery. -
~. Money Loss Not Heavy.
$50 far as is known only $4,000 in silver
was secured. None of the crew was hur
and none of the passengers molested. The
:. express end of the rified car was badl!
damaged"
In the pocket of the dead robber wa:
found an Iowa Central mileage credentia
from Grinnell to Gilman, Iowa. issued II
the name of A. L. Jacobs.
Four Explosions.
Four explosions were required to com
plete the destruction of the safe and tn
car was badly wrecked The robber
were eight in number, all masked. The
evidently were railroad men, one be1n
q good engineer. ''47SE 81.
-. MESSENGER William Bye fred five shot
at the robbers but without effect and a.
attempt was made to blow him up i
his car. The bandits had arranged It
ditch the entire train of nine heavily
laden coaches, had not the signal to sto
been needed. Several passengers in th
buffet car, including the porter. wer
held prisoners during the struggle t
crack the safe. - - II
Probably Killed by Comrade.
It is thought the dead robber was kille
by comrade by mistake. The body wa
put on the tender and run by the other
a short distance and then thrown int
4 the weeds. ,-- -.@ g..