Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-11-22
ROCK ISLAND
TRAIN HELD UP
Was Stopped Just Outside
the City Limits Of Dav-
export, Iowa.
The ROBBERS WORE MASKS
The Safe in the Express Car Was
Blown and all It's Contents
Taken--No One Was
Injured.
THE ROBBERS WORE MASKS

Chicago, Nov. 22.-Generai Manager
A. c. Goodnow of the Rock Island road,
today gave out the following official
statement of the Davenport hold-up:
Our No. II, leaving Chicago at sos p.
m. yesterday for Fort Worth, Tex, via
Kansas City, was stopped about mile
and a half west of West Davenport by
man displaying red light. Five men
compelled the engineer and fireman to
cut off the mail and baggage cars and
run them one mile west. The engineer
and fireman We're then compelled, at
the point of revolvers to go to the ex-
press car and open the door. The bag
gageman and express messenger We're
taken from the cars to the engine and
three men left to guard them and the
engineer and fireman, while two blew
open the Chicago safe of the United
States Express Company in the express
car. All the contents of the safe were
taken and the roof and side of the bag
gage and express car was badly dam
aged. The men engaged in this rob-
slouch hats and kept in the dark as
,,uch as possible, so, from that cause
and owing to the excitement our en-
ployes are unable to give any descrip-
ton of the men except that one was a
very tall, raw boned man, possibly six
feet tall, and the others were medium
sized men, rather heavy; and one was
a short, heavy man.
The police at Davenport and Rock Is
land were promptly notified and were
quickly on the ground The supposi-
ton is that the robbers left the road
and went north, cutting through corn
fields. The sheriff at Rock Island, with
bloodhounds, was promptly on the
trace the robbers.
The robbery occurred Just outside the
City limits of Davenport and is the
bodest affair that has ever taken place
on this companys lines. No one was
injured. At the offices of the express
company it is said the loss to the COM
pany will not exceed $1,000
THE DIES MONIES STORY.
Des Moines, Ia, Nov. 22-The local
officers of the United States Express
Company state the loss in the hold-up
of the westbound passenger train on
the Rock Island system, near Daven-
port at midnight, will not exceed three
to four thousand dollars. On the other
hon ic, rot fa1 ot
fees here today, the loss must have
amounted to ten to twenty thousand
dollars as the train carried a large
quantity of money and jewelry for
Omaha and Denver. The safe was
screw combination with time lock, one
of the best the company has, and it is
thought it contained an unusually
large quantity Of valuables. Posses Of
policemen and citizens are securing the
woods this morning. The highwaymen
are believed to have taken the plunder
to some island in the Mississippi where
they buried it, then crossed to the Illi-
nois shore and are hiding in the dense
woods. The bandits boarded the train
at the glucose works, west f Daven-
port as passengers. They soon made
their purpose known and, after captur-
ing. the engine crew, detached the en-
gine and ran it to Rockingham, where
they looted the safe and made off.
United States Express Company Off
cials here, have, it is asserted, been
formally appraised that the loss in the
Davenport hold-up on the Rock Island
approximates $4,000. Davenport officers
of the company, however, insist there
was but $500 in the safe when it was
dynamited.
1t has just been learned the men sup
posed to be the Rock Island train rob-
bers stole team and wagon from Will
lam Rohmer, whose farm was reached
by mile tramp through heavy timber.
The robbers drove northwest on a run
and nearr daylight passed a farm
house four miles away from the scene
of the robbery. The trail is beinasfol-
lowed hard and hope is strong that the
men will be caught.