The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-01-31
THE FLAGMAN's STORY.

One of the most connected and
best stories for the whole affair is
that told by Drayton shlrer, the in
telligent fagman who went through
the whole experience and who came
very near being killed. He says
that he thought there was something
the matter with the air brake when
| he heard the noise and he went ahead
| to inquire into it. As he got up to
| the express car he heard the shoot
ing, and the three men who were
| walking on the ground cried to him
| that he had better get inside or they
would kill him. He called to Bag
gage Master J. W. Butler, who let
him in the baggage car, and just as
he got inside bullet came crashing
through the side of the car just over
his head. Mr.. Shlrer told the men
that he wanted to 60 to the rear end
of the car, as there was freight
train behind. His appeal to get
back to protect the train did no good.
By this time he was in the baggage
car and the train was disconnected
and he was taken on ahead about
two miles and the passenger part of
the train was left behind. The men
kept up constant fusilade and all
the time were insisting that it would
be dangerous for any one to show
their heads, and they cursed like
troopers and called each other Mike
aud Pat, and all orders were to Mike
and Pat.
Mr.. Shirer says that the men he
saw had black faces, but he and the
others are of the impression that
they were white men who had black
ened their faces. Conductor Black,
who was IN charge of the train, heard
the firing, and before he could get
up to the head of the train the front
cars were detached and carried away.
As his fagman had been carried off
in the front section he had to protect
his rear end from the freight train
that was behind, and he gave that
his personal attention, and when the
engine backed up and got the train
connected he went on to Branchville
and reported the occurrence.
Mr.. Fair, who was in charge of
the mail car, did not open his car
door, nor was he anxious to have any
communication with the robbers.
They knocked at his door and he did
not answer. And they left him alone
and he left them alone and nothing
on his car was interfered with.
THE BAGGAGE MASTERS STORY.
Baggage Master J. w. Butler tells
a good story about the robbers. All
the way coming up he was ''cussing'
the heavy drummers' trunks that he
had to handle, but when the firing
began he thought the drummers and
their trunks were God send to him,
| and he and Mr.. Shiver did not hesi-
tate to use them as barricades against
| the fusillade.
WHAT MESSENGER HALL SAYS.
Express Messenger Hall had a
short but lively story. As he was
made to keep his back to the robbers
he could not tell much about them
nor what they did. He gave COM
plete story of the occurrence to the
express authorities, who are already
at work on the matter. He thinks
that there were certainly five, and
possibly eight, in the band of rob-
bers.
THE ENGINEERS ADVENTURE.
The most picturesque story is that
of Egineer John Reynolds. He put
no frills on his story. He is one OF
the Oldest and best engineers on the
road and tells how he weighed the
whole matter, and decided that il
was the best for HIM to remain at his
post and not try to be funny. As
soon as the men got on his cab they
examined him to make sure that he
had no pistol, and examined his
spectacle case to see that it was not
a pistol case. One Of the men told
him that the shot which cut his CAP