Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-11-29
FAST TRAIN HELD UP.
ROCK ISLAND FLYER STOPPED
IN DAVENPORT, IOWA.
Express Car Dynamited and safes
Are Looted-Twe1ve Men Do Deed
Coaches Cut Off and Engineer Forced
n HauI Safes Two Miles to Siding.

The fast Chicago, Rock Island and Pa
cifc train No. IL was held up two miles
west of Davenport, Iowa, at IL O'CLOCK
Friday night by gang composed OF from
twelve to fifteen men.
The express car was blown to pieces
with dynamite, and the gang, after Sc
curing the contents of the express safes,
fed.
The train was stopped as it was SLOW
ing up for q crossing inside the city Linn
its, within mile and half of the center
of the city. The robbers swung red
lantern at the crossing, causing the cngl-
neer to stop entirely instead of going tn.
Three men suddenly sprang into the
cab, two of them coming over the tender
and showing 1evolvers into the faces OF
the engineer and firemen.
Hold Passeng gers in Coaches.
AS soon as the train came to stand
still part of the robbers stood guard over
the passenger coaches, preventing any
interference, while the rest forced the en-
gineer to start on. They cut off the ex-
press car and hauled it nearly two miles
down the track, and then ran it on the
side track at Dale station.
The trainmen were held at the point
of revolvers while two men blew open
the express car with dynamite and pro-
ceeded to wreck the safes. The two ex-
blossoms that wrecked the car were heard
all over Davenport, but 1t was long
time before the cause was known. 1t
was at first thought some of the trainmen
had been killed, but no one was injured.
Large Amount lie Stolen.
How much was secured Is not known,
but it is known that the company was
carrying a large amount.
Train No. II is the through train that
left Chicago at sos Friday afternoon. 1t
Is split in Davenport, part being sent on
to Kansas City over that division of the
Rock Island road. The train held up is
the Colorado Springs express, consisting
of a combination baggage and express
car, two day coaches, two chair cars and
two sleeping cars, which run through to
Denver. The train reached Davenport
late and was in the city nearly half an
hour, being made up, and it left the city
OH time at II 43.
Crew Reports the Robbery.
No notice of the holdup was received
In Davenport until the train dispatcher
failed to locate the train at a junction
ACAC IL 10 Ill W avs IcpOl tCu liz SOIL Ouk
messages asking about it. Within few
minutes word was received from a tele-
graph station near the scene of the hold
up giving notice that the robbery had
been accomplished. Within a short time
the train crew, who had fed from the
coaches, ran up to the station and re-
ported.
The police of Davenport were notified
at once and a big squad was rushed to
the scene at once on a special engine. II
is believed the robbers, after commit
ting the crime and securing the booty
returned to the city.
Eleventh Ho1d-Up for 1902.
The Rock Island holdup Friday night
Is the eleventh notable affair of it's kind
during the present year. More men were
concerned in it, for previous robberies
have been committed by bands of from
three to five men. This time the train
bandit fraternity seems to have assem-
bled for general convention.
This is the third time a Rock Island
train has been robbed since the begin.
ming of the present year. On July 18,
one of the company's express trains was
robbed in Texas. On Oct. 8 another
was held up in Oklahoma.
The Burlington Railroad has Jared
even worse. On April one of it's trains
was held up near st. Joseph, Mo-, and
on May q another attempt was made
near the same place. On Aug. 6 the
Burlington suffered heavy loss near Sa.
wanna, H., and more recently, on Oct.
ID, at Hubbell, Neb.
The Denver and Rio Grande was held
up on July Is. Attempts were made On
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
trains on Aug. and Aug. 81, both being
failures.