The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-01-31

the message. The negro insisted
that the men wanted the train
Stopped and Capt. Reynolds said he
was not stopping the tram. Then
there came a pistol shot, then rife
shot, and then a bullet grazed the
veteran engineers skull cap. He
looked around and saw three men at
his side. He wanted to get out of
the cab and leaned out to get out of
the range of subsequent bullets.
| The fireman had jumped and was
running for dear life. Capt. Rey-
! nolds came to the conclusion that
| discretion was the better part of valor,
and he did not see any use to jeo-
pardize the engine, and to save the
property and possibly a wreck he
| stuck to the engine and did as nearly
| as be could what he was ordered to
| at the point of rifle. At first there
! were three m n on the engine with
| him, but later on two remained, and
at no time was he without the com
pany of one of the robbers and his
rife. In fact, the guard over him
got quite talkstive and said that he
was there to do nothing but watch
him and make him obey orders.
When the engineer stopped the train
the man asked for the colored fire.
man and said that they wanted him
to uncouple the train. The fireman
had gone, so the men had to get down
and 60 back to do the work. They
uncoupled, but the hooks caught,
and they cried out to their lieutenant
to have the cars Stacked back. This
was done, the mail, baggage and ex
press cars detached and taken off
from the passenger section of the
train; meanwhile the other members
of the band were keeping things
lively with their rifles and osths.
RoBBINa THE EXPRESS CAR.
As soon as the front coaches were
detached and a volley or two had
been fired squad of men made for
the express car. While the car was
being hauled off Express Messenger
A. V. Hall was trying to get things
in shape, not knowing what was 60
ing on outside. He blew out one of
his lamps and was getting over to
the door to blow out the other light
| when a pistol suddenly appeared on
the bright side. The hand that car
| ried the pistol had smashed its way
through the glass door of the car.
Mr.. Hall was directed to open the
| car door. He thought there was
| nothing else to do, as he was alone
| and had no means of protection.
| Then one of the men jumped into
the car and there came another.
/ Messenger Hall was told to 60 over
in a corner and sit down. He was
| accompanied to his corner by a man
| and pistol, and told to keep his
| back turned. Once he turned his
| head slightly to get an idea of what
| was going on and he was promptly
| reminded by the chilliness of the
pistol at his temple that if he turned
his head much further it would lead
to trouble. The other men in the
car, two, it is thought, went through
the local safe and took therefrom all
the money it contained, about Sl3.
Then they wanted Messenger Hall
| to open the through safe. He told
them that he could not do so. They
insisted, and he told them plainly
that the through safe was locked in
| Charleston and that he did not know
what it contained, that he did not
have the combination to it, and that
it could only be opened at its desti-
nation and then not by him. The
robbers evidently knew this was cor
rect. They had the section pulled
up to the station house at Fifty
eight, and were explicit as to the ez-
act point they wanted the car taken,
and when they got there they un-
! loaded the through safe, weighing
| five or six hundred bounds, into a
wagon that was in waiting and hauled
it to some place they had, no doubt
! selected to blow it open. The con,
to,te oe tho thronph safe could NOT