The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-15
GUARD OF TREASURE
MEETS SUDDEN DEATH
James P. Lane, in Charge of
100000 in Gold, Accidents
ally Killed on Express Car

II am ready to die, but / hate aw-
fully to pass in this way" said James
P. Lane yesterday afternoon in a
Northern Pacific express car, after be-
ing fatally wounded by the accidental
discharge of his own revolver. Three
hours afterwards, on a cot at st. Jo-
seph's hospital, Lane breathed his last.
Lane was a guard for the express
| company, fifty years of age, and had, in
company with another guard, Kelley,
been in charge of a shipment of gold
! bullion from Portland, Or. The ship
ment was valued at $500, 900. consigned
to the Adams Express company at ST.
Paul, and therefore both men were
heavily armed. Winchester pump rifles
and 3S caliber Colts revolvers were in
the possession of both the guards.
Extracted the Cartridges
After landing in st. Paul, the two
men, in company with Porter e. P.
Carl, who was detailed as a guide,
took the gold to the downtown office
of the Adams Express company. They
carried their arms while in the car
riage conveying the gold. Returning
to the car, they took the cartridges
from the rifles and put away their re-
volvers in their grips, after which they
intended to spend their time sightsee-
ing, until called upon to return to Port
land at 10 o'clock last night.
Lane. who had a thorough knowledge
of firearms, easily took the cartridges
from his own rifle, and then assisted
! Kelley, whose Winchester had in some
manner become clogged.s Lane laugh
ingly explained the manner in which
! the rifle had failed to work, and with
! his hands full of cartridges, went to
| the car closet to get handkerchief
from his telescope grip.
Lane unstrapped the grip, but in at
| tempting to remove it from the shelf,
| it tumbled to the floor. A loud report
| Immediately followed. and Lane sank
over in a chair, while stream OF blood
| oozed from his back. A cloud of smoke
| filed the car and clearing away, re-
/ vealed the clothing scattered on the
floor in flames, while the face of the
| victim of the accident already showed
the death pallor-
Porter CARL, fearing a confiagration,
started to put out the flames. Guard
Kelley instantly ordered him to call in
| ambulance and let the fire take care
of itself. Carl ordered up the ambu-
lance from St. Joseph's hospital, and in
five minutes Lane was on his way to
the operating table.
Dies at the Hospital
| 1t was found that the bullet had en-
| tered below the eleventh rib, two
inches to the right of the spine, and
passed through the body. Lane was in
great agony on his way to the hospital,
| but uttered no sound, bearing the pain
Ike a Spartan. The doctors took
measures to relieve his pain, but saw
that his case was hopeless. He lapsed
| into unconsciousness soon after reach
| ing the hospital. and died at $50 last
night.
Mr.. Lane leaves no relatives so far
/ as the local employees of the company
know. He was of a quiet, unassuming
disposition, but was known to be a
desperate fighter in times of danger
and was one of the most trusted guards
| of the company.
He was a member of the Northern
Pacific Express Relief association,
/ which organization will take charge of
the body today and make arrange
ments for its transportation back to
Portland, where the interment will take
| place.