The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1904-09-17
Train No. II, West Bound From
Chicago to Kansas City, Held
Up Near Let's la.
SAFE IN TIE EXPRESS CAR BLOWN;
What THEY GOT NOT YET KNOWN.
officials of the Road, From some OF
the circumstances Attending the
HoId-Up, Believe 1t tn Have Been
the Work OF Experienced Rail-
r0nd Men.

Des Moines, Ia, Sept. 13.-Ffve
bandits perpetrated a successful holduI
of a passenger train on the Rock Is
land near Let's, Ia, shortly after mid
night. The statements Of express Of
6cials are that they secured no money
| though the safe was blown open and
the contents taken, the officers aver
ring hat the safe contained merchan-
disc of some value, company papers IN
transit, ETC., but no money.
Possess On the Trail.
Three special trains, on which are
posses of railroad and express com
pany employees and a number OF offic-
ers. were rushed to The scene OF the
robbery Immediately on receipt of the
news, going from Muscatine, West Lib
erty and Davenport. Horses were pro-
cured in the country surrounding Co
lumbus Junction and in that town,
near which point the robbers left the
railroad. Mounted men with blood
hounds are now securing the country
for miles in every direction in an eff
fort to apprehend the robbers, while all
trains that passed through Columbus
Junction or near by points from the
time of the robbery are being held up
by the officers and carefully inspected
by them to ascertain if the bandits are
undertaking to escape in his way.
Described Three of the Men.
The engineer and fireman of the
train furnished pretty accurate de-
scriptions of three Of the men.
The officials seem to be Of the opin-
.on the robbers, when they left the en-
CINE two miles east of Columbus juno
ton, instead of going into that place,
where the robbery had already been re-
ported by wire from Fruitland, start
ed off to the east into the marsh coun-
try lying between the Iowa and the
Mississippi rivers, where the Iowa
forms a delta and where the country
is overgrown with stunted timber.
Believing they will keep to the cover
for the time being, of officers direct
ing the search have arranged to keep a
sharp lookout along the Mississippi
and Iowa rivers and at Wapello,
Keithsburg and other points where
they might come out of the swamp
country.
Occurred Mt whisky Hollow.
The robbery occurred at 1905 at a
place known as Whisky Hollow, about
six miles out of Muscatine, and near
Fruitland. The train, known as No. IL,
is a through Chicago and Kansas City
train. The robbery was at the end OF
a sharp curve and exactly where a
similar holdup vas engineered two
years ago by the Chicago car barn
bandits. The engineer, as the train
rounded the curve, saw a red lantern
on the track and Immediately stopped
the train. Immediately the engine, ex-
press car and baggage a were board
ed by the robbers, apparently five in
number. A fusillade of shots was fired
along the sides Of the train TO prevent
interference by the passengers. The
messenger of the express a was COM
PEELED to open the door. The car safe
was dynam:ted and the contents taken,
after which the train crew was COM
PEELED to return to the passenger
coaches, the engine cut off, and, the
robbers mounting it, ran it west
through Let's and to within two miles
of Columbus Junction, where the en-
CINE was left standing Oh the track.
The Work of Railroad Men.
The manner in which the robbers
handled the engine, their knowledge OF
the fact that Let's was a closed sta
ton at night, and the selection OF a
point contiguous to Columbus juno
ton to abandon the engine, convinces
the officers that the robbers or some OF
them are experienced railroad men.
BUILDING SIX SUBMARINES