The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-02
BANDITS WERE
NOT OLD HANDS
Murder of Messenger 0'NeiII
Was Not Necessary.
PLUCKY YOUNG ASSISTANT
ScBBERS GOT LITTLE PLUMBER
FOR THEIR CRIME.

rob il at Copley at 1920 O'Clock last
hlght were novices. They took human
NE without provocation, and the meth
DDS they employed TO open the safes
we're so crude that they gained but
little plunder by their work.
lhe particulars Of the robbery were
pDtalned when the train, minus the ex-
press car, reached Redding this morn
ng. When The train pulled into Cop
ley, which is merely a watering sta
name out OF the brush or the east side
d the track.
Tramp Pressed Into Service.
This is shown by the experience Of a
tramp, who was attempting TO steal a
ride. He was jabbed in the ribs with
rifle muZzle and made to enter the
smoker. In the meanwhile one of the
robbers knocked on the door OF the ex-
press car w J. O'Neill, Wells, Fargo
E Co.'S messenger, il Is thought. asked
MIN what was wanted. The reply was
evidently satisfactory, because O'Neill
Slid the door back about eighteen
inches. when rife bullet was sent
through his body. 1t passed near his
heart and the messenger fell back
dead. O'Neill was not armed. He
evidently believed from what he was
told that the knock came from a MEM
Der Of the train crew.
Train Crew Captured.
The highwaymen then went TO get
the crews OF the two locomotives who
we're still in ignorance OF any trouble.
30 that they could loot the express
without fear of the train being pulled
out with them. They brought back
Engineers Il. II. Joesink and +. a.
Bissell and Fireman J. +. Stury and
Fireman A. Raymond. One OF the rob-
bers stayed on the west side of the
train looking out for possible danger,
while the two others marched the en-
CINE crews back on the east side to the
express car. The robbers were all the
time using vile language and discharg-
ing occasional shots from their rifles.
This apprised the passengers in the
front end of the train of what was
going on, but they remained in the
cars throughout and were not mole5t-
ed.
Plucky Assistant.
When the express car was reached
by the robbers, Colford, helper to Mes
senger O'Neil. awaited their return
with a shotgun in his hands. At first
glimpse Of the masked men he raised
the weapon and pulled the trigger The
cartridge snapped, but the plucky
young fellow started to put another
shell into his gun, when the robbers
covered him with their rifles and COM
manded him to lay down his gun or lie
killed Engineer +. \. Rissell Joined in
asking Colford not 20 make fight, ar
guing that If he did they might all be
killed.
The robbers then made the two fire.
men and the brakeman climb into the
smoker. Because Brakeman L. stone
was net quick enough ore of the rob-
bers hit him over the head with ritie,
innicting a severe scalp wound.
DYNAMITE Used
When the bandits found that Col
ford could not open the safes they de-
cfded to use dynamite, first removing
the body of O'Neill which lay near the
safe. There were two safes in the car,
one the large through safe ana the
other a small one known as the local.
Under orders the engineers placed six
sticks OF giant powder provided by the
masked men on top of the large safe
and on this they set the small money
box The leader of the robbers then
lighted the fuse. and the entire party
made its way forward 60 the locomo-
tives by the time the explosion had oe-
Cured.
when they returned to the wrecked
car. IL was found that the small safe
had been blown 20 atoms and the top
of the through safe had been blown of.
ONLY the floor and trucks of the car
We're left and tiny pieces of greenbacks
were broken and twisted coins covered
the floor, showing the force of the eX-
Less Was Small.
The leader is said to have looked AT
the wreck and then 20 have remarked
10 his partners in crime Wen, pals
i guess We get nothing
IL is certain that the unskiled rob
beers did not get 4 great amount Of
plumber, although their laundering
methods may have blown thousands OF
dollars into atoms. The robbers again
marched the two engineers and the
EXPRESS helper forward where they
commanded Engineer b. II. JOesink t.
climb into the front engine. They had
him uncouple IL and climbed in after
him and ordered him 10 pull away from
the scene. At a bridge spanning The
Sacramento river about 200 yards south
Of Kenawick station, which is five
miles south OF the point where the
train was stopped they had Joesins
stop his engine. and they ahghted and
disappeared in the darkness Under
telegraph orders. JOesiBk ran his engine
20 this city and took Sheriff Richard
son and a posse back to the point
where he last saw the robbers.
The tramp who first encountered the
robbers at COpley, and who was made
10 climb on the train, is held IN 1al
as a witness. The body of Messenger
O'Neiu was brought TO ReddinS and
the inquest viii be held here.
Money Still in Safe.
It is now certain that the Copley
train robbers did not get a cent fol
their work. The small safe and is
contents were blown to atoms and
the large safe was not opened suflici
entity 70 allow of the highwaymen get
ting at the plumber. That IS accord
ing to the statement of Frank Rock
wen. express guard, who was dead
heading through on the car that wa.
attacked and who has been in charg'
OF the car and safe at Copley eve
since He was the man who attempted
10 shoot the masked men after the.
had killed O'Neiil. being prevented b,
the swapping of his gun instead o.
COlford. O'Neilis assistant, as ut frs
reported. Rockwell says the money IL
still I'm the big safe. He and ROuti
Agent Carpenter. who arrived her
this morning from Sacramento, have
been working all day 10 get the valu
ahles from the partially wrecked safe
Rockwell says that the only money
the bandits could possibly have secures
consisted OF SO In his vest that huns