Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1904-09-22
C., R. |. & P.
TRAIN HELD Up


land express, No. II, was held up sew
eral miles west of here at 1890 this
morning by five masked men who,
after dynamiting the express car and
looting the contents, rode the engine
about ten miles further west to within
two miles OF Columbus Junction and
abandoned it, making their getaway
through the lowlands. The United
States Express company officials here
claim that the bandits got nothing of
value, although this story is generally
discredited.
The bandits molested nothing ex-
cept the express and mail cars. The
passenger coaches and sleepers were
not even visited.
The holdup occurred midway be-
tween "Whiskey Hollew" and Fruit
land, the first station west of here.
| AS the engineer On No. II rounded
| the curve, he saw a red light and i'm
mediately brought the train to
standstill. The bandits had calculat-
| ed the distance well, for the engineer
had scarcely stopped the train when
they climbed in and covered him and
the fireman with their guns.
The holdup was well planned and
the robbery was done quickly. While
a couple of the gang covered the en-
| gineer fireman, eXpressman and mail
agent, the others dynamited the safe
and looted the cars.
The robbers worked with the cool
ness of men experienced at the bust
ness. None of the passengers on the
train knew that they were passively
participating in a real live hOldup
So confident were the robbers that
they did not leave one of their num-
Der to keep watch for any maraud-
ing visitor from the passenger coaches
| They worked in a body, and all were
inside the express car at the same
time. The GOODNESS and even reck-
lessness with which the men worked
is shown by the TACT that they did
not even detach the express car. but
did their work while the car was in
the train.
The train was in charge of Conduc-
tor Gregg The names Of the express
messenger and the mail clerk cannot
be ascertained at this hour
AS soon as the safe was dynamited
and the contents looted. the five
boarded the engine and rode west.
ward.
The engine was found about two
miles east of Columbus Junction, the
bandits having dismounted near a
crossing leading through a deep ra'
vine into thickly wooded and thinly
settled section.
: Their route is unknown. AutSori
, | 7 I,pc Inv
ton, Rock Island, Muscatine and Da
venport were not. ed within an hour
, and began a search for the robbers
Muscatine, Sept. 16.-The five ban
/ dts who held up and robbed Rock
Island passenger train No. II Tuesday
? morning near Let's, were seen neal
Winfield Wednesday morning. Thi:
fact came to light yesterday. Four o
' the men were sleeping and one wa:
standing guard. The guns were plain
/ ly seen, together with heaps Of cart
. ridges on a blanket. Later the mel
= fiocked to a restaurant and ordered
a meal and lunches for several people
= Wednesday morning Ed. Beamis,
:, farmer four miles north Of Winfield
= while at work on his farm saw a par
ty of men at straw stack on hi
place He went up to where they wer
. and saw four men asleep and on
= man standing guard. At this tim
!; Beamis had not heard of the robber
and was under the impression that tn
men were hunters. which they too
/ care to deepen. That night, Mr. Bee
. mis- came to Winfield and heard of tn
train robbery. He communicated wit
. the Washington county sheriff an
the police at Burlington.
}, Meanwhile the very men Mr.. Bes
mis- had seen came to the restauran
e, of Ed. M. Sewell and ordered supper
This was about $50. They also o.
l. dered food which they carried ava
% with them.
\, The description of the men give
~ by Sewell TALES with the description
- of the two train robbers in the po
~ session of the Rock Island detectives
70 Muscatine, Sept. 1.-TWO me
~ were arrested at the depot in Brighto
"a at 7 o'clock last evening by Rock Is
h. and detectives. They are thought |
- be the men who entered the restau
&c ant at Winfield on Wednesday evel
-, ing, ordered meals and carried provi
or ions away with them. A telephor
I IH6SSdsG DIlSHIOh at Pt.oO onJ
- that the detectives have asked th'
- the waiter in the restaurant who ser
~ ed the men come to Brighton an
10 identify them.
80 80 Winfield, Sept 1s.-Confident th'
- the men discovered at the straw stac
- are the five Rock Island train 70
n bers. detectives and other officia
y have left for Muscatine. BLOODHOUND
y followed the trail two and a ha
y miles into Winfield and lost the see
= at the old ice house.
- The clay stack bandits" have di
70 appeared as completely as though Il
y earth had swallowed them.
20 The two suspects from Brightt
- were taken to Muscatine. Burgl
~ tools were found on their bodie
g whether or not the men belong TO Il
gang of train robbers. the officers b
q lieve that they have made yaluab
find.