Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-14
HAVE LOST TRAIL
Rain Destroys Scent BIoodhounds
Have Of the Rock Island
Train Robbers.
SEARCH ALONG THE RIVERS
Accurate Descriptions of Three of the
Bandits Furnished by the Engi-
neer and Fireman.

pressed by half a dozen posses of pur-
5uers; tagged. as it is thought. from
loss of sleep, and with every other
farmer in eastern Iowa and Missouri
alert TO obtain the 1000 reward offer
I'd for their capture, the five Rock ISL
and train robbers have sought refuge
n the marsh country which forms a
lelta between the Mississippi and one
IF its tributaries
Hundreds of men joined in securing
the country near Columbus Junction
today. Bloodhounds followed the
trail from near the deserted engine TO
Columbus Junction, but there they lost
it. 1t is believed that the robbers
made their way successfully to the
Iowa river and thence down to the
Mississippi.
Says No Money is Lost.
Supt. W. H. Quick, of the Iowa di-
vision of the United States Express
company, stated last night that the
company lost nothing, as the money
was not carried on the train held up.
The safe, it is admitted, contained val
liable merchandise.
Mounted men are now securing the
country for miles in every direction in
an effort to apprehend the robbers,
while all the railways that passed
through Columbus Junction or nearby
points from the time of the robbery
are being held up by the officers and
carefully inspected by them to ascer-
tain if the bandits are undertaking to
escape in this way. The engineer and
fireman of the train furnished pretty
accurate descriptions of three of the
men.
Believing they will keep to cover for
the time being the officers directing 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.
Is an Ideal Location.
Whisky Hollow, the scene of the
robbery, is about three miles north of
Let's. Iowa, and between Let's and
FruitIand. a short distance out from
Muscatine. 1t is Il place to which ma
ture has given a heavy underground,
brambles and briars, knotty, gnarled
oaks and heavy timber The monoto-
nous. level scenery of Muscatine island
is suddenly broken by line of hills
that seem to stretch as far as the eye
can reach. The right of way has been
laboriously carved out of hills placed
there by glacial action. Erosion has
carved deep valleys, and these aid in
giving effect to the height of the bluffs
y large creek which is building a flood
plain down in the middle of Whisky
Hollow has caused the railroad to take
precautions enough.
Directly before coming TO the center
of the hollow the track makes a large
curve. and again repeats a curve on
the other side. Standing in the center
of this double curve, ii is impossible
to see a distance of 80 yards on either
side. the hills excluding the entire
view. Directly before mile post 220:20
| is reached the tracks cross a bridge.
Ten yards farther the train came to a
halt and the safe was robbed.
Three Go From MuScntIne.
! 1t is surmiscd that three men went
| from MuSCatine on the passenger, the
| others. Danny Breen. of the Rock Isl
| and night force in Muscatine, who
looks after every train every night,
Says he saw two men climb on the
bind baggage just as the train was
moving ont. These were undoubtedly
confedeTates. II is the opinion that
! five men participated in the job; three
| of them came out on the train and two
| remained with the fire. Breen says
one of the men wore a heavy duck coat
and had a handkerchief tied around
his neck. He is also able to give an
| accrrate description of the second man
| because it is supposed that the hand
kerchicf was a disguise.
One man was in the depot at Let's
when the lone engine steamed through
This was the operate. He says the
engine came on at a fast rate of speed
without headlight and all lights out
1t hurried onward toward Fredonia
and a little distance out of that place
the men reversed the throttle anG
Jumped of. Previously they had
thrown water on the fire under the
boiler. so that the engine ran a little
distance and died near Fredonia.
Marks are Found.
The place where the engine was re
versed and where it stopped was mark
ed yesterday morning. The tracks OF
two men were distinctly seen. made
undoubtedly as they jumped from the
engine cab. Near their marks was the
imprint of what could have been moth
ing more than a bag. and is thought
TO have been the sack in which they
had deposited the valuables taken
from the safe.
\ little distance from Fredonia flows
1.-The Iowa river. The union of the
Cedar and Iowa rivers takes place 2
short distance above the bridge that
the railway passes over. a theory OF
iescape exploited early yesterday morn
Ing Is that the men went directly to
ward the river. where mems footstep:
icannot be followed. Then they went
nv bDar dny-r