The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-03
BOYS ATTEMPT TO
ROB PASSENGERS
Three to Seven Men Hold Up
Thru Train in Seattle
Suburbs.
EXPRESS SAFE FOR
TWIN CITIES ROBBED
Messenger Hurt but No One
Killed in Raid on the Ex-
press Car.

Seattle, Washington, Oct. 3.-The
Great Northern overland train, leav.
ing Seattle last night, was held up an6
the baggage and express car dynamited
about fv miles from Ballard.
Three men are known to have done
the work. Two boys who got on the
bllnd baggage here as soon as the hold
and began holding up the passengers.
They were captured. They say two of
the men were on the blind baggage
when they got on and the third got on
at Ballard. All were well dressed, with
raincoats and SLOUGH hats.
So far as reported, no one was killed,
senger, was slightly injured.
Manager Warning of the Great North
ern Express company said last night
he did not know the contents of the
safe, but believes it was a small sum.
After securing the contents of the safe,
the three men started off in an easterly
direction.
Engineer Held Up.
The train was tagged near the brick
yard. and as the engineer slowed up,
two men, with raincoats, climbed over
the tender and pointed revolvers to
his head. When the train stopped the
engineer was instructed to pull ahead,
which he did for several hundred yards,
when he was again commanded to stop.
Two of the robbers then jumped of,
making the engineer and fireman do the
same, and all marched to the baggage
car door.
The messenger was commanded to
open the door, and refusing, an extra
heavy charge Of dynamite vas placed
against it and exploded. The explosion
tore the car almost to pieces. The safe
was then dynamited. The train was de-
layed two hours and a half, and then
pulled into Edmonds. making a brief re-
port before proceeding to Everett.
The two boys claim they never met
the holdups until they got IN the train,
and are in NJ way connected with their
sangers occurred to them after the ey-
p~losion. Sheriff Smith has started out
! with a posse.
Seven Men, Says Conductor.
Conductor Grant 8 report of the hold
up shows that at least seven men were
engaged in the robbery. The conductor
believes there were other men further
down the track, but they did not take
any part, possibly because the train had
stopped too soon. When once inside the
car the robbers began dynamiting, the
first explosion being of six sticks, the
second of twelve, and the third of eigh-
teen sticks. ~esI:stez
While the robbers were engaged on
the safe, the two boys who had been
riding on the blind baggage slipped off
and went thru the train, attempting to
hold up the passengers. They had nc
guns, but took advantage of the timid'
ity Of the passengers while the shooting
was going on outside. The boys, who
gave their names as Frank Alfred and
Roland Gibbs, are now in Jail at Ever
EFT. A passenger says their method
while going thru the train consisted OF
more Of a begging character than Of q
holdup.
No one was seriously injured, althc
a continual fire was kept up: Stories
differ as to the number of robbers en-.
gagged in the job. There were at least
three. There may have been four OF
more.
The express messenger says he does
not know how much was obtained by
the holdups. The local safe was not
molested.