Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-04
ROLDUPS IN WASHINGTON
Great Northern Overland Train is Robbed
Near Ballard.
DYNAMITE FORCES THE EXPRESS CAR
Through Safe opened and Money
Taken, but Messenger says He
DOesn't Know Amount
of Cash Taken.

SEATTLE, Wash, oct s-The Great
Northern overland train, leaving Seattle
last night, was held up and the baggage and
express car opened with dynamite about
five miles from Ballard. Three men are
known to have done the work. Two boys
who got on the blind baggage here as soon
as the holdup began. entered the passenger
coaches and began holding up 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 dressed with rain coats and SLOUGH
hats. So far as reported no one was killed.
but Charles Anderson, express messenger,
was slightly injured Manager Warling.
of the Great Northern Express company
said last night, he did not know the con-
tents Of the safe, but believes it was a
small sum. After securing the contents
Of the safe the three men started of in
an easterly direction
The train was tagged near the brick
yard and as the engineer slowed up two
men with rain coats climbed over the
tender and presented 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 off, 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 was
placed against II and exploded. The ex-
plosion tore The car almost to pieces The
safe was then blown open. The train was
delayed two hours and a half and then
pulled into Edfnonds. making a brief re-
port before proceeding to Everett
The two boys claim they never met the
holdups until they got on the train and
are in no way connected with their work.
The idea to hold UP the passengers occur
red to them after the explosion. Sheriff
Smith has started out with a posse.
A reward of 5000 was offered today by
the Great Northern Express company for
the capture and identification of the rob-
bers.
Deputy Sheriff Scott said today that so
far as he knew only $34e in cash was
taken from the safe. No statement has
been made regarding express matter.
Conductor Makes Report.
PORTLAND, Ore, Oct. 3.-Conductor
Grants 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
cause the train 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 eighteen.
While the robbers were engaged on the
safe, the two boys who had been riding
on the blind baggage slipped off and went
through the train attempting to hold UP
the passengers. They had no guns, but
took advantage OF the timidity OF the pas
sengers while the shooting was going on
| outside lTsse
The boys. who gave their names as
Frank Alfred and Roland Gibbs are now in
Jail at Everett A, passenger on the train
says their method while going through the
coaches consisted of more Of begging
character than a holdup,
No one was injured seriously, although
continual fire OF revolvers was kept up.
| Stories differ as to the number of robbers
engaged in the Job. There were at least
three. There may have been four or even
more. The express messenger says he
does not know how much was obtained by
the holdups The local safe was not
\ molested.