The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-08
Postal Clerk Hester Shot
 by HighWayman. :,
ON COAST LINE TRAIN
He Took Twenty Registered Packages and Escaped.
Believed to Have Boarded Car at wiIey's and Left at Hendricks MiIl---Omcers are in
 Pursuit.

member of the train crew or the pas- sengers, a lone highwayman, his face half concealed by a black, silk hand kerchief, robbed the mail car of At lantic Coast Line train No. S9 as 1t neared Montgomery about 6 o'clock yesterday evening, and In struggle with the postal clerk. Eugene Hester' of 2o6 Holcombe Street, Hester, who was alone in the car when the robber appeared. was shot through his right hand. Gathering all of the registered mall r,ackages. about twenty of them, the in- truder left the train at point near Hendricks Mill, in the southwestern part of the city as the fast-hyfng train began to slow down before entering the railroad yards of Montgomery.
 When. the passenger train reacneu the Union Railway Station Hester gave the alarm. turned the car and his rec ords over to Marshall King. mail trans fer clerk, entered carriage and was driven to his home on Holcompe Street. where his injured hand was given attention by surgeon.
 officers Go to Scene.
 The robbery was reported to Snerih W. R. Waller, to police headquarters
  eEof officers were scattered in the southwestern part of the city. but up to midnight no clue as to the identity or the daring highwayman, who was uh- doubtedly a white man, who been se- cured.
 The exact amount secured by the robber will not be known Tor ScVera' days: at least no estimate can pc maos ,t.o's of the loss until reports are receiveo [ from Waycross. Ga. the starting point of Postal Clerk Hester and the inter- yeninE stations where registered pack ages may have been received. It was the boldest train robbery that has occurred tn this section since the operations of the Burrows gans years ago. Clerk Hystef beiieses the rob- Der boarded the car through side door as the train stopped at Wtleys, six miles out of Montgomery. The doors at the ends of the car were locked.
 The train, which was on time, was due in Montgomery at 6:15 o'clock. I'm mediately on reaching the station hes' ter sent for the Transfer Mall Clerk. MT. King. turned the car over to hitn and calling a carriage was driven at once to his home on Holcombe Street.
 Hester Tells of Robbery.
 The story of the hold-up was told by Clerk Hester to a representative or The Advertiser as folloWS'
 q was standing by tho mall rack as- sorting my mail for the transfer ip Montgomery when suddenly l heard the words throw up your hands. Turning. I was staring into the mug gle of a revolver, the gun being In the hands of d man with a black hand kerchief over his face. Both ends or the car were locked. as is the rule. but to get fresh air one of the side doors
 
 Snowdoun and had stopped at Wileys' six miles from Montgomery. Wheth- CT the man got in the side door at Wl- Ievs ar not don't know as l was very busy with my mail, but 1t was after the train had left that station that ne appeared inc car gave a lurch and the man was nearly thrown off his feet. Seeing him stagger made grab for the pis- tol and caught it by the muzzle. As got my hands on 1t he fired, the hall going through my right hand ano forcing me to release my hold. toAo him not to shoot any more, that ! would surrender. He then made hnndIe of all, or most of the registered packages in the car and put them into a. vaIise that he had with him.
 "When the train slowed down Tn tbe wards over in West Montgomery the man with the valise quietly jumped out of the car.
 The train was in charge of conductor Lovett Pierce, but he did not know anything of the robbery until the train had stopped under the car shed at the station here.
 The postal car was No. 33o. which only runs between Waycross and Mont gomery. The registered mail taken was all local packages from different points between the two places.
 Twenty packages Taken.
 An examination by local postal au- thorities showed that about twenty reg istered packages were missing. Paul Williams of Chattanooga. Tenn- has charge of the railway postal service in this territory. and he will come to Mont gomery at once.
 The Montgomery Police Department as well as all railroad and Government officers were notified of the roooery' and in a few minutes after the train reached Montgomery a vigilant search was being made.
 Clerk Hester says that the robber was a white man with clean shaven face, about five feet four or five inches tall. He was dressed in dark suit of clothes and had black handkerchief over his face, the handkerchief having two slits Tn it for his eyes
 Several nights ago PostS Clerk Jolly coming in on this same train heard two shots fired in quick succession on the platform of the postal car, but nothing more was heard of the matter.
 MT. Hester lives in Montgomery with his wife and mother on Holcombe Street While his wound is not dangerous 1t is very painful, although no bones were broken.
 Postoffice Inspector McRae. who has charge of tho Montgomery district re- turned to Montgomery last night from Auburn. He immediately set out for the scene of the robbery. He said that until various postoffices on the line were heard from he would be unable to tell the exact amount secured by tho highwayman.
 There is standing reward of S2.00O offered by the United States Govern rnent for the apprehension of train robbers. It is possible that this re- ward will be increased materially by