The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-06-21
Daring Railway Robbers Hold up
a Train Between Zion CITY
and Winthrop Harbor
BLOCK SIGNALS ARE CHANGED
Holdup Men Force brakeman to Leave
the Train While They Loot Car
and Secure Valuable Mer-
chandise and Escape

While but few persons know of it,
it develops that Friday night last
there was the boldest ho1d-up of a
train on the North Western road that
has taken place in years, and that the
matter kept from the public Sd long.
is wonder because Of the unusual
features connected with it.
Between Zion City and Winthrop
Harbor, late Friday night of last
week, through freight train en- route
to Milwaukee was held up by three
men who had turned the block signal
which caused the engineer to come to
halt; they then started to break into
the car which they knew contained
valuable goods, and when the brake
man who saw them interfered. they
set upon him and beat him severely.
The action was one of the most
bold in character. The through train
had left Waukegan after taking water
there, and proceeded along at its
usual clip to Zion City. It had just
passed the north limits of Zion City
when the engineer noticed that the
red light in the block signal was
turned against him. AS that is the
signal that there is a train in the
block next to him, and is a signal
which compels every engineer to
come TO halt until the white light
shows itself. the engineer at once
drew his throttle and pulled the train
to a stop.
He did not, of course, know what
the matter was but sat waiting for
the block to clear SO he could go on.
It did not clear and he began to won
der what was up. When he learned
he was astonished to find that the
train had literally been held up and
robbed.
After the train had stood still for
an unreasonably long time, the brake
man who had been on top of the car
in about the center Of TIE train, came
rushing up to the engine all out of
breath. He told in quavering voice
that the train had been held up by
three men and that he had been
beaten.
He said that after the train had
come to a. halt when the signa1was
against it, he had rushed toward the
front and saw three men hurry to the
side of box car. He jumped down
and asked them what they wanted and
they set upon him. Ns 'S
He does not know what they struck
him with but he says he was hit with
some blunt instrument and felled to
the ground. He got up and started to
continue the fight but the men struck
him in the face, inAicting black eye
which bled badly as he told his story
to the engine crew. The beating he
received stunned him for a time and
he did not get to the engine until
few moments after the attack had
been made.
The men, after beating him so he
could not do anything, broke open
the seal of the car and began to carry
out articles which had been shipped
to Milwaukee or intermediate points
How much they took is not known,
but they could not have gotten much
for the brakeman made his way to
the engine, told what had happened
and then it was discovered that the
robbers had turned the Hall signal
and brought the train to a stop. When
this was determined the engineer
started the train again.
Before starting, however, the train
crew started after the men and tried
to capture them but they made their
way off into the woods and thus es-
capped.