The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-08
TRAIN ROBBERS
KILL ENGINEER
Desperate Thugs Hold Up the
Northern Coast Limited at
Siding Near Butte.
LAST ACT OF VICTIM
SAVED HUNDREDS OF LIVES
Had Air Not Been Applied,
Train Would Have Plunged
Into a Canyon.

BUTTE. Mont. May THE posse of
Sheriff Henderson. With the Butte police.
Sheriff Webb of Yellowstone county,
Sheriff Center of Howell county and a
posse from the State penitentiary AT Deer
Lodge. at 10 O'Clock this morning took UP
the trail of the masked meN who held
up The North Coast Limited, castbound.
last night the Northern Pacific near
Welchs spur and murdered Engineer
Glow and wounded Fireman Sullivan.
Boodhounds from the penitcntiary. be-
ing given the gripsaCk left by the robbers
and their masks TO sniff, Immediately
took trail leading west and back to-
ward Butte. The dogs crossed The d
vide uuerringly. but became baffled at n
point north Of Homestake and about four
miles cast OF Woodyille. Here. however,
after beating the bushes, the posse hap
pcuCd by chance upon fresh footprints
of two, The trail, once taken, ran clearly
defined 10 Woodvilc. station three miles
cast of Butte. and the posse is now
securing The hills Just east Of tho city,
Robbers Quickly Escape,
The train was held up near Welch's
spur. siding eighteen miles cast OF
Butte Without making an attempt 10
blow up the express car, Was orig
inaly evidently intended. the two rob
bcrs lumped from tho cab and ran down
the mountain side. disappearing in Sulch
Shcrin Henderson OF Butte was noti-
fed. and with posse left Oh train
at o'clock for the scene of the holdup.
Sheriff Webb Of yellow stone county hap
pened 10 he on the train, and with one
OF the train crew started on tho trail Of
the holdup men fye minutes after the
shooting. Sheriff Webb trailcd the men
half mile picking up their masks, and
then lost all track of them,
Ready to Blow UP Car.
On the tender OF the locomotive was
found n telescope grip fun Of giant pow
der. intended for use In blowing up the
express car. The men boarded the train.
presumably. AT the Butte transfer, where
a locomotive for the Montana division was
attached. one mile west OF Welch the
mon crawled over the tender and With
drawn guns commanded Engineer Glow
10 stop the train, which he did. The
engineer made n show Of resistance and
ono of the robbers fired shooting him
through the body and killing him in
stantly. The ether man fired at sullivan,
breaking his arm,
when the train stopped Conductor Bert
Culver and the train crew ran 10 the en-
gine. where they found colorcd man
who related the circumstances OF the
holdup. This man said that no had been
stealing ride and that the men mad of
fered him n third Of the swaG II he would
had taken no part in the holdup. The
man, however. is being held. He says he
could Identify the mutderers If they could
be caught.
The body OF Glow was taken TO White
hall, where an inquest will be held, Glow
lived at Livingston. whore he has wife
and son. He was 90 years old and had
been in service with the Northern Pacific
eighteen years.
Story of the Fireman.
Fireman Sullivan was interviewed in
Livingston at noon today. He says that
the train was coastinG a short distance
west OF Welchs spur when two masked
men, young and vigorous. Weighing about
100 pounds each. and with masks over
their faces, climbed onto the tender. EVi-
IDENTIFY they had been hiding between the
tender and the express car since the train |
had lcr, Butte.
The robbers cried Hands up and both |
trainwen instantly obeyed, without warn
ing one OF the murderers fred instantly |
killing Glow. who had made no resistance |
beyond turning on the air brakes, 4 !
second later the other robber shot Sui
livan In the arm
sullivan fell to the floor. feigninE death
The robbers fired on him twice bur
missed. and then, the train came 10
a stop lea2ed from the tender and ran
westward on the track. This Sullivan
saw clearly
Had not Glow turned on the air brakes
II Is probable that the robbers would have
entered the express car as the roar Of |
the train had drowned the sound OF their
shots but the remainder OF the train
crew were aroused by the sudden stop~
pInS OF the train and poured out of the
express car In company with Sheriff |
Webb. Seeing that tho game was up, the
thugs fled.
CLOVIS last heroic oct probably saved
hundreds OF lives. The grade at Welch's,
Itself on the top OF the divide Is very
steep and the curve sharp. Had both
men In the cab fallen before the brakes
were put on, the express train undoubt-
edly would havo attained n rnte OF speed
sufficient to Jump the track and plunge
Into the canyon,