Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-08-15

SPOKANE. Wash, Aug. 15.-one
Of the most daring train hoIdups in
the history OF the west occurred
shortly before midnight, when North
ern Pacific westbOund passenger train
No. . was stopped BY two masked
men near Trent, nine miles from
Spokane. the mail car uucoupled.
taken toward Spokane. brought to a
stop and the registered mailbags
robbed by the two bandits.
Two men. with four 45-caIiber
pistols and a sack OF dynamite.
climbed on the steps Of the engine
just as 1t was leaving the station
at Rathdrum. Idaho. As soon as the
train was in motion the men ap-
Deared at each side of the engine
cab and with bullets crashing
through the cab roof ordered the en-
gineer. Fred w. whitteIsey to keep
IT running at full speed. When one
half mile west OF Moab. he ordered
the train stopped. and while one man
covered the fireman the other took
the engineer to the rear OF the mail
car and ordered the coupling opened.
When the engineer did not work as
fast as he thought he should he shot
into the coupling beside his hand.
They boarded the train. and while
one man held the engineer with his
two guns the other ran the engine
through Trent.
Ordered TraInmen to Run.
When half way between Trent and
the subway crossing they stopped the
engine and. ordering the fireman and
engineer to run for their lives.
shooting to increase their speed. they
boarded the mail car. Wallace w.
Smith. one Of the mali clerks. had
his head out Of the north window
and one Of the hOIdup men ared
shot which entered the car door
They then ordered the mail clerks
from the car and. sending Smith to-
ward Trent. they ordered the other
clerk. c. II. Raymond. to return 10
the car. They took RaymOnd's keys
and watch and threatened TO blow
his head OF II he did not reveal
where the rest Of the money was.
They then ordered him from the car
and ran the train a short distance
west near the subway crossing, where
they abandoned It.
The engineer. fireman and two
mail clerks waited at Trent for an
hour before they returned to the
engine and mail car Shortly after
ward the special train from Spokane
bearing Special Agent Hlndman and
trainmaster left the Northern Pacific
depot. The special vas taken By a
switch engine and it run on east to
Moab. where the baggage and pas
senger coaches were lying.
The first news OF the holdup reach
ed Spokane when J. W CahiII. night
operator at Trent. sent a dispatch
that the engine and mail car No. ,
had just passed through there and
that he had heard shooting and
thought that IL was a h0ldup.
That the hOIdup men were ae-
quaintsd with the stations and tracks
along their line was shown By the
manner In which they handled the
train They stopped the train 70
uneouple II At the most lonely part OF
the road in the rock cut west OF
Moab; they were perfectly familiar
with the handling Of the engine and
had uneoapled the air hose so the
engineer could not use Il: they stop
ped near the subway crossing where
they could catch the electric line
back to Spokane and knew Just
where to leave the engine and the
mail ear. 50 as to BE- the least notice.
able.
J. A NaFuP. a farmer living near
Trent. thinks he saw the hoIdup men
about three miles north of the tracks
on the road leading back to Spokane
al midnight near some old shaeks.
Special Agent Hindnan drove back
along the highway vith him last
night in hopes Of getting some trace
Of the men.
Both Are Younw.
Both Of the hOldup men were
young and the engineer ana fireman