The San Francisco call., 1908-03-30
Express Messenger Is
Slain by Robbers
Struck Down While Asleep By
DeSperadOes Who Rob
Safes in Car

NEWTON. Kan, March 30. A.
Bailey. an express messenger OF the
Wells Fargo company. was. killed by
an uqknewn person on Santa Fe train
No. 15 between Florence and Newton
early this morning. The murder was
very brutal, with robbery as the object
The local and the through safes
$1,000 in money and jewelry taken. The
amount the robbers secured is not
known.
The body of Messenger Bailey was
found at 4 o'clock this morning, when
the train reached Newton. 1t was
stretched on the floor of the car, the
head beaten to pulp and lying in a
pool of blood. The back of the skull
was crushed and the end of the car,
where it was lying, was spattered with
blood. The blood spatters reached to
the ceiling There was no evidence of
any struggle, the indications pointing
to the commission of the murder while
the messenger was asleep.
Bailey was seen alive at Strong City
At Peabody some one opened the car
door just enough to throw out a pack
age OF waybills and then closed it
quickly.
STRUCK WHILE ASLEEP
The custom OF the messenger has
been to go to sleep soon after leaving
Florence, and it is possible that he did
this last night After being struck
while sleeping and rendered uncon-
scious, his body rolled to the floor, and
the robber. after beating his head, COW
cred it with the dead mans coat. One
blow was struck at the mans face with
a sharp instrument, evidently hatchet,
which broke the jawbone. From the
dead mans pockets the keys were re-
moved and the safes ransacked. Then
the keys were put back into Bailey's
overcoat, the coat folded and put in his
grip. where it was found later.
TIVE theories are held by the ofi1cers;
one is that the robbers entered the car
unobserved at Emporia, Strong City
or some other point along the line and
concealed themselves until favorable
opportunity to commit the robbery oc-
CURED, and the other is that Bailey ad-
mitted somebody he knew and consid-
cred friend.
TWO MEN LEAVE TRAIN
When the train slowed down at the
Missouri Pacific crossing in the east
part of Newton two men were seen by
the engineer to jump from the train
and run south. The south door of the
express car was found open when the
train reached the Newton depot. Tt is
believed these men were the robbers
and that they made detour around
the business part of town to the west
yards Of the Santa Fe. where they
may have boarded Santa Fc train No.
II, which left the depot 90 minutes.
after No. lis arrived. Three suspicious
characters were taken off the blind
bagaage ef this train when 1t reached
wfchita and held for investigation
The officers were notified as soon as
the murder and robbery were discov-
cred, and within an hour posses were
securing the country. A reward of
$1,000 has been offered by the Wells
Fargo company for the apprehension of
the guilty persons.
The murdered man was about 80
years old and was only recently mar
ried. His home was in Kansas City,
Mo.
Late in the day a hatchet on which
was blood and hair was picked up at
Wagner. small station between Flor
ence and Peabody. This is supposed
TO be the instrument used in killing
Bailey.