The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-30


was crushed and his brains were ooz-
ing out The end of the car in which
the body lay was splattered with
blood, hair and bone. The sides of
the car had splotches of blood as high
as the ceiling There was no evidence
of any struggle and it is the belief of
the officers that the unfortunate man
was attacked while asleep and killed
before he could offer resistance.
Last Seen Alive at Strong.
Bailey was last seem alive at Strong
City. At Peabody, someone inside
the car opened the door just far
enough to throw out a package of way
bills and then closed it quickly. The
officers have two theories as to how
the robbers gained access to the car.
They may have entered unobserved at
Strong City, Emporia, or some point
up the line and concealed themselves
until a favorable opportunity pre-
sented itself or the messenger may
have admitted someone whom he
knew to ride in the car with him.
1t is supposed that soon after leav-
| ing Florence, the messenger lay down
| on a bed which he had fixed up on a
! box and went to sleep, as was his GUS
tom during this part of the trip. The
| robber or robbers then struck him a
terrific blow in the face with some
sharp instrument, believed to have
| been a Ratchet, fracturing the jaw
bone. Bailey evidently threw up his
| right hand to ward off another blow,
for the bones of the fingers in this
hand were broken. He probably roll
ed off the box onto the floor. face
downward, when a pillow was thrown
on his face and his body covered with
a blanket.
Skull Beaten to a Pulp.
The robbers rained blow after blow
on his skull, reducing it to a pulp
From the dead mans pockets they re-
moved his keys and opened the local
safe. After ransacking the safe, they
| locked it and put the keys back into
the messengers overcoat and folding
this garment, put it in the dead mans
grip where it was found when the cal
reached here.
The through safe was also opened
and the contents gone over 1t is be.
lieved that this safe had not beer
locked when the train left Emporia
When the train slowed down at the
Missouri Pacific crossing in the cas-
part of Newton, two men were seer
by the engineer to jump from the
train and run south. The south dool
of the baggage car was found oper
when the train reached the Newton
depot.
. 1t is believed by the officers tina
: these men were the robbers and tina
they made a detour around the bust
of the Santa Fe, where they may hav,
boarded Santa Fe train No. II, which
left the depot twenty minutes afte
No. us arrived. Three suspicion
characters were taken off the blint
!, baggage of this train when il reache,
Wichita and are being held for exam
3 ination.
III The police were notified promptl
| and within an hour posses were scour
1 ing the surrounding country under tn
direction of the sheriff and railroa
Il detectives. Up to this evening, how
ever, they had not found a trace G
the robbers.
III Bailey's body was ordered remove
/ to a local undertaking establishme r
/ by the coroner. He was about 8
/ years of age and had been marie
/ only a short time His home is
/ Kansas ely, Kan.
III The Wells-Fargo Express compan
1 has offered a reward of $1,000 for tn
I apprehension of the guilty parties.
is believed by some that the work we
done by one man who might hay
been an acquaintance of the me.
senger and was permitted by the me:
| senger to ride in the car. The polio
| however, scout this idea 1t is bs
lieved that the messenger recognize