The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-03-20
BANDIT 0VERPOWERS
POSTAL CLERKS, WORKS
AND RIFLES THE MAIL
Bold Piece OF ThievIng on
Train---Hlrhwaymen Treat.
Gaptlvss Kindly.

Spokane. Wash, March IA o Z
bandit boarded the .uail car on the
w%estbound Oriental Limited, the fast
transeonttnental train. at Bonners
Ferry. Idaho, before daylight. bound
the two mail clerks and robbed tho mall
and express ears. The robbery was not
, discovered until the train cached Spo-
kane at 9 20 O'Clock d m, more thar
five hours after the bandit boarded the
train. Employees at the station opened
the car and found one Of the mai.
clerks lying bound on the mail sacks.
The other clerk was locked In a. closet
The clerks said the bandit held them
up, bound them and Went through the
registered mail. lie then said he would
to do so. AT all regular stops he threw
off the mail and took the outgoing.
sacks. though at some of the smaller
places where the train does not stop he
did not throw off the mail. He stayed
OH the train for nearly five hours
jumping off at the Oregon Railroad and
Navigation junction. two miles east OF
Spokane.
The robber is described as being sis
feet tall. He wore d red weater and
overalls and had "A three or four days
growth of beard.
As Inspector.
The bandit secured adnaittance I'm
der the guise of a postotfice Inspector
giving the name OF c. w. Bennett
was on duty at that hour. while the
other clerk, Benjamin Stunpt, was
asleep under n table.
rs there any mail sor me?" TIL.
bandit inquired. There ought TO be;
please look"
yx- .x--1l.y IA .-.-
and e he turned to inform the pre-
tended inspector that there was none
he ooked into the nluzzle Of O. revolver
After warning Nystrum not to make ar
cutlery the bandit directed him to ge.
into the closet y proceeded to rife
the malls.
In about four hours, sstun,pt, who
had awakened when the bandit first
entered the car and had gone to sleep
again when Nystrun Informed him
that an inspector was aboard had
again awakened. Thinking 1t strange
that he had not been called Stump
looked toward the mail table and saw
the stranger sorting letters. AS the
clerk was crawling from beneath thu
table under which he had slept ths
bandit drew d revolver and ordered
him to be still. He then threw a jump
er over the clerks head, bound his
hands behind him and seated him II
4 ZIG Jll ALI VI 1 4 Sdk.
When the train arrived at Spokane Il
was discovered that six sacks OF regis
tered mail bound for coast points hai
been cut open n their contents rtled
The sacks foc Spokane were not dis.
turbed.
In cutting open the mali sacks TIL,
bandit slashed his hand and much o
the mail In the car was covered will
blood. 1t was from this blood stained
mail that n scent was obtained which
b~loodhounds followed as soon rs TIL
robbery vas discovered. The scent
after being followed through seyera
Spokane blocks, was lost.
Treated Captives Well.
Stumpf and Nystrun tell a remark
able story Of their experience. Locke
In the small closet hardly two fee
square, the latter almost tainted fror
s~uffocation after the train had pulle
into Sand Point, thirty-four mikes Yves
of Bonner's Ferry, and. rapping on tn
door, pleaded With the robber to ailo,
him some fresh air. The bandit re
sponded willingly. and leaving the doc
ajar about an inch. secured 1T with
, piece of rope. Twice later on the wa
to Spokane the robber ceased his wor
t of rifing the mails to go to the doc
!, OF the closet to inquire as to how Ny
strun vas feeling.
3 When Sturnpf demonstrated with hi
!, captor that the cords which bound hir
l were cutting into his wrists the rob
> Der generously loosened the letters an
!. made every effort to make 1t as com
Portable as possible for his prisoners.