Evening star., 1909-05-17
BANDITS WRECK TRAIN S|GSbEE SAYS IT'S So
Engine and Mail Car Sent Maine Blown Up From With
Crashing Back Into Coaches. out, He Maintains.
$4,000 IN LOOT TAKEN LECTURES ON DISASTER
Sleeping Passengers Shaken Circular Threaten
Berths and Injured ing American Pigs
TRAINMEN DO HEROIC WORK Is AGAINST REMOVING WRECK
Shows Difficulties Way-Word
r,.u 49,. Verdict Of Board,
He
Big Offered.
Engine and Mail Car Sent.
Crashing Back Into Coaches.
$4,000 IN LOOT TAKEN
Sleeping Passengers Shaken From
Berths and Injured.
TRA1NMEN DO HEROIC WORK
Quick Action Lessons Force Of Col.
Hsion-Ties Put Across Track.
Big Reward Offered.

SPOKANE. Wash. May 17.-Bandits
held up and robbed Great Northern fast
mail train No. 3 nine miles east Of Spo-
kane, at Morse. about o'clock yester-
day morning. obtaining more than 1000
from. the mail car.
Having taken the detached mail car
down the track q considerable distance,
the robbers looted the registered mail.
and. reversing the engine, sent the loco
motive and the mail car crashing back
into the passenger coaches, seriously In
juriny twelve persons.
When the train reached Colbert late
Saturday night some switching had to be
done. While the engine crew was busy
at this work two men .sprang into the
cab and. thrusting revolvers against the
bodies Of the engine driver. William
Miller, and the fireman, John Hall, or
dered them to do as commanded.
The engine driver and fireman complied
and the mail car was cut off from the
rest OF the train by four other robbers.
The locomotive and the mail car then
driver and fireman were forced to leave
the cab.
Order Car Opened.
Two Of the robbers went to the door OF
the mail car and ordered 1t opened. Their
command was obeyed by Benjamin F.
Stumpf. mail clerk, who was hurried
away from the cars with the enginemen
by dozen revolver shots Manning the
locomotive themselves the outlaws took
the mail cars down the track and looted
the registered mail. Then they started
the locomotive back toward the rest of
the train and escaped.
C.. l.. Robertson, conductor, had a brake
man cut in the telegraph wire to send
word to Spokane. While he was busy
teiegraphing, about half an hour after
the locomotive and the mail car had dis
appeared, he saw the powerful Iocomo-
tive careening toward the coaches, in
robbers had acted quietly in selling the
mail car
Many passengers knew nothing of the
holdup until awakened by the collision
that was only eased by the quick work of
the trainmen.
AS soon as Robertson realized that a
collision was imminent he called on the
brakemen and porters to aid him. While
the conductor and another man threw a
tie across the track a brakeman stood
ready to board the cab as soon as the
shock of the collision checked the i'm
petus of the wild locomotive
The mail car was partly derailed by the
tie, and the wheels plowed into the bal
"
tive wheels to whirl on the rails. The
brakeman was instantly in the cab, where
he seized the throttle. shut off the steam
and applied the brakes
Passengers. tumbled from seats and JOS
tied in berths. rushed out to ascertain
the cause Of the shock. None was fatally
hurt.
Deputies Rushed to Scene.
Two special trainloads Of deputies were
hurried from Spokane when the word of
the hold-up was received, and doctors
were taken along to care for the injured
No trace Of the robbers was found. today.
One Of the bandits who entered the cab
was more than six feet tall and evidently
was an experienced engine driver. As the
said to the driver:
You have heard Of us before" indicat-
ing that they had been involved in SINH
lar hold-ups in the vicinity of Spokane
within the last few months.
I. N. Wilson and wife of Spokane were
the most seriously injured OF the passen-
gers. He suffered a fracture of two ribs
and Mrs. Wilson was severely bruised.
$4,000 for Each Robber Offered.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, May 16-At the
headquarters of the Great Northern rail-
way it was said tonight that six robbers
held up westbound passenger train No. 3
just east of Morse, Wash, early to-
day, cut off the postal car, ran 1t about
two miles west and rif1ed the registered
mail. The amount of booty is not known.
One trainman was injured. The passen-
gers were not molested. The Great North
ern has offered a reward of $4,000 for
each robber captured.