Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1909-05-21
G. MIRIAM HELD-OP
MAILCAW ROBBED AGAIN NEAR
SPOKANE LAST SUNDAY.
Several Passengers Injured by Engine
and Mail Car Crashing Back INTO
coaches-Work of Masked Bandits
Thought to Be Old Hands at Business
Nearly $4,000 Reward

Nearly $4,000 Reward.
Tn a holdup of Great Northern pas
senger train No between Colbert anu
Mead. shortly before midnight Satur
dav night, ~ persons were lnJureu
when the engine and mail car were
sent running wild down the track oV
fine bandits after they had ritied the
mails. The bandits detached the en-
gine and the mail car from the TRAM
ran them down the track considerable
distance and then, after the registered
mail had been opened, reversed the en-
oine and sent it flying down the track
to collide with the standing cars
The conductor saw the wild cars
coming down the track at a rate OF 20
miles an hour considerable distance
AWAY and he and one of the tralnmen
nlaeed tie on the track in an en-
deavor to stop the wild flight. me
flying engine and car were parity
stopped by the tie, but plunged INTO
the standing cars.
There was frightful crash and pas
sengers in all of the cars were thrown
from their seats, most of the injured
being hurt by flying glass from the
broken windows. The injured were
scattered through all of the cars. None
is reported seriously hurt
When the train reached Colbert some
switching had to be done. While the
engine crew was busy at this work two
men suddenly appeared in the cab, and
, tbrusting a revolver into the stomach
, of the engineer, William Miller, or
f dered him to do as commanded on pen
atty of being shot.
The engineer and fireman, John Hall
' being covered by the revolvers, obeyed
! The car was coupled onto the trall
k and it pulled out. After the train ha'
progressed a few miles the enginee
was ordered to stop and he and the fire
, man were forced to dismount from tn
- cab.
4 Two of the four or five men tina
9 were seen then went to the door of tn
mail car and ordered it to be opened
- Their command was obeyed by Benja
= min F. Stumpf, the mail clerk.
Meanwhile two other bandits wer
with the engineer and fireman, VIII
Il were uncoupling the mail car and tn
locomotive from the rest of the trai1
# Soon after the train stopped the col
- ductor C. l.. Robertson, jumped froI
- the car, but was driven back by tn
% shots of the holdups, nearly a doze
being fred.
Hastily climbing into the cab tn
;, ruffians opened the throttle and dashe
- down the track, how far is not know
:. AS soon as the conductor was awaI
- that there was holdup he ordered
- brakeman to the rear of the train t
~ prevent collision and had another CT
" in the telegraph wire to send word
Spokane of the holdup. Another or
ell station with the news.
at About half an hour after the engi1
a and mail car disappeared they wei
er seen coming back down the track, an
Mt hurried preparations were made
t. ditch the runaways, but without con
plete success.
is 1t is reported that the bandits Of
as tanned large sum of money from IL
n registered mail, the amount beir
L. placed at $4,000.
n The two bandits who climbed I'M
n the cab are described as follows:
rs One over six feet tail, weighing 1!
IS pounds, face wrinkled and IS years O
n or Older and an experienced enginee
the other about five feet nine inch
ed tall and weighing about no pounds.
at Both wore dark clothes and slouC
or hats and were masked AS they e
at tered the cab the tall man remarked
lis the engineer: "YOu have heard of
de before, " indicating that they had be,
nd involved in others of the numero
he train holdups perpetrated in the vici
he ity of Spokane within the last fe
months.
ew Injured by Wreck.
nv In lured in the mrocly oF+o, 4