Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-03


then he ordered me to get down off the
engine. taking hold Of my left arm as l
did 40. I asked him TO let me get back on
the engine to turn the water off, as 1t
would flood the fire. He said 1 might do
SO. But kept me covered with his gun, and
although he told me not to put any coal
in tie furnace did succeed in getting three
shoveIfuts in.
Two Other Covered.
''Firenaan Roy Prawl and Dave Wright
another engineer Who was on the engine
with me. had In the meanwhile, been COW
cred by The other two men and they, too,
were down off the engine Will their hands
up.
The bandits wore long rain coats, with
blue polka dot handkerchiefs for masks
and SLOUGH hats. After the train had
stopped and l got down again they
marched us down to the mail car and the
man covering me ordered me to knock on
the mail car door and tell the boys inside
to come out.
zone OF the d oJrs was partly open, but a
CLERK slid il shut and then the bandits
ordered hin to open the door and get
down out of there He did so and then
the other door was opened and the clerks,
seven OF them, were told to get down and
all Of us we're lined up with our backs to
the car. One Of the bandits called for
Whitmore to get back in the car and throw
out the mail sacks. After this was done
two or three of the clerks were told to
take hold OF the sacks and carry them
down the track ahead Of the engine. The
man covering me, told me to help carry
the mail sacks for, said he. you get a big
ger salary than 1 do and can afford II. 1
carried the sack all right
The bandits did not do much talking.
One of them said, we don't want to hurt
any OF you. We are pretty good fellows.
hut are in a bad job"
PrawI Repeats the story.
Prawl was the second witness and told
practically the same story as did the first
witness. except that ne said the first
knowledge he had of anything wrong was
when one of the bandits grabbed him by
the collar and showed a pistol in his face
and commanded him to hold up his hands.
Il thought It was a joke at first" said
the witness. and. couldn't see the man
very well as 1 had Just been putting coal
into the firebox and was somewhat blinded
by the night ! did not have to carry any
OF the mall sacks"
" oAAa a
: Torgensen and Woods as the two mer
who held them covered with pistols, by
their voices and general size and ap-
pearance.
Harold M. Wright, the engineer who was
with Mikeljohn and Prawl and who haC
70 deadheaded down from Columbus, told g
similar story. He recognized Torgensen BY
his eyes and voice.
Attorney Macfarland did not undertake q
very, severe oross-eXamlnation, his eviden
intention being &c get at the meat Of thu
line of prosecution to be brought out b!
the government. The examination or tn,
witnesses was conducted by United
States District Attorney Goss on behal
OF the government.
No, He Didn't DO That.
You did not take the gun away from
the bandit to examine it, you are onl!
judging by a general appearance"
That was the facetious question put 4
M. C, Rush. mail clerk on the Overland tn
night Of the holdup, by Attorney Macfar
land. Rush had testified that the gun on
OF the bandits had was an m
AT the close OF the morning session ~
Rush testified to the happenings the nigh
of the holdup. He said that when tn
emergency brakes were applied TO the trail
he looked out the south door, but as h
could see nothing he looked out of tn