River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-05-27
COUNTRY SECURED
FOR TRAIN BANDITS
Union Pacific Robbers Traced
To Omaha.
LOOT MAY REACH 100000
Registered Mail Pouches Are Only
ValuabIes Taken by Hold Up
Men Who Flee in an
Automobile.

AubOTUOpltGs
Omaha, Neb., May 24.-Although the
police department of this city and the
sheriff have had large forces of men
securing the country in the vicinity
of the scene of Saturday nights hold.
up on the Union Pacific railroad three
miles west OF the city, little progress
has been made toward arnesting the
robbers.
Two empty mail pouches taken
from the train were found some dis
lance from the point where the rob.
berry occurred. They had been cut
open and their contents removed, the
outlaws overlooking only one pack
age. One report says the robbers got
100000.
Plans Were Well Laid.
That the robbers had laid their
plans well is apparent. They dropped
from sight SO quickly that not a sin
gle person has been able to give
clew to the direction in which they
went. The empty mail pouches were
found near Forty-third and Jackson
streets, which leads the police to be-
lieve that the robbers came to the
city after holding up the train.
All four of the men wore long rain
coats and their features were entirely
masked, giving no opportunity for
members of the train crew to identify
them.
The Union Pacific railroad has
made every effort to trace the men
but has found little in the way of
clews in which to work.
Postal Authorities at Work.
Every town in the country has been
notified and sheriffs of surrounding
counties have been keeping a lookout
for strangers. The post office depart
ment has also taken steps to aid in
the search.
What means of escape the robbers
selected is indefinite, but the authori-
ties believe they had either an auto.
mobile or fast horse. The fact that
only two of the rifled pouches have
been found indicates that they were
in no hurry to divide their loot, and
partment believes his men will be able
to obtain some trace of the outlaws
before they can get far away.
The automobile theory is strength
ened by the discovery of greasy
glove which the robbers had dropped
at the point where the two empty mail
pouches were found. The police be-
lieve it belonged to an automobile
chauffeur, and the automobile record
of this city and South Omaha is be-
ing investigated.
Good Place for Robbery.
The robbers evidently got on the
train at some town west of here. The
the recently constructed Lane cutoff.
The robbers climbed over the tank and
forced the engineer to stop his train
and then proceeded to the mail car.
The clerks were forced to open the
door and hand out a number of
pouches of registered mail. Having
secured the bags, they hurried away
in a southerly direction and permitted
the train to proceed.
The passengers were not molested,
and as soon as the robbers left the
scene of the holdup the train pro-
ceeded to this city. A big squad of
police hurried to the scene and quick.
ly started in pursuit of the bandits.
There were eight clerks on the mail
car, and they were forced to open the
door. The chief clerk was singled
out and asked to point out the regis
tered mail.
Bandit Mentions Automobile.
This he did, and the robbers gath
cred up seven pouches and the leader
then remarked:
This is all we can get into our au-
tomobile"
A continuous fusillade of shooting
was kept up during the robbery, evil
IDENTIFY to intimidate passengers and
crew. A fagman who went to the rear
narrowly escaped being shot. Several
passengers who had not retired
started to get out of the vestibules,
but in no uncertain tones the robbers
ordered them back into the cars.
The train was detained but Is min
utes and left Omaha for Chicago on
time.