The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-09-03
P0BBER MISTAKES
'NFWuINCOLN PENNIES
FOR GOLD BULLION
utegwAYMAN HOLDS UP
'N' Tram WITH DYNAMITE
CARTRIDGE.
rafy MAKES GOOD HIS ESCAP
...,..s cOESany Receivers Nearly
~ The stolen Valuables And
-. I ass Will Be But a Few
Hundred.

,rvrsToN. Pa, Sept. lone OF
uost audacious and startling hold
Of a railroad train in the East for
:. occurred on the eastern slope
,be Allegheny Mountains Tuesday
-,on lone highwayman stopped a
.,rsylvapia Railroad express train
-sb a dynamite cartridge, and at, the
,,rt Of a revolevr, compelled the
,or 70 carry thousands of dollars in
i, and bullion from an express car
. spot in the wilderness.
when the conductor of the train at
,mnted TO interfere with the robbers
l,rs he was shot in the hand, and the
old bandit succeeded in making good
is escape In the darkness, however,
mistook a bag containing 10000
Deu Lincoln pennies for gold coin,
md staggered away with it, leaving
Inc real gold bullion to be recovered
by the railroaders.
When the news of the robbery
coached the railroad and express COM
banies' officials they were deeply con-
cerned at its holiness, and immediate
:. " sent every available detective from
The East and West to the scene in an
effort to capture the robber. Blood
mounds were also put on his track, but
no trace of the man has been found.
The looted train was made up of an
engine three express cars and two
sleeping coaches filed with passen-
gers At about 1870 a. m. 1t was run
ming through Lewiston Narrows, a
wild and lonely mountain gorge
Through which flows the Juniata Riv-
err when suddenly a dynamite cap
exploded, and the engine driver
brought the train to a standstill.
When he looked out to see what the
trouble was. he was confronted by a
masked figure holding revolver in
either hand.
Are there any mail cars on this
train" demanded the highwayman.
NO was the reply of the startled
engineer.
The engine crew was then forced at
the point of the guns to accompany
the robber TO the first express car,
where the messengers were looking
out to discover the cause of the sud
den stopping of the train. A revol-
yer was pointed at the messenger s
head, Threatening to blow up the
car with dynamite, the robber forced
the messengers of the two express
cars and engine crews to carry all
the gold and bullion stacked in the
first car to the side of the track.
4 Conductor Poffenberger, of Harris
burg, Pa, who came up while this
work was being accomplished, was
ordered back by the bandit, who emp
tied one of his revolvers at him, one
Of the shots penetrating his hand and
the others grazing his body.
Despite the appearance of three pas
sengers who had been awakened by
the shooting, the robber calmly or
dered the crew back on the train and
compelled them to steam away, leav-
Ing the bullion beside the track. 1t
was recovered later by posse sent
On special train. When the train
was leaving, he called out: GOOD
Oy and good luck: | hope to see you
again"
1t was reported that in addition to
'ne missing pennies several thousand
uolIars in currency was missing, but
the express company officials re-
lase to announce the exact amount OF
their loss.
NO clew to the robbers identity has
YET been discovered. He is described
as being about 5 feet s inches In
nelght, and was dressed in dark cloth
ing and wore SLOUGH hat pulled well
uown over his eyes. He had a slight
foreign accent
agent Hamacker, of Lewiston, sent
safe to the scene of the robbery to
rive six bags of pennies on which
inc seals had not been broken but
winch had been cut open with sharp
KNIFE to ascertain the contents and
abandoned by the robber in disgust.
currency dropped in the bandits
PERCEPTIONS fight has served as a guide
lor the posse on his trail, and it is
Predicted that he will soon be appre-
hended.
some Of The railroad and Adams Elk
press officers said that the amount of
''' 'oo' has dwindled to about SOS.
The bighwayman, it is stated, took
$4,000 in bullion and 5000 in pennies