The Mena weekly star., 1909-05-20
INJURED BY BANDITS
TWELVE PERSONS HURT IN TRAIN HoLD-uP NEAR COL
 BERT, WASH.
ROBBERS LET ENGINE AND CAR RUN WILD
Crashed Into Standing Coaches lnlur Ing Passengers in Every car-Re- ward of sto,ooo Offered by the Great Northern for the Capture of Each Robber.


 Spokane, Wash, May 1S.--In the hold-up of the Great Northern pas. senger train No. 3 between Colbert and Mead twelve persons were in. jured when the engine and mail car sent running wild down the track by bandits after they had rifled the mails, collided with the remaining cars of the train. The bandits detached the engine and mail car from the train, ran them down the track consider. able distance and then, after the reg istered mail had been opened. they sent the engine back to collide with the cars standing on the track.
 The conductor saw the wild cars coming down the track at a rate of 25 miles an hour when they were a considerable distance away and he and one of the train men placed tie on the track in an endeavor to stop their wild flight The engine and car were partly stopped by the tie. but plunged into the standing coaches.
 AHSlt was Q lIi6HtiuA CidSu ana Ine passengers in all Of the cars were thrown from their seats, most of the Injured being hurt by glass from the broken windows. There were injured persons in every car.
 When the train reached Colbert, some switching had to be done. While the engine crew was busy at this work two men suddenly appeared fin the cab of the engine and trusting a revolver against the body of the engi- neer, William Miller. ordered him to do as commanded.
 The engineer and fireman, John Hall, obeyed. The car was coupled on to the train and 1t pulled out. After the train had proceeded few miles. the engineer was ordered to stop and he and his fireman were forced to dis mount from he cab.
 Two of the four or five men that were seen then went t09the door of the mail car and ordered 1t to be opened. Their command was obeyed by Benjamin F. Stumpf. the mail clerk Meanwhile two other bandits were with the engineer and fireman, who were uncoupling the mail car and the locomotive from the rest of the train
 Soon after the train stopped, the conductor. c. L. Robertson. jumped from the car but was driven back by hn ck 0f Lo I'll = dozen shots were fired
 Hastily climbing into the cab, the outlaws opened the throttle and dash. Cd down the track-how far is not known. As soon as the conductor was aware that there was holdup he or dered brakeman to the rear of the train to prevent a collision and had another brakeman cut in the telegraph wire to send word to Spokane. A third member of the train crew was hurried to the station with the news.
 About a half hour after the engine and mail car had disappeared they were seen coming down the track and hurried preparations were made to ditch the runaways, but without com plete success. Two special train loads of officers were hurried from Spokane when the word of the holdup was re- ceived. Doctors also were taken out on the train to care for the injured.
 The Great Northern has offered a reward of s1O,o00 for each robber cap tured.
 Chief Ryan of Hillyard also went out with a posse and surrounded all the roads leading toward Spokane. Several shots were heard by the posse east of them, but no trace of the hold ups were found.