The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-05-27
UP. TRAIN HALTED
BY FOUR BANDITS
MAIL CLERK FORCED TO HAND
OVER MAILsPOUCHES.
Passengers Not Molested but Many
Shots Are Fired-Crime Com
mitted on Up. Over
land Limited.

- SAASAAAS NAoy 61s GOuA 4A0ASN
bandits held up and robbed Union Pa
citic train No. 2, known as the Over
land Limited, a mile west of the
city, just before Saturday midnight
and obtained a number of registered
mail pouches, believed, to have COZ
tanned a large sum.
The. robbers evidently got on the
train at some town west Of here: The
holdup occurred about five miles west
of the city limits. The robbers
climbed yer 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. Once
they obtained the bags they hurried
away in a southerly direction and
permitted the train to proceed.
The passengers were not molested.
A big squad Of police hurried to the
scene and quickly started in pursuit.
The train was delayed only Is min
utes and left for Chicago On time.
The robbery occurred within a mile
of the city limits, two of the robbers
climbing over the tender into the en-
CINE and confronting the engine men
with drawn revolvers, made them
stop the train. While two of the rob-
bers stood guard over the engineer
and f1remen the remaining two robbed
the mail car. The quartet evidently
were we'll acquainted with the make.
up of the train.
There were eight clerks on the
mail a and they were forced to
open the doors. The chief clerk was
asked to point out the registered
mail. The robbers gathered up seven
pouches indicated and the leader re-
marked: "This is all we can get into
our automobile"
A continuous fusillade of shots
was kept up during the robbery, evil
IDENTIFY to intimidate passengers and
crew. A fiagman who went to the
rear narrowly escaped being shot.
Several passengers who had not re-
tired started to get out Of the vesti-
bules, but the robbers ordered them
back into the cars.
The train made a quick run to the
Union station, where the police were
quickly notified Within half an hour
Special Agent Canada of the Union
Pacific and big. squad of police
started for the scene of the hold-up
In an automobile. Sheriff Bradley
and a force of deputies also left for
the scene within a short time. All
four robbers were masked and we'll
dressed. The registered pouches
were all destined to Eastern points,
the greater part of it being for Chi
cago and New York.
Clerk Whitmore says the pouches
were among the less important of the
registered mail. The robber who en-
tered the a asked for "bank mail"
but whether there was any great
amount of money in the pouches is
not known.
Union Pacific officials offered IS, 900
each for the capture Of the robbers.
Despite the shooting very few passen-
gers were awakened and few knew of
CAO AoDDC1y uuIl1' IuSy WOKE up next
morning.
Incited to work and urged on by
the offer of a reward by the Union
Pacific for the capture of each of the
four robbers dead or alive, a COM
plete Gordon of officials has been
thrown around Nebraska, and it
seems almost impossible for the men
to escape.
The greatest difficulty that now
seems to be in the way is the matter
of Identification in the event the men
should be captured. At this time
there is but one man who is known
to be able to identify any of the rob-
bers. This man is M. G. Rush, a mail
clerk on the train. He says as the
robbers were at work about the car
the mask dropped partially from tho
face of n man and remained down
for an instant.
In that instant Rush says he got a
good glimpse of the mans features.
He is described as having light hair,
youngish, smooth shaven and round
faced. Rush is so certain of his man
that he declares he could pick him out
In a crowd of 1000 persons.