The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-17
Bandits Hold Up Train on the
Great Northern.
Secure Booty Which Is Estimat
ed at $4,000.
THEY CAUSE A WRECK
Send Engine and Looted Car
Wild Down Track.
Crash Into Passenger Coaches
and Injure 12 Persons.

Spokane, Wash, May 17.-In a holdup
of the Great Northern passenger train
No. 3, between Colbert and Mead,
shortly before midnight Saturday
night, twelve persons were injured
when the engine and mail car run
wild down the track by the bandits
after they had rif1ed the mail, collided
with the remaining cars on the train
The bandits detached the engine and
mail car from the train, ran them
down the track a considerable distance
and then, after the registered 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 rate of %
miles an hour when they were a con-
siderable distance away and he and
one of the trainn1en placed a 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.
Frightful Crash.
There was a frightful crash and the
passengers in all of the cars were
thrown from their seats, most of the
injured being hurt by glass from the
broken windows. There we're 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 in the cab
of the engine and thrusting a revolver
against the body of the engineer, Will
liam Miller. ordered him to do as COM
manded.
The engineer and fireman, John Hall,
obeyed. The car was coupled on to the
train and it pulled out. After the train
had proceeded a few miles, the engineer
was ordered to stop and he and his fire
man were forced to dismount from the
cab.
Two of the four or five men that were
seen then went to the door of the mail
car and ordered it to be opened. Their
command was obeyed by Benjamin f.
Stumpf, the mail clerk. Meanwhile two
cthsE han9lts 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 con-
6uctor C. L. Robertson, jumped from
the car, but was driven back by the
shots of the holdup. Nearly a dozen
shots were fired.
Dash Down the Track.
Hastily climbing into the cab, the
outlaws opened the throttle and dash
ed down the track. How far is not
known. AS soon as the conductor was
aware that there was a holdup he or
dered the brakeman to the rear of the
train to prevent 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 hur-
ried preparations were made to ditch
the runaway, but without complete sue
cess.
Two special train loads of officers
were hurried from Spokane when the
word of the holdup was received. Doc
tors also were taken out in the train to
care for the injured. Chief Ryan of
Hillyard also went out with a posse
ard surrounded all the roads leaving
toward Spokane. Several shots were
heard by the posse east of them, but
no trace of the holdups was found
Help was sent out from Hillyard and
the train was brought to Hillyard
about $50 o'clock.
It is reported the bandits obtained a
large sum of money from the registered
mail, the amount being placed at $2O,-
600.
The two bandits who climbed into the