Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-07-04
Bandits Pile Ties and Tele-
graph Poles on Pennsyl-
vania Tracks East Of Erie
and Wreck Train.
REVOLVER FIGHT
WITH TRAIN CREW
Plunge Down 200 Foot En-
bankment Prevented by
Low Speed; Posse Of 100
Chasing the Robbers.


Erie, Pa, July Ia hundred on
more farmers, every available police
officer in the county and the state
police are searching today Tor tlie
train roNbers that last night held up
and rcDLed train No IL on the Phil
adelphia and Erie branch of Penn
sylvania lines in the most modern
methods OF the wild west. The train
was houn0 from Philadelphia for Chi
cago and was brought to stop short
ly ai.er 10 O'Clock against ties anu
telephone poles piled on the track, at
Wesleyville, about five miles from this
city. The bandits rif1ed the mail and
express cars before they escaped. The
mail clerk was shot and seriously
wounded, the conductor was stoned,
and many passengers had narrow es-
capped from death or wounds by bull.
let's.
The men who are searching for the
robbers are heavily armed and an en-
counter with any of the bandits will
result in blood she'd The panic
stricken passengers tell conflicting
stories as to the number OF robbers
but all agree that they were masked.
Some say there were six, Others say
ten, in eny event, there We're enough
to successfully carry out the boldest
holdup in this section of the country
in years.
No accurate information is obtain
able as to the amount of loot the rob-
bers secured. Reports that they got
$4,000 which was being shipped to
this city by the Adams Express COM
pany, were promptly denied by the
road officials.
Engineer Fights Bandits.
The train was rounding Five Mile
curve at reduced speed when Engineer
Albert Carey, who was responsible for
five hundred or more passengers the
train carried, saw the obstruction on
the track In the reflection of the loco
motive headlight. Throwing on the
reverse, the locomotive crashed into
the pile of timber and came to stop.
Had the train been running at any
kind of speed, railroad men say it
would have been hurled of the outer
side of the curve, down an embank-
ment to rocks 200 feet below.
As the train stopped one of the rob-
bers boarded the locomotive. Carey
Jumped to the floor of the cab, from
his riding seat and hurled coal at the
man. The bandit fired and Carey
|eaped to the ground struggled with
the robber until another came up, and
threw Carey over the embankment.
His clothing was caught on protrud-
ing plank and he escaped with a
wrenched back.
C. H. Block, of this city, one of the
nail clerks, was first warned by the
smashing in of the mail car door. The
gang Immediately opened fire on
1im. He drew two guns and emptied
Doth at the robbers before he fell with
! bullet through his hip. He is in a
hospital here in serious conti;tioo.
Conductor II. J.. Rooney borrowed a
'evolver irom Il passenger and fought
lis way through the gang but was
elled with q stone. He tried to crawl
% farm house but he was chased by
armers who thought him one of the
'obbers and sought refuge in tree.
The farmers discovered their mistake
md Rooney got to telephone and
Notified the railroad officials here, who
officers on switch en-
zine.
Passengers Thrown Into Panic.
The passengers, when they learned
hey were participating in holdup
II yellow novel magnitude, became
,anic stricken Women screamed hys-
erically and tainted. Heads thrust
rom the windows were hastily pulled
pack and those that had ventured to
cave, fastened within the car, when
lozens of shots belched fire along the
Inc of the train. The shooting toward
he passengers continued and broken
class from the windows fell tinkling
o the track. None Of the passengers,
were hit by bullets, but the
express agent on the train, James
Hart, received bullet in the side and
vas brought to hospital here.
Carl o. Anderson Of Renova, Pa, a
salesman, grappled with one
II the holdup men and was hurled
,ver q steep embankment. He was
saved from serious injury by catch
ng on bush, and is at a local hotel
With severe bruises and cuts. AndeT-
ION says the man he tackled was an
Italian.
1t is said the robbers fre-l 200
shots. Detectives who have been put
IN the case are of the opinion that
he highwaymen intended the train to
lit the obstruction and go over the
to the bed of Four Mile
,reek, nearly 200 feet below.
& Ia.