Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-07-14

~ Nsa saNSH SJN' #
Erie, Pa, July ga hundred or more
farmers, with every available police
officer in the county and the state po-
lice, are searching today for the train
robbers that last night held up and
robbed train No. Al on the Philadel-
phia & Erie branch OF the Pennsyl-
vania lines in the most modern meth
DDS of the wild west"
The train was bound from phiiadel-
phia for Chicago and was brought to
a stop against ties and telephone poles
piled on the track at Wesleyville, about
five miles from this city. The bandits
rifled the nail and express cars be-
fore they escaped. The mall clerk was
shot and seriously wounded, the con-
ductor was stoned, and many passen-
gers had narrow escapes from death
or Wounds by bullets.
The men who are searching for the
robbers are heavily armed and an en-
counter with n OF the bandits viii
result in bloodshed. No accurate in
formation is o~btainable as to the
amount OF loot the robbers secured.
The reports that they got $2k 600 asrlhicit:
was being shipped to this city by
Adams express were promptly denied
by the express company as we'll as the
railroad officials.
How the Job Was Done.
The train was rounding Five-Miie
curve at reduced speed when Engineer
Albert Carey saw the obstruction on
h track In the reflection OF the loco
motive headlight. He threw on the
reverse. and just as the locomotive
crashed into the timber 1t came to q
stop, Had the train been running at
any kind Of speed railroad men say
that it would nave been hurled down
an embankment to rocks 200 feet be-
low.
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 fred and Carey
leaped TO the ground and struggled
with the robber until another came up
and threw Carey over the embank-
rnent. His clothing caught on a pro-
truding plank and he escaped with q
wrenched back.
c.. Fl. Block, of this city. one of the
mail clerks, was first warned by the
smashing In of the mai car door. The
gang Immediately opened fire on him.
He emptied two runs at the robbers
before he fell with a bullet through his
hip.
Conductor III. d. Rooney borrowed a
revolver from q passenger. but was
felled with a stone. He crawled TO a
farm house. He was chased by farm
ers, who thought he was one of the
robbers, and sought refuge in a tree.
Finally Rooney got TO a telephone, and
notified the railroad officials here, who
dispatched officers on a switch engine.
Panic of Passengers.
The 500 passengers, when they learned
they were participating in a holdup OF
yellow novel magnitude, became panic
stricken. Women screamed hysterical-
ly n tainted. Heads thrust from the
windows were hastily pulled back, and
those that ventured to leave FASTENED
within the car when dozens OF shots
belched fire along the line of the train.
The shooting toward the passengers
continued, and broken glass from the
window fell tinkling to the track. None
OF the passengers, however, was hit by
the bullets, but the express agent on
the train. James Hart, received a bull
let in the side and was brought to a
hospital here. 1t was said the robbers
fired 200 shots.
Carl O.. Anderson, OF Renova, Pa,
grappled with one of the holdup men
and was hurled over a steep embank-
ment. He was saved from serious in
jury by catching on a brush. Ander-
son says the man he attacked was an
Italian.