The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-03-28
HOLD Up MAIL
Bandits Loot Passenger Train On The St.
Louis Mountain Road
EXPRESS CAR LOOTED

The Officials Of the Railway Say They
Have No Report Of the Hold Up
and Robbery-Twen.y Thousand
Dollars Said to Have Been Carried
Away by the Robbers.
Five men held up st. Louis, Iron
Mountain and Southern railway train
No. 104 between Coffeyville and Len
apah, Okla, shortly after midnight
Friday, and after looting the mai,
and express car escaped. The amount
of the robbery is said to be $4,000.
For two hours the masked men
held the passenger at standstill on
the prairie about six miles south Of
Coffeyville, while they blew open
safe in the express car. They escaped
in two automobiles, carrying with
them money and valuables which, it
is believed, will amount to $4,000.
The train left Little Rock at $3.50
a. m. Friday, bound for Kansas City.
It reached Lenapah, Okla, south OF
Coffeyville at 1890 Friday night,
half an hour late.
Just after the train left Lenapah
Engineer Lynch heard sharp cry:
Hands up!" Turning he saw a
masked man sitting on the tender,
pointing revolver at him. I'm
going to ride little way with you,
said the man. Drive on"
The engineer obeyed. About foul
miles out of Lenapah the robber COM
PEELED the engineer to stop the train
near a clumb Of trees. Five more
masked men came out Of the wood,
and, taking positions on either side Of
the train, began shooting in the air
and along the sides of the train.
Then while two of the bandits
stood guard to prevent any passen-
gers f.om leaving, the four marched
the ell. ..ineer and fireman to the day
coach AID locked them in.
One man then took 4 position to,
guard the rear Of the train and three
went into the express car, forced the
two express messengers to jump out
and stand where one Of the side
guards could keep them covered
After nearly an honr's work the
men had succeeded in inserting a
charge Of nitroglycerine into the.
through" safe in the express car.
They blew the safe to pieces and scat
tered its contents over the floor of
the car. They made NJ haste. They
had chosen a strategic position in
which to stop the train. They were
at least three miles from any human
habitation.
After the three men had spent
nearly an hour over the packages
taken from the safe, the lights OF
two automobiles were seen drawing
near from the direction Of the Oh
lahoma line. AS they came within
about two hundred yards Of the tram
on the country road the automobiles
were stopped. Then lights were ex-
tinguished and the bandits and auto
mobiles disappeared.
Passengers who had remained hud-
died in the coaches afraid to look
out of the windows relaxed and the
! disorganized train crew got to their
places. When the train reached this
city the sheriff was notified and with
two deputies started on horseback
southwark in pursuit Of the six bsn-
dts.
Train No. 104 on the St. Louis,
Iron Mountain and Southern railroad,
said to have been held up near Cof-
feyville, Kan, Friday night, reached
Kansas City two hours and forty-flve
minutes late. Iron Mountain officials
here denied any knowledge Of hold
up. The train left Little Rock at.
$3.50 a. m. Friday and was due i'm
Kansas City at 7:15 Saturday morn
ing.
! superintendent George F. Johnson.
of the Pacific Express Company states
that the men who held up and robbed
Iron Mountain train No. 104 in Okla
homa got no money from the express
car and that all the booty secured
consisted of few sealed packages,
. the value of which is not great. we
no longer use this route for through
money shipments, and there was not.
) anything like 100000 in the car as is
= reported