The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-11-28
DARING R0BBER.
Holds up Nail Clerk en-. Auan'Is "a tasssI 'lsF
Line Near Columbia
WAS WORK OF AN EXPERT

WAS WORK OF AN EAkRl
The Robber Was White Man, and
It Is Impossible to Estimate the
Amount He Took, But He Made
Away With Valuable Register
Package.
The State says a masked white
man robbed the mail coach on At
lantic Coast Line train No. SIS Fri
,day about 1925 o'clock between the
block Office at Royster, just south OF
Columbia and Lower street. the
southern boundary Of the city. The
robber held H. L. Meredith, the mall
clerk. and his negro helper, B. s.
Dreher, at the point Of a pistol and
took possession Of the registered
mail. Then he pulled on the emer-
gency brake and leaped OF the train
lust, before it reached the crossing
az the corner of Whaley and Sumter
streets.
It Is impossible TO state the value
of the registered packages gotten by
the robber, but it is believed that
they are worth thousands Of dollars.
For boldness and daring, the rob-
berry of Atlantic Coast Line, train NO
SIS within a mile Of the State house
EQUALS anything in the annals OF
train hold-ups.
When train No. SIS, due in Column
bia from Wilmington, N. c., at 1l:lO
D. m. reached the block Office at Roy
ster it was running II minutes late.
Mr. Meredith, the mail clerk, had
Just finished putting the registered
mail packages in a pouch in readiness
to carry them to the mail transfer
Office at the union station. j. D.
MINIS, the conductor of. train No.
SIS. got OF to register at the block
Office and then signaled his train
ahead.
Soon after the train began to move,
a masked man threw open the front
door of the mail car, the second from
the engine, stuck a pistol in the mail
clerks face and demanded the reg
listers. "Give them to me-" he said,
"and be quick about it or your head
will have a hole through it,"
After he got possession of the
pouch containing the registered mail'
he sorted over the packages taking
the most valuable ones and leaving
q few which contained only merchan-
disc, ali the while backing toward the
door by which he had entered.
While he was preparing to make
his exit, Dreher, the negro assistant
ito the mail clerk, moved and the
robber shifted his gun on him, and
demanded that be hold up his hands.
Then the robber seized the cord gov
erning the emergency brake and
pulled it. In less than a minute the
train, which was moving slowly, came
to stop just at ::he corner OF Whaley
and Sumter streets. AS soon as 1t
began to slacken speed the masked
man jumped back, slammed the door
and made off.
Conductor Minuis was in the third
car from the engine when Mr.. Mere
dith rushed in and told him that a
masked man had held up the train
and taken the registered mail.
The train pulled on into the union
station, where the robbery was COM
municated to tho police by telephone
They in turn telephoned to the peni-
tentiary for bloodhounds, and in less
than half an hour after the affair the
dogs were on the spot where the rob-
Der is supposed to have leaped off the
train. They failed to strike trail
H. L. Meredith Of Wilmington, the
mail clerk, is positive that the mask:
ed robber who held him up is white
man. He noticed his hands and his
nose and eyes, which were not cover
ed By the mask.
The cooIness and deliberation, dis
played by the robber suggests that he
is an old hand at his trade. His
knowledge of the registered mail and
the emergency brake also go to prove
that he was no amateur.
He Is described by those who saw
him as mar of medium height
rather frail, with dark hair and prob
ably dark eyes.
Conductor Minnls is positive that
not more than five minutes elapsed
after he signaled lis train ahead al
Royster before Mr.. Meredith came
to him in the third coach and told
him that he had been held up. Con.
ductor MINIS and Mr. Meredith both
stopped in Columbia.