The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1911-07-03
DARING HOLDUP
ON ERIE ROAD
Highwaymen Loot Mail and
Express Cars.
FOUR PERSONS INJURED

Two Wounded by Bullets From Guns
of Robbers and the Others Are
Thrown Down Embankment-Entire
Train, Carrying Five Hundred Peo-
Pile, Has Marrow Escape From Being
Hurled to Bottom of Ravlne.
Erie, Pa, July 3.-One of the most
daring and desperate train robberies
that has taken place in the East oc-
CURED on the Philadelphia and Erie
railroad at an isolated spot five miles
from this city.
AS a result four men were injured
by the bandits, two of them with bull
let's; the mail and express cars were
stripped of valuables and the lives of
many passengers were endangered.
not from the bandits. but from death
at the bottom of deep ravine. The
injured are:
C. III. Block, Erie, mail clerk, shot
through the right hip; condition seri-
ous
c. f. Bemis, brakeman, shot in arm
and bruised on head when he was
kicked from the train by one of the
robbers.
II. ID. Rooney. conductor. struck by
stones hurled by bandits and severely
cut.
Carl Anderson of Renova, Pa, trav-
cling salesman, received cuts on head,
face and body, when he grappled with
bandit and was thrown over an en-
bankment.
Loot Believed to Be Large.
Just how valuable the registered
mail and express packages were is
not known. II is believed, however.
that the amount will run into thou
sands of dollars.
An hour after the holdup the train
was brought to this city. The pas
sengers were panic stricken. Half a
dozen women passengers, who had
tainted during the robbery, with a
score of others in a hysterical condi-
ton, were given medical attention.
The train was rounding Five Mile
curve at reduced speed when Engineer
Carey, who was responsible for the
500 or more passengers that the train
carried, saw the obstruction on the
track In the reflection of the locomo-
tive headlight. The locomotive
crashed into the pile of timber and
came to stop. Had the train been
running at any kind of speed it would
have been hurled over the outer side
of the curve, down an embankment 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
mis- riding seat, and hurled coal at the
man. The bandit fired and Carey
leaped to the ground, struggled with
| the robber until another came up and
threw Carey over the embankment.
He escaped with a wrencned back.
Open Fire on Mail Clerk.
c. H. Block of this city, one of the
mail clerks, was first warned by the
smashing of the mail car door. The
gang opened fire on him. He drew two
guns and emptied both at the robbers
before he fell with bullet through
his hip. He is In hospital here in a
serious condition.
Conductor H. ID. Rooney borrowed
. revolver from a passenger and
fought his way through the gang, but
| was felled with stone. He crawled
| to q farmhouse, where he telephoned
| the railroad officials here, who dis.
| patched officers on a switch engine.
The passengers, when they learned
they were participating in holdup
of yellow novel magnitude, became
panic stricken. Women screamed
hysterically and tainted. Heads
thrust from the windows were hastily
pulled back when dozens of shots
were fired along the line OF the train
None Of the passengers, however, was
hit by the bullets. but the express
agent ON the train. James Hart. re
ceived q bullet In the side and was
brought to hospital here.
Carl o. Anderson of Renova, Pa, a
salesman, grappled with one of the
holdup men and was hurled over q
steep embankment. He was saved
from serious injury by catching on a
bush and Is at a hotel here with Sc
we're bruises and cuts.
|