The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-12-20
HOLDS Up TRAIN
Robbers Seize Registered Mail and
Make Coed Their Escape.
Two BANDITS DID JOB

Two BANDITS DID job
Second Section Of Robbed Coast Line
Pursuing Detectives Special
Flyer Came Up as Robbers Fled
Wrecked Shortly Afterward by
Southern Railway Freight. q
The Atlantic Coast Line train
which left Savannah for Charleston
twenty minutes late Tuesday morning
ct about one o'clock was held up and
robbed a. short distance from Hardee-
Vile lust before day Tuesday morn
ing. The train was running in two
sections because Of the heavy pas
senger traffic and the express car
which the robbers were believed to
be after was carried on the second
section and escaped. The robbers,
however, captured the mail car and
secured several sacks Of registered
mail.
D. H. McRoy, the might operator
in the tower at Hardeeville, states
that the train reached his station in
good condition and he gave it the
signal to go ahead. Shortly after the
train got away from Hardeeville and
before it had gotten out OF sight, It
stopped. He was surprised to see
this, as it had no signal to stop at that
point. Just about that time the Sec
ond section of the train arrived from
Savannah and McRoy advised the
crew to go ahead and find out what
the trouble was with the first section.
Arriving at the spot where the first
section had stopped, the train crew
found the utmost confusion reigning.
The robbers, two in number, had
forced the engineer to stop his train,
and, covering the fagman and the
conductor with pistols, they made the
Aagman open the mail car, after 1t
had been detached from the train and
run some distance. Here two mail
clerks were found at work and they
were made to give up two bags OF
registered mail The robbers then
made their escape. AS quickly as
possible, Savannah was notified OF
the robbery and a special train, con-
sisting of an engine and two cars
with several Coast Line officials and
detectives, was en- route to she scene
Within an hour.
The special was in charge Of Engl-
neer L. E. RawIs and conductor
The Coast Line and the Southern use
the same tracks out OF Savannah to
Hardeeville, and while en- route to the
scene Of the robbery, the train WITH
the detectives on board ran into
freight train of the Southern Rail
way. The wreck delayed the arrival
Of the officials and the detectives for
some time and they did not reach the
scene Of the robbery until several
hours after it had occurred. The rob-
bers, it is believed, boarded the train
at Eardeeville, as the dispatcher
thinks he saw two suspicious looking
characters get aboard at that point.
He thinks they got between the two
front coaches and from there made
their way to the tender and to the
engine. The train that was held Up
was in charge of Engineer ]. E. Far
ris of Charleston, Conductor Damon
OF Florence and Fireman Abe Will
liams, co!ored. Engineer Farris says
in his report to the officials of the
Atlantic Coast Line, that as he was
leaving Hardeeville he looked around
and the two men had climbed into
the cab and had him covered with
reyolvers. They ordered him to go
ahead and after getting just north OF
the north switch ordered him to stop,
They made him and his fireman get
down on the ground on the left side
OF the engine One of them stood
guard over them while the other
looked after the others. Conductor
Damon went up to the engine on the
right side and was shot at by one OF
the men and made to go to the postal
car and have the postal clerks come
out, the robbers threatening to blow
up the car if they did not Go so.
Ed. Dozier, the colored porter, came
up shortly after this and he was also
held up by the robbers. The engineer
and the postal clerks were put on
the engine and Farris was made to
pull ahead short distance with the
postal car.
The clerks were then made to put
all the registered mail into bags
A large, stout man appeared to be
the leader. Bloodhounds We're dis
patched to the scene from Beaufort
and Hampton counties, with officers.
Another special train, carrying the
special agents of the Atlantic Coast
Line, United States postal inspectors
and railroad officials, has been sent
from Savannah to the scene Of the
robbery. Orders were also issued by
the railroad officials to prevent any
one from going about the place, il
possible, until after the bloodhounds
have reached the scene. The robbers
are supposed to have gotten ffty-fye
registered packages.
The engineer and fremen Of the
first special train jumped when their
train ran into the freight and the FIRE
man was painfully hurt. Another
feature Of the robbery was the scare
the passengers on the local Coast Line
train, leaving Savannah at $40
o'clock Tuesday morning, got just