Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-07-26
Il TRAIN ROBBERY
PASSENGERS RELIEVED OF $500
NDISSvALuABLEs NEAR .
BuF fALo. N. %.
MAKE ESCAPE IN AUT0MOBlL Es
Masked Men Enter Train at Bridge
Stop Engineer Shot Tor Re-
fusing to Halt At Their
/. I. Command. ..5=5=

q
bound North Coast Limited" Of the
Northern Pacific railroad was held up
by three masked robbers near Buffalo.
n. D., and about $500 in cash taken
from the passengers.
Engineer s. p. Olson Of Fargo was
shot twice because he refused to stop
the train. The robbers escaped in an
automobile they had awaiting them
near the scene Of the robbery.
The hold.up was one Of the most dar.
ing every perpetrated in this part Of
the country and showed that the men
wer6 no amateurs. When the train
stopped ct the high bridge at Valley
City three men boarded it and went
into the day coach. .3g
Heavily armed and shooting reck.
lessly In order to intimidate the pas.
sengers, they first lined the train crew
up In one end Of the car and proceeded
to search the passengers in the day
coach, one by one. In all, they secured
about $500 in the coach.
After searching the occupants Of the
berths, the robbers clambered out OF
the diner over the baggage and express
cars to the engine.
Then the sleeping car was entered
and In order to awaken the occupants
Of the berths shot was fred down
the center of the aisle, narrowly miss
ing the head of one Of the passengers
and Embedding Itself in the woodwork.
When near Buffalo, they ordered
Engineer Olson to stop the train. He
refused and two shots were fired
directly at him, one glancing of his
watch and another striking him on
rib, injuringr him slightly.
Seeing that the men were desperate,
the engineer stopped the train and the
three men. who were all masked with
polka-dot handkerchief, jumped from
the train and ran into the darkness.
Engineer Olson, one of the Oldest
engine pilots on the system, was taken
to Fargo with the train and is resting
easily at his home there. After leav-
ing the train the robbers went to an
automobile, which they had waiting
near by, and escaped into the darkness
The train was run into Fargo, where
the sheriff, every available deputy and
three deputy United States marshals
hurried back on special train. Posses
also started out Of Buffalo Is minutes
after the news of the robbery was
received and every surrounding town
and city in the Northwest was 'phoned
or notified by telegraph to be on the
lookout.
A peculiar part of the ROBBERY is the
fact that the express and mail cars
were not molested by the men. It is
not known what amount the cars con
tanned, but usually the North Coast
Limited carries rich hauls and it is
thought the men took longer in going
through the day coaches than they had
planned on or they would have tried to
blow the express safe and rifle the
registered mail pouches. Grand Forks
police are watching closely to see
whether or not the robbers are coming
this way.
Suspects Arrested in Melrose.
Melrose, Minnesota. - Three men
suspected Of robbing the North Coast
Limited, were arrested here and
fourth man escaped.
The four men came in on the Great
Northern train No. 2 and alighted ap-
parently from the blind baggage when
the train reached the coal sheds. They
were Immediately arrested. Each man
carried firearms. The total amount Of
money on the three amounted to $42.
The prisoners fit the descriptions Of
the robbers with the possible excep-
ton Of the fact that each man wore
a hat. The robbers at the time Of the
train holdup wore caps. Their names,
which are regarded as fictitious, are:
Dan Harrison, Tom Whalen and Joe
Kemper, ages, respectively, about %,
Is and 30.