The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-12-16
TRAIN HELD UP AND ROBBED.
MAIL CAR ROBBED AT O'CLOCK
TUESDAY MORNING TWENTY
FIVE MILES NORTH OF
SAVANNAH.
Robbers Get on Train at Hardeeville
and Make Engineer Run Train
Beyond That Place-Express Car
on Second Section of Train Comes
i'm Safe fterwards-Though to BE
Race Track Followers.
From The Daily Item, Dec. IL.

From The Daily Item, Dec. IL.
The second robbery of the United
States Mails in this State which has
occurred in the month took place
at two O'Clock this morning when
two robbers entered the train at a
point twenty-five miles north Of Sa-
vannah and, cutting the mail and
| baggage coaches off from the rest Of
the train, made the engineer run the
two coaches a mile past the station,
where they escaped with two pouches
Of registered mail.
The robbery took place al Hardee-
Vile, a small station on the Atlantic
Coast Line railroad twenty-five miles
north Of Savannah. The train had
stopped at the water tank to get wa
ter when the robbers entered the en-
CINE and at the point Of a pistol held
the engineer and fireman under their
orders. The mail coach and baggage
coaches were cut loose from the rest
of the train and the engineer was
forced to run the engine on past the
station for about "a mile before ne
was allowed to halt his engine. AT
this place the two robbers got of,
taking with them two pouches Of
registered mail. One Of the robbers
had held the engineer and firemen of
while the other entered the mail
coach and secured the pouches from
the mail clerk.
The news Of the Gobbery was first
conveyed to Sumter by the passengers
and, employees Of the railroad COM
| ing in on train No. 81 from Charles
ton this morning. The robbery, oc-
curing as it did at o'clock in the
morning and at such an out-of-the-
way place, took place after the morn
ing papers had gone, to press and
there was nothing concerning 1t in
them.
1t happened luckily that the pas
senger and baggage traffic on the north
bound train from Savannah last night
was very heavy and II, was decided to
run two sections Of the train. On
the first section, under Conductor
Charles w. Damon, was a baggage
coach with the mail coach and on the
next section was more baggage with
the second coach. This second Sec
| tion left Savannah some time after
the first section and came through
safe to Charleston. Conductor j. c.
Morrall was in charge of the second
section. 1t was thought by the rail-
road officials that the robbers were
after the express car. but by chance
they happened to miss it. There was
comparatively little registered mail
on the train. but all that there was
was taken away, the robbers taking
both pouches containing it. On the
second section, however, there was
large amount Of money and valu-
| ables. which the robbers missed.
1t was thought by the officiaE; on
the train which was robbed that the
robbers who did this job were the
| same who carried off similar job so
successfully In Columbia several days
ago. Some Of them also ascribed the
| work to be that OF followers Of the
| race tracks, the robbery in Columbia
having occurred during the racing at
that place and 1t was thought that
these same robbers were now fol-
| lowing up the work Of the race track
at Charleston. How much Importance
can be attached to this opinion can
not be stated, but this theory was ad-
vanced by some Of the train officials.
At the place where the robbers got
off the train there was an old brick
yard and it was dark and impossible
for the officials of the train to search
for them at the ime, so the engine
and cars were run back and joined
to the other part Of the train which
had been cut off and the train pro-
ceeded on through to Charleston. 1t
will be some time before any idea of
the amount Of money which was Sc
cured by the robbers as all Of the
registeries will have to be heard from
first and this will probably take some
time.
Changes I'm The Bank of Sumter.
IL OF Mr. Ra IlAur Wa lSh