Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-01
OFFICERS AND FARMERS JOIN IN
SEARCH FOR BANDIrs IN
PENNSYLVANIA,
ROBBERS WRECK TRAM,
LOOT MAIL AND EXPRESS
Masked Thieves Hold Up Train IN East
In True Wild West Style-wound
Mail Clsrk and Conductor and Throw
Engineer Over Preoipice-Bloodshsd
Certain If Mon Aro Ovsrtaksn.

Erie. Pa. July IA hundred or more
farmers. every available police officer
in the county. and the state police arc
searching today for the train robbers
that last night held UP and robbed
train No. IL on tho Philadelphia d
Erie branch OF the Pennsylvania line,
in the most modern methods OF tho
Wild west.
Mail CIsrk Wounded.
The train was bound from Phila-
delphta for Chicago and was brought
to u stop shortly after 10 o'clock
against the ties that were piled on the
track at Wesleyville. about five miles
from this city. The bandits rined tho
mail and express cars before they es-
capped, The mail clerk was shot and
seriously wounded. The conductor
was stoned and many passengers had
narrow escapes from death by bullets.
Bloodshed Probable.
The men who are searching for the
robbers are heavily armed and an en-
counter with the bandits means blood
shed Panic stricken passengers tell
conflicting stories as to the number OF
the robbers. but all agree that they
were masked. Some say there were
six. others say ten. In any event there
were enough to successfully carry out
tho boldest hold up in this section OF
the country in years
Amount Of Loot Not Known.
No accurate Information Is obtain
able as to the amount OF loot the rob-
bers secured. Reports that they got
$4,000 which was being shipped 20
this city by tho Adams Express were
promptly denied by the express COM
pany, as we'll as the railroad OFFICIALS
The train was rounding five mile
curb at reduced speed when Engineer
Albert Carey. who was responsible for
500 or more passengers. saw the OBJ
structfon on the track in the refac-
ton OF the locomotive headlight.
Throwing on the reverse the locomo-
tive crashed In the pile OF timber and
came to stop. Had the train been
running at any kind OF speed railroad
men say 1t would have been hurled
over the outer side of the curve down
an embankment 200 feet below.
Engineer Shows Fight.
AS the train stopped one of the rob-
bers boarded the locomotive. Carey
Jumped to the floor OF tho cab and
hurled coal at the man. The bandit
fred and Carey lea ped to the ground
and struggled with the -ohher until
another came up and threw Carey over
the embankmant. His clothing caught
on n protruding plank and he escaped
with "A wrenched back.
Conductor Feiied With Stone.
One OF the mail clerks was first
warned by tho smashing in of the mail
car door The gang opened fire with
him. He drew two guns and opened
'lre on the gang. He was shot In the
hip and Is in n serious condition. Con-
duCtor Rooney obtained a revolver
from 4 passenger and fought his way
thru the gang but was feied with
stone. He made his way to n farm
house where he was chased by n far
mer who took him for rohber He
sought refuge IN a tree. The farmers
discovered their mistake and helped
him to telephone.
Erie. Pa. July 1.-The Philadelphia
and Erie passenger and mail train
which was due In this city ut 10 o'clock
last evening was held up by a gang
OF masked men and robbed, five miles
east of this city some time last even
ing.
The appearance OF the train
caused some anxiety and the cause OF
tho delay was not learned for nearly
half an hour when a telephone mes
sage informed Officials In this city OK
the holdup.
In short time every available Of
t'cer in the city was being rushed to
the scene and towns surrounding wero
notified by telephone to watch for the
robbers.
1t is learned that the mail clerk was
shot and probably fatally injured and
the conductor was struck with sew
eral stones and seriously hurt. In tho
fight which followed, moro than fifty
shots were fired.
The robbers had placed nn obstruc-
ton across the tracks and the train
narrowly escaped going over 800
foot embanl<meut.
The train was stopped by an OBJ
struction on the track.
One OF the robbers is believed to have
been wounded by Il shot from E,x-
press Messenger James Blocks revolt
Yer. Finally the robbers backed away
from the train toward the woods, firing
as they went.
The train from Philadelphia held
up five miles from here last night ar
rived at midnight. two hours late.
1t is not a train that expert rob-
bers would attack. 1t is expected that
tho robbers We're foreigners.