The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02
ARMED POSSES HAVE 4 FRU|TLESS SEARCH FOR TRAIN ROBBERS
Dynamite Wrapped in Pol ish Newspaper Is Only
 Clue Found
DEED WAS PROBABLY
 DONE BY FOREIGNERS
Mail Clerk and Baggage Master Who Were Wounded in the Sensa- tional Hold-Up Are DO-
 ing We'll

Ing well
 Erie, Pa, July 1.-Posses that have been securing the country in search of the band of hold-up men that last night at tempted to rob train No. Al on the Phil adelphia and Erie branch of the Penn sylvania lines began to return to this city early tonight and all but the railroad de- tectives have given up the search. Detectives exploring the vicinity of the scene of the hold-up found tonight two sticks of dynamite that had been hidden beneath tree. They were wrapped in Polish newspaper dated March +, 1911. The dynamite was that manufactured by the Aetna Powder company of Cincin- natl, O.
 F armers living about Four mile creek, which flows by the scene of the hold-up, have reported that strange men had been seen proving about for several days. Mrs F. J. Aman tonight told the detec- tives that a foreigner passed her home about daybreak this morning, limping as though wounded. It is thought he was one of the bandits.
 That the bandits knew of prospective booty on the train, the police are conf- dent There was $45,0G0 in the baggage car that had been gathered at the vari- ous stations along the Philadelphia and Erie branch and was being brought here for deposit in a bank.
 c. II. Block the mail clerk, and James Hart, the baggagemaster, who were wounded by the bullets of the desper- adoes, are in a hospital here and doing we'll
 A hundred or more farmers, every avail able police officer in the county and the state police are searching today for the train robbers, who last night held up train No il on the Philadelphia and Erie branch on the Pennsylvania lines in the most approved style of the wild west l The train was bound from Philadelphia
 for Chicago and was brought to stop
 shortly after 10 o'clock against ties and
 telegraph poles piled on the track at | WesleyviHe, about five miles from this city The bandits rihed the mail and ex-
 press cars before they escaped, the mal Icleih was shot and seriously wounded the conductor was stoned and many pas
 sengers had narrow escapes from deatf
 or wounds by bullets.
 Conflicting Stories Told
 The ic-stricken passengers tell con l fiicting stories as to the number or rob-
 bers. but all agree they were masked.
 Some say there was six, other ten. l No accurate information is obtainable as to the amount of loot the robbers secured.
 Reports that they got $25.0o0 which was being shipped to- this city by Adams Ex- | press were denied by the express com pany, as well as railroad officials. l The train was rounding Five Mile curve at reduced speed when Engineer Albert | Carey, who was responsible for 800 or more passengers the train carried saw l the obstruction on the track in the refiec- l ton of the locomotive headlight. The l locomotive dashed into the pile of timber | and came to a stop. Had the train been | running at any kind of speed 1t would have been hurled over the outer side of the curse, down an embanlSment of rocks 1 POO feet below.
 Crew Offers Resistence
 As the train stopped one of the robbers boarded the locomotive. Carey jumped
 to the floor of the cab from his riding seat | and hurled coal at the man. The bandit
 
 struggled with the robber until another
 came up and threw Carey over the em-
 bankment His clothing caught on a pro- 1 trudng plank and he escaped with a | wrenched back
 l C. H. Block of this city. one of the mail
 clerks was first warned by the smashing | of the mail car door. The gang immedi- | ately opened fire on him.
 1 He drew two guns and emptied both at l the robbers before he fell with a bullet
 through his hip. He Is in a hospital here | in serious condition.
 l Conductor IT. D. Rooney crawled to a | farm house. He was chased by a posse
 of farmers, who thought him one of the
 robbers and he sought refuge in a tree.
 The farmers with lanterns discovered | their mistake and Rooney got to a tele- ! phone and notified the railroad officials | here who dispatched officers on a switch engine.
 Panic Ensues The passengers, when they learned they ] were participating in hold-up of yellow ! novel magnitude, became panic stricken Women screamed hysterically and faint ed Heads thrust from the windows were
 hastily pulled back and those that ven- l tured to leave hastened within the cal
 when dozens of shots were fired along
 the line of the train. None of the pas l
 but the express agent on the train, James Hart received bullet in the side and was brought to hospital here. l Carl O. Anderson of Renova, Pa. a
 salesman, grappled with one of the hold
 ups, and was hurled over steep em-
 bankment. He was saved from serious
 injury by catching on a bush and Is al
 a hotel here with severe bruises and
 cuts. Anderson says the man he tackled | was an Italian. | Philadelphia. July i. According to of- ficial reports received today at the Penn
 sylvania railroad officers here. no mail or express matter was taken by the men who held up the train near Erie last night
 The company has large force of Its own police on the trail of the gang The officials here say the hold-up was the
 work of a gang of Italians. who may have been drinking and suddenly con ceived the idea of holding up and rob- ping the train.
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