The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-06
BANDIT PEELED BY . ENGINEER IN NEW ORLEANS HOSPITAL He Is Not Expected to Live. Gives Police Valuable
 Information
HE DID NOT OFFER
 TO INQUEST WOMEN
Investigation Held in Mobile by L, & N. Official at Which Engi- neer Baer Tells His Story of
 Capturing Edwards

New Orleans, September 5.-The lone bandit who Wednesday held up and robbed the New York fast train on the Louisville and Nashville railroad near Micheaud a dozen miles east of New Or leans, and was later felled by blow ol the head by Engineer Baer, was brought to New Orleans on special train from Bay St. Louis today early and placed in the charity hospital. The man gave ms name as Howard Edwards and said his family lived at Jupiter, Fla.
 He gave the police information which Is expected to lead to the capture of three other members of gang which is be- lieved to have been responsible for a series of sensational train robberies In this section. Edwards is in a precarious condition and the attendants at the hos pital said it was doubtful if he would re- cover from the injuries inflicted by the engineer.
 Following so closely upon the attempted robbery of the Cincinnati south bound passenger train on the same road at almost the same spot the night pre- vious, the work of Edwards is declared most daring. He is believed to have boarded the engine of the New York lini- ited last night at Lee station, about three miles from the place where the three ban dits Tuesday who had planned the rob- hery of the Cincinnati train, held up by mistake a freight train.
 Carried High Explosives
 Edwards crawled aboard and covered Engineer Baer and the fireman with two guns. He carried valise filled with nitro glycerine and dynamite. The train was stopped and with the engineer and fire man preceding him at the point of a re- volver, Edwards rihed the postal car of all registered matter and then relieved the men passengers in five Pullman cars and special car of their money. He declined to take jewelry and did not offer to molest women He secured almost 5000 fin cash.
 .4 He marched the engineer and Brennan back. to the engine and ortt red them tc go ahead. After riding on the engine for about 25 miles Engineer Baer caught Ed wards off his guard and struck him a ter- rife blow on the head with a brass torch fracturing the base of the skull. Edwards fired one shot as he fell which went wide Engineer Baer proceeded raining blows with the torch until he mad the bandit ur- conscious.
 When the train reached Bay St Louis the robber was taken off and placed in charge of the railroad surgeon until po- lice officers and detectives from New Or leans arrived there.
 Gives Valuable Information
 Although Edwards was unconscious at intervals throughout the night hs gave the police valuable informa tion bia na1S holds of the New Orleans force said he hoped to make several arrests with in the next few days.
 Edwards said that he had a brother fin Oklahoma City and another brother in Meridian. Miss. Edwards Is small man, only five feet six inches in height and weighs 130. He appears to be about 30 years old.
 The superintendent of the New Or leans branch of the Louisville and Nashville, who was a passenger on the train, said only one man on the train had a revolver. but could not use it because the robber had the trainmen in front of him when he passed down the aisles. Conductor Rabon hurried through the train as soon as it came to stop notifying the passengers of the presence of the bandit and telling them to hide their valuables This re- suited in many of the passengers con- trfbut1ng only small amounts to the yawning valise of the robber A. F. Simon of Alexandria. La, delivered over purse containing $365 In bills.
 No Previous Records
 Efforts today and tonight by detectives from the Northeastern railroad and police department to connect Edwards with the Northeastern train robbery a few months ago near Hattiesburg, Miss, are said to have failed. So far as learned the jn- vestigation has disclosed nothing worse in his record than that he was arrested IS years ago, when only r years old for tearing up stretch of the Alabama and Vicksburg railroad tracks. near Meridian. and that he is said to have done it tlta t he might discover the damage. and thus secure either reward or a job.
 Special Agent Horne of the Northeast ern at Meridian Identified him tonight in connection with this story
 The police believe that Edwards is either insane or hop fiend.n
 Investigation Is Held
 Mobile. September 5.-Assistant Su-
 TAl.