The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-02-07
Officials Say Loss Is Small
Although They Have Not
Ascertained the Exact
Amount Taken.
ROBBERS DYNAMITE
THE EXPRESS CAR
Fusillade of Shots Fired at
the Trainmen and Passen-
gers Detectives Securing
the Country.
(National News Assoctation)

N<>oSloudt 4NcWS <ASSOCI0ItOuy .
MEMPHIS. Tenn, Feb. 7.-Rock L.
land passenger train No. -. from
Memphis to Little Rock. carrying ap-
proximately half million dollars In
an express car, was held up and dyna-
mited by three bandits. seventeen
miles east of Hubert. Ark. at one
o'clock this morning. The amount of
booty taken ia not positively known.
express officials declaring 1t not to be
great: Passengers were not molasted
except by shots OF warning fired to
frighten them into staying I'm the
cars. The dynamite charge used was
SO large that the mail. express and
baggage cars were badly damaged.
Express officials admitted that about
$1,000 was missing from the safe. The
explosion was heard seventeen miles
away.
A special train containing detec-
tives and express company officials
was sent to the scene from Memphis.
Automobiles were commandered to
scour the countryside. On account OF
the slight lapse Of time between the
holdup and the start of the pursuit..
officers were confident the men would
soon be captured.
Owing to the darkness the trainmen
could not say definitely which direc-
ton the robbers took.
1t il believed the men were not ex-
perienced in the use of dynamite ow-
ing to the fact that they used charges
h; - 49, q.
enced bandits. 1t was pointed, would
have used : charseo OF barely ssiifficient
force to wreck the Asafe 20 % not to
alarm the neighborinx country. Ac-
cording to the trainmen thaFp were
three robbers In tho gang.
|pssTleA moaay On The expgaee Sar ssa
under the guard Or two ARMED tAea.
sengers. They were Instructed by tho
express company to cit on thu box un-
til the last dollar had been delivered.
The men. according to the express
company officials, never left their post
when the bandits fired . hundred or
more shots at the car Immediately
after Tagging it, at 500 yards west of
the junction.
Two men boarded the engine and
ordered 1t uncoupled. 1t was run down
the track not more than hundred
yards from the train. A fusillade Of
bullets greeted the passengers who
stuck their heads out Of the windows,
and when the postal car door was
opened the robbers stuck guns In the
faces of the clerks and ordered hands
up. In tho meantime the robbers had
gained an entrance to the express car.
The messengers heard them coming
and concealed the chest with the big
shipment of money. They stood
guard near IL but finally were were
forced to be bound.
Trainmen working In the yard heard
shots and q switch engine was rushed
to the scene with full crew. This
frightened the bandits and soon - the
first safe In the express car was
blown they jumped from the train and
ran.
The robbery occurred at the same
place where. the same train wAs held
up November /. Express messengers
mad train crew say the bandits were
the same gang. One OF the men is
believed to have been wounded. none
of the train crew was injured nor were
any of the passengers molested.