The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-05-22
A RICH HAUL
BY DARING BANDITS
Train Robbers Hold Up Express Train
In Mississippi and Take Nearly

haul, Variously estimated at from
$4,000 to 100000, was made by two
masked bandits who early this morn
ing held up the Queen & Crescent
New York limited train No. near
Okahola, flag station eight miles
south of Hattiesburg, and blew open
the safe of the Southern Express car.
Express officials tonight deny that
the sum obtained aggregated any
thing like the latter figure, but de-
clined to make any estimate of the
loss.
The bandits who are believed TO
De the pair who held up the Mo-
bile & Ohio train at Corinth, Miss.
In February, made their escape and
tonight were still at large.
When Sheriff Bennett of Perry
county reached the scene of the hold
up with bloodhounds, about dawn.
the trail OF the robbers was taken
up by the dogs. This led them to
the junction of the New Orleans &
Northeastern railroad and a tap line
road, where the trail was lost 1t
is believed the men boarded a freight
train at this junction. Four men
are reported to have been seen leay-
ing the freight train when it arriy
ed at Hattiesburg few hours after
the holdup, but the authorities here
have been unable to locate the sus
pected quartette.
The safe in the exprss car was
locked with time signal lock when
the train left New Orleans last night
and there was guard in the car in
addition to the regular messenger.
1t is said there was one package
OF money representing the pay roll of
the Alabama & Vicksburg railroad at
Meridian and about twenty five pack
ages OF money representing the re-
mittances of agents or the express
company at points along the Vicks-
burg, Shreveport e Pacific railroad.
In addition to these there were two
or more sacks Of silver, containing
one thousand dollars each, other
packages of currency and several
packages of jewelry, valuable stock
certificates and bonds.
The holdup of the train was eff
fected In true wild west manner
but, notwithstanding a generous
fourishing of weapons, not shot
was fired. The passengers were not
molested.
When the train was passing the
flag station, Okahola, the two mask
ed bandits climbed over the tender
and with drawn revolvers, called out
to engineer Maher and his fireman,
obey orders" The engineer i'm
mediately threw on his brakes, saying
I'll stop right now"
No" said one of the bandits, pull
on around the curve and stop when
| tell you to stop"
After the train had turned the
curve above Okahola the engineer
was given the command to stop and
complied promptly.
with guns pointed at their heads
the engineer and fireman were
marched back to the baggage car and
the former was ordered to call the
express messenger. When Messenger
ID. A. Gray, of Chattanooga, stepped
In the door of his car, he looked
into the muzzle of a pistol and did
not hesitate to obey the order to get
down.
Other trainmen were prbmptly
lined up alongside the train and
leaving them IN charge of his part
ner, the commanding bandit Jumped
into the express car and at once be-
gan work on the large through safe.
After applying charge OF nitrogly-
cerine he got down and awaited the
explosion. 1t was ineffective and
successfully five other charges of the
high explosive were set off before he
accomplished his purpose. The sixth
charge blew off the safe door and
scattered silver coin and packages of
currency and other valuables in ev-
cry direction.
Except about three hundred dol
lars in silver, everything dn sight
was hurriedly placed in sack and
the two men backed off into the
darkness with their revolvers Ieveiled
at the heads of the train crew. At
ter walking backwards for about 100
yards the men dashed of and are
believed to have fed on horses
which had been left In charge of a