The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-05-15
Irew OF Number Two Held at Point of Gun
While Safe is Blown and Rifled--
Two Men Did the Work.
SHtRIFF BENNETT With POSSE WENT tn
scene BUT SEARCH PROVES FRUITEE EESS
CRIME COMMITTED IN BLACK NEAR okAHoLA-
SIX ATTEMPTS MADE TO BEFORE SUCCESS
CROWNS CROOKS EFFoRTs-AMoUNT vARIousLY
REPORTED NOT KNOWN

Just after train No. q on New Or
leans & Northeastern railroad passed
the flag stop known as Okahola about
eight miles south of Hattiesburg at II
O'Clock last night, Engineer Maher and
his negro fireman, were surprised when
two masked bandits crawled over the
tender and pointing their pistols, COM
manded them to obey orders. The
engineer threw on his brakes and
said, Il will stop righ now" One of
the highwaymen said, mo- pull on
around the curve and stop when | tell
= you to do So" Obeying orders the en-
gineer ran for few hundred yards,
and having turned the curve the ban
dit said stop"
Train Brought to StandstilI
AS soon as the train came to a halt
the engineer and fireman were order
ed to go back to the train. Arriving
at the baggage car the engineer was
ordered to have the Express Messen-
ger open the car. When Messenger
Gray of Chattanooga opened the door
he was ordered to come out. Leaving
the engineer, fireman and messenger
in his partners charge the leading
bandit jumped into the car and at
once began work on the large standard
combination through express safe.
Applies Charge, Jumps to Ground.
Applying his charge of nitro-glycer-
inc to the safe he jumped to the ground
and awaited the explosion, after which
he climbed again into the car, to find
that his work was ineffective. Being
undaunted by little thing like that,
he repeated his artistic work in dyna-
mics six times with the result that he
proved the value of the maxim, "if at
first you don't succeed try, try again."
Having used up all of the nitro-glycer-
inc he had, the cracksman came to his
pal and asked for an additional supply
which was furnished, being in the form
of small package of some substance
unknown to the trainmen.
Last Shot Got It.
When applying to his pal for an ad-
ditional supply of explosives the rob-
Der doing the work on the safe, said to
his companion In crime, "if we don't
succeed this time We will have to give
It up" With the sixth explosion the
safe yielded to the repeated attacks
and the door flew open exposing the
valuable contents, consisting of large
quantity of paper money, about three
hundred silver dollars and one watch.
The safe being a through service
safe, 1t was locked with combination
lock before leaving New Orleans and
no one outside the office of the South
ern Express Company's New Orleans
office could say how much booty the
robbers got away with.
A. & V. Payroll in Safe.
It is reported that the currency for
the A. & V. pay roll, being shipped to
Meridian was in the safe.
Sums varying between $4,000 and
100000 have been reported as the
amount of the loss.
When train No. arrived in Hatties-
burg two hours behind its schedule
time. there was great excitement
around the station when it was learn
ed that the cause of delay of this
long. fast, through train, was one OF
the most daring and successful rob
heries ever occurring, and the only one
of any moment in this section OF the
south. Express Agent Rosseau and
night clerk Parker promptly made an
inspection of the express car and the
safe. Mr.. Rosseau stated that he found
a number of silver dollars scattered In
the car, about seventy-fve OF Wnicn
were curled as though they had been
heated in a crucable He picked up
about three hundred silver dollars
which he held over at Hattiesburg.
Money overlooked by Bandits.
Night Clerk Parker states tnat 2