The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-02-14
FIVE ROBBERS CRACK SAFE and
MAKE THEIR ESCAPE.
MAIL CAR WAS WRECKED
IT. is Reported That the Robbers
Took From Sixty to Seventy-Fiye
Thousand Dollars From the Safe
in the Express Car and Then Made
Their Escape.

Five men held up Rock Island
passenger train No. 43, westbound.
early Wednesday near Hubert, Ark,
dynamited safe on the express car,
ransacked the mail coach and made
away with plunder the amount OF
which has not been definitely deter.
mined.
The explosive blew the superstruc-
ture of the combination baggage and
express car to splinters aud Ere
which followed reduced the wreckage
of baggage, express matter and what
was left OF the ca: to ashes. Tho
passengers were not moleste1 and the
robbery was accomplished without
the firing Of shc1. The men es-
capped, going into the woods in dif-
ferent directions.
The train left Memphis shortly af-
ter midnight and was boarded by two
uen, masked and heavily armed, ina-
mediately after It cleared the west
ern terminus Of the bridge over the
Mississippi river from Memphis.
Crawling over the tender OF the en-
sire. the two took charge OF the en-
gine crew and several miles further
the train was stopped at their diree-
t!on, where their three companions
were in waiting about camp dre.
Here the baggage and mail cars
were detached from the passenger
coaches. the engineer made to dis
embark aud the fireman forced to
Grive the engine with the two cars
attached several miles. In the mean
time four OF the hand had forced
their way into the express and mail
cars and had brought the postal
clerks and express messengers to sao-
lection.
Practically no resistance was Of
fered. When point abou; a mile
east Of Hulburt aid within few
yards OF where the same train was
robbed last November, was reached,
the engine was brought to stop.
the express safe dyuamited and reg
istered mail pouc rihed.
Coincident with the hold up, tele-
graph wires went out Of commission
and the first intimation had In Mem
phis that anything was amiss with
the train was when the explosions
were heard y.railroad employees sta~
toned at the Memphis end Of tha
bridge. What was taken to be a
heavy fire OF small arms, but which
proved to be the explosion OF con-
signment Of ammunition when the
baggage car was set afre, followed
and a hasty call was sent to the Men,
phis police for aid. A posse went to
the scene aboard a switch engine,
but before their arrival the robbers
we're well on their way and super
fetal search Of the surrounding
woods was without result.
When telegraphie communication
was restored, railroad detectives
we're summoned from Little Rock
and Memphis and al daylight posses
were organized and systematic
search was begun. To prevent the
robbers escaping to the Memphis side
Of the river under cover of darkness,
men were stationed along the levee
and gasoline launches were employed
in natro11inp the river
At noon Wednesday It was report
ed that sum Of money, consigned
to bank in Oklahoma, estimated
at between s6o,oG9 and $4,000, had
been secured from the express car
BY the robbers Posses were still
securing the wooded valleys across
the Mississippi river from Memphis,
but no arrests had been reported up
to noon.