The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-12-24

Inc men spread out across the mead
ow in chase. Every man seemed
armed and every gun must have been
at work. When we got the train to-
gether again and got under way it was
after L o'clock. The bandits had kept
us standing there about an hour and
a half
Felt Like Movie Actor.
felt like an actor on a moving
picture film throughout the engage
ment,' was the way F. NJ Ayres ex-
From the time that the man with
the white cowl stuck his head in the
door and drew me to the ground with
his deadly looking revolver, until the
bandits disappeared ahead of the
posse shook. In the first place
mad been working by a warm stove
and they made me jump down and
stand in the cold for at least an hour
without a coat on and with low shoes
and no hat.
when the man in the white mask
had fired three shots and had failed
to open the through safe he yelled out
the door: Say, Bill, send in that
dynamite
Bill used me as a messenger. With
my hand quivering worse than any
aspen leaf, 1 took the dainty package
wrapped in burlap just as Bill handed
1t to me under the guidance of BilPs
gun and carried it to the man in the
car. He fired two more shots after
1.-The robbers never got a dime as
far as I know. There was nothing for
them in the small local safe which
they unlocked with key. They took
away no outside parcels, did not touch
the valuable ones in the through safe
and that canvas bag they went
through so carefully was nothing but
express bills of lading."
Could Have Been Captured Easily
j. E. Dolan of BLOOMINGTON, iii.
said any man among the passengers
with revolver might have captured
both robbers.
They paid little attention to the
back of the train" he said, land in
stopping the detached part so close by
they left all their movements uncov-
cred: l could see them working as 1
stood in the chair car window. The
man with the canvas sack took it
over the fence into the meadow and
sat down and tore it open on his
knees. He might have been looking
for a four leafed clover for ali the
haste he showed"
Flagman Roller could see little of
Importance in his part in the affair.
Il was on the back platform when
the conductor stepped down beside the
train and was met by two warning
shots from the white masked bandit.
A peek around the corner was enough
for me. L ran all the way to the sig
nal tower at Hes expecting every min
ute to be overtaken by a bullet
AT Hes I got a telephone to Spring.
AAlCy Lleio0 QUICK work there for
it seemed no time until a switch en-
CINE loaded with men came tearing
down the track. It's headlight was
burning though the CLEAN was lost
in the moonlight. I got them to turn
off the headlight before we ran on
down to where the robbers were work
ing.
Apparently they did not start till
they heard US coming. 1 believe they
must have been amateurs"
H. F. Mccormick, a passenger from
Springfield, ILL.,, describing the scene
said the travellers in the chair car
seemed to enjoy the experience. He
continued: "At first when the conduc-
tor announced we were being held up
and advised everybody to keep inside
the car there were gasps from the wo-
men and some attempts on the part
of the men to get behind things. but
as the minutes passed and nothing vio-
lent developed everybody began crowd
ing to the windows. When the bandits
started their race toward the corn
field they could be seen plainly