Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-26
After Uncoupling Engine
and Express Car Robbers
rs Make Five Futile Efforts
's 20 Blow the Safe.
FLAGMAN RAN TO
TELEGRAPH OFFICE
ofhcers of Road and Spring
held Police Come to Scene
on a Switch Engine but
Bandits Escaped,

.SnSiu'' ili,, .D3C. 2i.--BOOty
worm $4,000 was the prize sought by
Tue bandits who held up and attempted
"',successfully to rob the Chicago and
Anon passenger train Hummer" near
res Junction. four miles south OF
ap,insneld last night. In the safe
mn'cn resisted five attempts to break
lnto II, were money, jewelry and other
vaiuaoies worth that sum. It was said
py express company off1cials today
ana u is believed the would-be rob-
ners mad an inkling Of the value OF
me christmas treasure the train was
carrying from Chicago to ST. Louis
and Kansas City.
Vigus OF Springfield. were arrested g.
the yards of the Illinois Central ~
the police this morning on suspicion
OF being the men who robbed ths
Hummer Both men deny thew had
anything to do with the robbery,
Ihe story of the bold holdur
rivals the most hair raising dime
novel adventures.
me bandits rode out OF Springfield
on the blind baggage OF the "Hummer.s
climbed over the tender and coveyina
Ems ngineep Sam Mclaughlin nand Fire
man Sullivan witht'revolvers compel.
led them to stop the train sooi, after
1t left the city. They then forced the
engine crew to detach the engine and
express car from the train and run it
snort distance ahead One or the
gang kept the engineer and fireman
covered" while another attacked the
express car and ordered Express Mes
senger Fred Ayers to keen within
range Of the revolver OF the bandit
who covered" the engineer and Are
man.
Then, in five distinct explosions. the
bandits used enough nitrnglycerine
and dynamite to blow the state house
TO atoms in their efforts to brrst the
safe. But the stout little box with.
stood the terrific shocks
Meanwhile most Of the passengers
who had awakened terror stricken
kept to their berths. Nc attampt to
rob them was made and fnallv after
forty-five minutes Of their ineffectnal
attacks on the safe the bandits orened
an express package containing napers
OF no value to them and escaned
Passengers Were Curious.
| A few passengers some courageous
mitted they did not want to be lett
Alone" accompanied Conductor John
| c. Boyd Of Chicago when he startedto
make An Investigation
Get back there. you" WAS their
greeting. emphasized with revolver
shots when they anDroa ched the ex-
press car. After that the psssengers
were content to remain safely under
Tho -,
as the hold-up. When Flagman Horace
Smith ran hack and notified the
operator at lies. the latter wired to
the Alton offices in Springfield. and a
switch engine was pressed into serv-
ice and fifteen deputies police officers
and detectives were sent to the scene.
Dimmed Headlight.
Engineer O. S. Hanks was in COM
mand of the switch engine. To make
the approach less noticeable he dark
ened his headlight and sped his train
forward, depending only on the bright
glow of the moon.
When the switch engine approached
the scene the officers could plainly
see two Of the men at work rifling an
express package 200 yards from the
train. At first the pair paid no heed
to the switch engines arrival but
when the officers stepped down the
men fled.
The officers tried to surround the
men, who they were sure they would
capture, but the bandits mysteriously
disappeared. Most Of the deputies re-
turned to the city at daylight report.
ing nothing doing" Sheriff Mester
sent out another force of men. and
Police Chief Underwood put all the
men at his command on the Job. It
was believed the bandits crept back
in the city, which is being searched
thoroughly and several suspects have
been arrested 1t is possible they
boarded a Wabash freight train then
passing the scene Of the hold-up n
definite clews are not found today
Sheriff Mester will probably request
Governor Deneen to issue a proclama-
tion Offering reward.
Are Nearly Overtaken.
The robbers worked forty.f min
utes in the express car thus giving
the switch engine, carrying officers,
time to reach the scene before the
j