The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-31
joe Gaines Was on u. p. Mail
Car in HOIdup.
Tells How LOunsberry Robbed
the Car.
COOL, QUIET, DETERMINED
He Was Polite to Six Clerks,
but Had Nerve.
And They Did What He Told
Them to Do.

That Wells Lounsberry. who held up
and robbed he Union Pacific mail train
a little over a week ago was very cool
and collected in his work, and seemed
considerate of the feelings of the six
postal clerks on the car at the time, 10
the statement of Joe Gaines, zoos Kan
sas- avenue one Of the clerks on the car.
THE robber never made any. gun
play at ALL" said Gaines. Nearly all
the time he just carried the gun In his
hand at his side. He never asked us 10
hold up our hands. He didn't seem to
think it was necessary
The robber came into the car perore
We were more than car length away
from where we had been standing ct
the Kansas City depot.
what are you doing here?' Smalley,
the paper man. asked him.
II don't think the robber answered
him at first, and Smalley started to put
him off the car when he flashed that
little gun of his.
What are you doing here and what
do you want?' Smalley asked him
e I thought I would hold you up the
rcbber said. quietly.
'What2' Smalley said.
'--Oh. I thought I would hold you up.
Close those two DOORS he said then,
quickly. and go and break the news TO
the chief
''SmaIley closed the doors and came
forward to where Joe Writers, in charge
OF the car, Stewart and were working
NJ the letter cases, and he brought with
him two men who were working on the
Papers, Oldfield and fairfield. He said
something to the boss, but / didn't
catch it, and I wasn't sure what was
going on.
Could Not Scare Him.
He asked Stewart if we stopped at
Armstrong. and Stewart. trying 10
scare him little think, told him that
We stopped there and then said: An in
SpectOr nearly always gets on at Arm
strong But that didn't seem to bother
him a bit. He had US throw off the
pouch at armstrong and then close the
doors again. Even the racket of the
railroad detectives chasing buns off the
train. and running over the roof boiler
ing. did not seen. to disturb him. He
was just cool as he could be.
Had Cards in lis Pocket.
I'VE stopped oEce between Armstrong
and Bonner Springs, bit did not put
oft or take on any mail. We stopped
right in front of the depot and he didn't
seem to like that very much. After we
got under way he said: You fellows are
little too many for me. guess I
thall have to tie you up He pulled a
pocketfun of buckskin thongs out of
his pocket and told Stewart to tie us
uU, and he did
This is the thong was tied with,
Gaines interrupted his narrative to say IS
he pulled piece of buckskin thong, about
thirty inches long, out of his pocket.
Stewards Stratagem.
He had us put off the pouch at Bon
ner and close the door again. And be-
tween times he had Stewart cut open the
registered pouches. Stewart tried a trick
with him once. He kicked one of the reg
istered pouches under a pile of empties,
and the robber didn't seem to notice II.
After he had US all tied up, though, he
put down his gun long enough to tie
Stewart, and then he went forward and
opened the drawers, but didn't find anJ-
thing in them. Then he kicked around
and found the pouch Stewart had kicked
under the empties. He d1dn't say Woro
then. didn't even look up, he just whipped
out his knife and slit it open. Later he
found registered pouch for Denver'
LAS we got up toward Lawrence he
came back toward where we were and
and opened that 1t was full of white
stuff and ne began blindfolding us. After
he had finished that he took the clerks
handkerchiefs and stuffed them in their
mouths. I didn't have any so he ripped
on about yard of cloth he had and
stuck that in my mouth.
Started to Hit Stewart.
As we got into Lawrence the blindfold
on Stewards eyes slipped and Stewart
saw him standing in the doorway, the
registered stuff in a brown box and his
long coat that looked like an automobile
coat, done up and put in the box. He
was all ready to jump OF. He turned and
back and frightened the blindfold, and
raised his gun as though he would hit
him But he didn't-just walked back to
is anybody loosen Stewart asked
He's gone I pulled on my tie and found
1 could get loose in a minute, and then
1 began untying the others.
las we came up to Bonner Springs
was kidding Stewart, who was standing
in the door ready to throw off the pouch
about the depot and who would be there.
The robber listened little while ard
You've said about enough now re
said. wen let 1t go at that and of course
1 stopped talking.
Deadly Cool and Quiet.
For quite q little while after he got on
the train kept on working 1t was some
time before 1 knew we were being held
kept busy at the letter cases.
II believe II he had stayed on the car
until we got started out of Lawrence, and
had put on a pouch a--d taken on one,
nobody would have known he wasn't a
clerk, and he mig have got away all
right But he forgot that. or overlooked
it some way. and right there was where
he slipped F.a
The robber was so quiet and gentle
manly that none of us were much scared.
I wasn't scared at all, and did not get ex-
cited. He did not seem to be in hurry
at ALL but knew just what he wanted all
the time He talked very little. and never
fact most of the time he carried It point
ing down at his side. He held it Just to
show us he had it I think"
Joe Gaines is well known in Topeka hav-
ing lived here nearly all his life He has
been in the postal service about two years
and is on the run from Kansas city 10
Hugo, Colo.
Legal Bureau for Women.
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