The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-07-10
OUTW|TTING A
BAND OF ROBBERS
What Happened When a Wo-
man Got Glass of Water

station was frequently merely place
for people to come from a distance t
get aboard the cars.
One evening in December train ap
preaching one of these sheds-for thai
is all it was-was tagged with a ban
danna handkerchief by four men. The
engineer pulled up at the platform anc
the men got aboard. They were for q
time very we'll behaved. looking about
them. evidently with view to observ
ing their surroundings. The train con
sisted of a locomotive, baggage car
and coach. The only passengers were
two men, peaceabe looking farmers
and two women, apparently their
wives.
"See here. Mr. Conductor" said one
OF the party, I'm the president of this
company jist now and you're to look
to me for orders. I'll trouble you to
increase this funereal pace and snake
us along TO the next station across the
divide. You go tell the engineer that
! I'll give him three hours to make the
liz miles"
who are your" asked the conductor.
''Who am II I'm Simms."
There was a grim silence. The two
farmers cast glances at each other, and
their wives got down under the seats.
Simms and his gang had terrorized the
| region for months without being mo.
Tested. No one either dared or felt dis.
posed to make it his business to hunt
| them down. A few days before they
| had entered a town. pundered bank
in broad daylight and had taken to the
desolate region through which they
were now travelling.
Now, we don't want nothing" con.
tinued Slmms, but to git on. There's
no plumber aboard this train, and we
don't want 1t If there is. Git US to
B. by 8 o'clock. and neither you nor
your passengers will be molested."
"All right" said the conductor. "I'll
get you through without fall"
One of the gang went forward with
the conductor to take position on the
locomotive, another stationed himself
In the baggage car, while the other two
remained among the passengers The
train proceeded on its way as IL moth.
Ing had happened. Simms at first re-
manned in the coach, but soon got up
and went forward. but not until he had
called a man to take his place. He was
very sharp with his men, cautioninG
them not TO relax their vigilance be-
cause they had everything their own
way, but they seemed TO dread moth
ing, at least within the train, and In
deed there did not appear to be any.
thing to dread. The few train hands
aboard moved about at their usual dn.
ties, while the farmers and their wives
seemed to be dreading every moment
that they would be murdered. Dark
ness came on, and one of the hands
lighted the lamps. Sims came into
the coach and talked In a low tone
with the two robbers there.
1t was about O'Clock. The two rob
bers In the passenger coach were sit
ting talking together. They had taken
a position where they could keep the
party of farmers before them. The
farmers occupied two seats facing each
other, the men facing the women and
the robbers. the women with their
backs to the robbers. The women had
quieted down. One of them got up and I
walked past the outlaws to the rear OF
the car. They followed her with their
eyes till they saw that she had gone 70
get glass OF water, then ceased to
pay any attention to her. Suddenly
two words rang out sharp and clear:
"Hands upp'
The order was shouted within foot
OF the two robbers ears. AT the same
moment the farmers each whipped out
revolver. The yobbers' first impulse
was to look back. They saw a woman
with a revolver in each hand. the muz-
zles within few inches of their heads,
Then the two farmers approached and
disarned the robbers. while the two
women threw off their outside apparel
and appeared In mems attire. One OF
the two robbers gave yell as a signal
for his followers. but his voice was
drowned by the rattle of the train.
Two Of the farmers now proceeded
to the baggage car. One of them threw
open the door, while the other stood
with a revolver pointed into the car.
The robber there was on the lookout
and fred as soon as the door was
opened, but as the man who threatened
him stood beside instead of before the
door he was uninjured Simms at the
time was on the locomotive. Hearing
the shot, he was climbing over the coal
in the tender TO go to the baggage car ,
when the engineer shot him dead. The
robber in the baggage car. not receiv-
ing assistance, soon yielded to an order
to throw up his hands, In five minutes
from the time. the supposed woman
went to get drink of water three of .
The gang had been captured and their
leader killed.
A vigilance committee had for some
time been trying to stop the depreda-
tons of Simms and his men, but had
failed The cashier of the bank they
had last robbed, very energetic man,
attended to following the gang him
self He tracked them into a region
from which he felt sure their quickest
and surest plan of exit was to capture
A train. This one was purposely pre-
pared. The engineer, conductor and all
train hands were armed and the farm
ers and their wives were picked men