The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-05-16
TRAIN HELD Up;
ROBBERS MADE
HAUL OF $4,000
TWO MASKED MEN GET AWAY
WITH A BIG PILE ON
QUEEN G. CRESCENT.
They Climbed over Tender Of Engine,
and, Covering Engineer and Fire
man With Pistols, Made Them Obey
Orders.

Hattiesburg, Miss, May ia ricn
haul was made by two masked ban
dts who early this morning held up
the Queen & Crescent New York lin
ited, No. 2, near Okahola, a flag sta
ton eight miles south of Hattiesburg,
and blew open the safe of the South
ern Express car. The sum the rob-
bers secured is variously estimated at
from $4,000 to $150,O00. Express Of
f1cials deny that the sum obtained ag-
gregated anything like the latter fig
ure
The bandits, who are believed to
be the pair which held up and robbed
the Mobile and Ohio train near Cor
inth, Miss, in February, made their
escape. At early dawn Sheriff Ben
nett of this county, started in pur-
suit of the robbers with twenty dep
uties and two b1oodhounds.
The safe in the express car was
locked with a time signal lock when
the train left New Orleans last night,
and there was a guard in the car, in
addition to the regular messenger.
Much Money in Safe.
1t is said there was one package of
money representing the payroll of the
Alabama & Vicksburg railroad at Me-
ridian, and about twenty five pack
ages Of money representing the re-
mittances of agents of the express
company at points along the Vicks-
burg, Shreveport & Pacific railroad,
and in addition to these there were
two more sacks of silver containing
one thousand dollars each, other pack
ages of currency and several pack
ages of jewelry valuable stock certi
fcates and bonds.
The hold-up of the train was effect
ed in true wild west manner, but
notwithstanding a generous flourishing
of weapons not shot was fired. The
passengers were not molested.
When the train was passing the
station the two masked men climbed
over the tender and with drawn re-
volvars called to Engineer Maher and
his fireman, "obey orders"
The engineer Immediately threw on
his brakes, saying 'I'n stop right
now" ~
NO" said one of the bandits, "pull
on around the curve and stop when
1 tell you" =
Stopped Train at Curve.
After the train had turned the
curve above Okahola the engineer was
given the command to stop, and he
complied promptly.
With guns pointed at their heads
the engineer and fireman were then
marched back to the baggage car and
the former was ordered to call the
express messenger. When Messenger
D. A. Gray of Chattanooga, stepped
to the door of his car he looked into
the muzzle Of pistol and did noS
hesitate to obey the order to get
down.
Olher trainmen were promptly lined
up alongside the train, and leaving
them in charge of his partner, the
commanding bandit jumped into the
express car and Began work on the
large through express. safe. After ap-
plying a charge of nitroglycerine he
got down and awaited the explosion.
1t was ineffective and successfully
five other charges of the high explo-
sive were set off before he accom-
plisn9d his purpose. The sixth charge
blew off the safe door and scattered
silver coin and packages of currency
and other valuables in every d1rec-
ton. Except about $500 in silver,
everything in sight was hurrledly
placed in a sack and the two men
backed off into the darkness with
their revolvers leveled at the heads
of the train crew. After walking back
wards for about hundred yards the
men dashed off and are believed to
have fed on horses which had been
left in charge of a third robber.
When the train reached here at
a. IN, Express Agent Rosseau and
Night Clerk Parker inspected the ex-
press car. They picked up from the
floor Of the car about three hundred
silver dollars and found several silver
Adollars that had adhered to the sides
of the safe. They also found in the
safe about 500 in currency.
Robbers Tracked to Railway.
Rloodhounds taken to the scene OF
4he robbery by Sheriff Bennett, after
taking up the trail Of the ROBBERS
succeeded in following it for only
short distance north Of okahola' los-