The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-11-04
rain H-oldup
That allied
By EDWARD SEYMOUR


the location was In wood-just the
place, In fact, for a robbery
The train came to a full stop. A
shot was heard. 1t came from the ex-
press car, but the passengers in the
smoker and two passenger coaches
couldn't tell where it came from.
There were not many passengers any
way. The train was running very
light In the smoker were several
men, way passengers, who appeared
to belong to the country through which
the road ran. In the next coach were
two ladies sitting together face to face,
while in the seat behind them was
dandifed young man, apparently ten
derfoot. On the other side was girl
travelling alone. In the next car In
the rear sat an old man and an old
woman, the personificatlon of John
Anderson My 10 John. Near them
was a maiden lady of fifty, with Cog
giles.
Suddenly the front door Of the fore
man appeared with a short rife, with
which he covered the passengers, while
another man with his revolvers in his
belt stepped into the car and said:
Produce your valuables.'
He was followed by another man,
who held revolver in each hand.
With the man at the door covering the
passengers with the rifle and a man
behind him with six shots In each
hand. the collector" was well pro-
tected in his work. The passengers
sat perfectly still, each one pulling
out his or her valuables with alacrity.
After going through the car as the
collector approached the rear door the
man with the rifle followed him. The
passengers had submitted so passively
that this, 1t seemed, would be attend
ed by little risk As he passed the
girl she whiskea a long knife from
under her skirts and, turning. drove
II into his back. He fell with a groan.
The two men who were at the other
end of the car, completing their rob-
berry. turned in time to see him fall.
One Of the ladies mentioned-the one
who was facing the rear of the car
pulled a revolver from under her man
tel, fired at the collectors attendant,
and he went down. This left the col
lector the only robber in the car. In
the few seconds that followed the dis
patching OF his two pals he knew that
he was In danger. but from what per
son he was ignorant. He had seen
young girl stab the man with the rifle
and handsomely dressed lady shoot
which Of the passengers would at
tempt to finish him. There were sew
eral able men who sat near him, but
not one of them moved. His eye was
on them for a second, and during that
very small space of time the dandified
young man who with others had turn
ed to see what was going on in the
rear put bullet through his forehead.
The same plan had been devised and
enacted In the second ear, though with
a different reception. When the col
lector and his support came to the old
man and old woman the woman with
goggles, who sat farther in the rear,
suddenly clicked a revolver and shot
the man standing in the front door
covering the passengers. This divert
ed for the moment the attention of the
collector and his attendant, and the
old woman with marvellous quickness
put a bullet through the attendant
Before the collector could draw his re-
volver the old man had shot him dead.
The events in the rear car first came
to a conclusion. The old maid threw
away her spectacles, ripped up the
front OF a calico dress, threw hat
embellished with flowers on the floor
and, being rid Of women's apparel.
stalked forward, strapping man. The
old man and old woman each dotted
a white wig. The woman tore Off her
outer garment. and each with n re
volver In each hand followed the "old
maid" 'She" threw open the door
and the three OF them stood on the
platform as the last shot rang out IN
the forward car
A similar transformation scene had
been enacted there. The girl who had
knitted one Of the robbers became Il
young man Of nineteen. the two ladies
turned out a sheriff aud his deputy.
while the dude was quiescent looking
man noted for being one of the coolest
and quickest shots in that region.
When the last robber fell the dude
threw open the rear door Of the car.
and those who had done the shooting
in both cars Jumped of. Three men in
the smoking car arose and Joined the
scattering posse Three robbers, who
had captured the express safe by firing
. single shot that had hurt no one.
were endeavoring 10 open II when. ut
each end OF the car appeared n man
bristling with revolvers. The robbers,
seeing themselves hedged i'm. fought
but were mastered
In the front car two robbers had
been killed and one wounded. while in
the rear car one robber had been killed
and ten wounded. The whole fight in
the two passenger cars and the ex-
press car did not last four minutes.
The reason OF this victory was very
simple. One OF the gang OF robbers
had quarreled with the leader and had
informed the railroad officials of the
projected robbery and Of the plans on
which IL was 10 be accomplished. The
sheriff had discnised q nnssn and nut