The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-18
"GOVeT" Engine Crew With Guns
 and UnGOupIe Car Contain ing S25,OOO
FORGED TO FLEE
 WITHOUT BOOTY
SheTiffS and Posse Held at Bay Dynamite Didn't Do
 Trick

Springfield, Ills, June 1s-Two mask ed bandits held up the Illinois Central Diamond Special enroute to Chicago from St. Louis, 10 miles south of here, shortly after midnight. last night, fought a pitched battle with a posse of deputy sheriffs and city policemen from Springfield, who came upon them while dynamitfpg the safe in the ex- press car and escaped after them selves running the engine to a point near the city limits of Springfield. The train was brought to Springfield, early today, and an examination of the ex- press car showed the bandits obtained nothing of value, the explosion of dyn- amfte having failed to open the through safe which contained S25, 900.
 In addition to fighting a pitched bat tie with the officers, the bandits cap tured a policeman and newspaper reporter and lined them up beside the express car with the messenger and the coaches of the train to ascertain the cause of the stop. No one was injured by the shots as far as known.
 The engine and express car were cut of from the rest Of the train by the train crew at the point of revolv- the engine and express car pulling away from the train, started to in- vesffgate. 4 little farther down the ! tracks towards the city, he heard an GXp4oSlOn- of a farmer and sent the warning to this city. Sheriff A1ester and Chief of Police Underwood soon had off, cers securing the country.
 A switch engine in charge of Gem eraI Superintendent A D. Cliff, of Clinton. left this sEity about o'clock and on reaching 20th and Laurel streets. came up to the engine and express car of the passenger train. The switch engine returned to the city
 
 back to Glenarm for the train.
 Engineer Shell reported that fol- Flowing the battle between the ban Idits and the posse the robbers took possession of his locomotive and ran it making him sit quietly upon his box One of the men. performed the duties of fireman, while the other act ed as engineer. The bandit handled the locomotive using the reverse lev CT. throttle and airbrakes though familiar with their operation
 Farmers telephones played an inn portant part in quickly notifying the authorities of the holdup. Reports of the explosions of dynamite used repeatedly upon the safe in the ex- press car awakened the farmers for a distance Of several miles.
 Fireman Peter s. Miller says he has no idea when or where the bandits boarded the train The first he knew of their presence was when one of
 
 der with a revolver in each hand and covering both engineer and fireman said: ssStop her"
 Engineer Shell obeyed the command One bandit uncoupled the express car and gave the command to pull ahead. After going about a mile another or der was given to stop. Miller was Of the opinion that the dynamite was applied to the safe half a dozen times before the Eherifs posse arrived at lE,s- a pitched battle. Illinois State Journal, and Policeman OLeary. were the two held up by the bandits. One of the robbers stepped out of the dark as Marney and O'Leary crept through some under brush approaching the express car and engine and with the drop on &b'Leary told him to Throw up your hands ' OrLeary complied and the robber pick ed up the officers shotgun, lining the men up beside the express car Marney, who was unarmed, also obeyed the command to get down behind the car The lower house of the general as- eernbly had just adjourned when re- ports of the hoidup reached the town. Several squads of representatives se- cured automobiles and went to the Ecene and aided in the search for the bandits
 Ararney describes the holdup men as wearing linen clusters with caps and black masks He says both were ex- tremely large men and that they were extremely cool under fire.
 Sheriff Merter was hindered in his fight with the bandits by the fact that they were between him and the per- sons lined up behind the baggage car.
 The robbery is believed to be the work of the same gang which robbed the St Louis. Kansas City train about six months ago at Hes Junction, four