The Washington herald., 1913-09-27
POSSES TRAIL
TRAIN ROBBERS
Three Bandits Get $4,000
from Express Safe on Ala
bama Great Southern.
nrnIrTU YuIS nEPIITY
DEPUTY KILLS DEPUTY
Mistake, Second Posse for Robbers.
Man and Two Boys Escape
on Engine.

co++ondsI.. Ala, Sept. 2S.-A man
.hort tuventy-fiye years old and two
hovs said to be not more than eighteen,
are being sought by more than 100
armed deputy sheriffs and farmers as
the robbers who held up the Alanama
Great Southern fast express train at
l o'clock this morning near BibbVille.
The three young bandits stole the front
section Of the train and after wild
run of thirty miles, blew the express
safe and escaped with 5000 in cash
and negotiable papers.
Deputy sheriff Brown, of Birmingham,
was shot and killed by a deputy sheriff
of Montgomery County. The Montgom-
cry County posse mistook the deputies
with whom Brown was searching for
the bandits, and fired into the party.
Special trains carrying deputies were
sent TO the scene of the holdup from
Birmingham. Mobile. and Montgomery
The lase definite report of the bandits
was from Sheriff Palmer, at Tuscaloosa
Ala, where the engine and two cars
sped through the town at the rate OF
sixty miles an hour. Sheriff Palmer
who had been notified of the robbery,
attempted to flag the train at Tusca-
Ioosa. The bandit who sat in the en-
gine cab ignored the signal Sheriff
express car came a fusillade of shots.
BIoodhounds on Trail.
Palmer was picked up a few minutes
later on a special train carrying armed
men and bloodhounds to trail the ban
dts when they should abandon the
train.
At the time Of the robbery a negro
porter. engaged in a struggle with one
Of the younger bandits. The negro was
overpowered and compelled to uncouple
the passenger coaches from the front
cars of the train.
The express was brought TO stop by
Engineer r. W. Daniels when he saw the
block set against him. One of the boys,
wearing a mask that covered all of his
face except his eyes, covered Daniels and
the fireman with a revolver and COM
PEELED them to climb TO the ground.
L. L. Poole. the express manager. was
eating his lunch when Nhe man and ooy
entered the car. Poole did not see that
they were masked.
Go on away, he ordered. III throw
this hot coffee on you"
He was about to carry out his threat
when a bullet grazed his cheek. He fell
to the floor, thinking at first he was seri-
ously wounded.
Passengers Are Warned.
Six mail clerks were ordered out OF
their cars and lined up along the right of
way with their hands in the air. Before
he was ordered TO jump TO the ground
Messenger Poole WAS asked by the older
bandit to move a crate containing two
dogs from near the express safe.
Were going TO blow that. and We don't
want to hurt the dogs said the robber.
When he jumped from the car Poole
caught his foot i'll a cattle guard and
was painfully hurt. The other men who
were working in the express and mail
cars were left standing beside the track.
and the engine and two cars moved away
with the older bandit at the throttle.
Conductor Cook had gone through the
sleeping cars and awakened all the pas
sengers. warning them 10 hide their valu-
ables The doors of the cars were locked
by the conductor. Then he walked back
to Woodstock. more than three miles, and
reported the robbery.