The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-18
BANDITS BOLD
Fight Off Posse and Continue
at Work on Safe.
Get "Drop" on Policeman,
Take Pistol and Watch.
$4,000 IN EXPRESS SAFE
Five Dynamite Charges Fail to
Crack Big StrOngbox.
After Hours Fighting Bandits
Escape With Small Sum.


the express car on the Diamond Spec
iaI." the Illinois Centrars fast train
between ST. Louis and Chicago were
sought in this city today.
After being interrupted in their
| work by police, the bandits forced the
engineer to run past the posse ana
when a later trial with dynamite
opened the safe, the robbers ran the
engine into Springfield and escaped.
Get Only $500.
The safe, according to the local ex-
press agents that the robbers sue
ceeded in dynamiting, contained not
more than $500. In their attempts
to get this sum, the robbers threaten
ed the engine crew with death, over
powered the express messenger, fired
promiscuously at passengers. disarm-
ed one detective and exchanged shots
with another. None of their victims
was hurt and it is believed the bandlts
also escaped injury.
The 'sholdup'' occurred at point
ten miles south of Springfield. A
danger signal brought the train to a
stop and the enginemen were prompt
ly covered with revolvers.
Some members of the train crew
have declared that more than $5OO
was obtained by the robbers, one of
them placing the value of the booty
Springfield, ILL.,, June 1s.-Two
masked men who held up the Diamond
Special the Illinois Central fast Chi
cago-St Louis train at 1920 O'Clock
this morning ten miles south of
Springfield, failed to get into the
through safe in the express car whlch
contained $4,000, and had to content
themselves with blowing open the To-
cal safe which did not contain more
than $500. When the men stopped the
train they ran along the sides or the
coaches, firing revolverS 10 frlshten
passengers and then forced the engl-
neer to uncouple the express car ana
haul it down the track about two
miles.
Five Charges Fired.
Five charges of dynamite were hreo
in an effort to blow open the big safe
but proved Intellectual. One of the
bandits covered the engineer hreman
and two express messengers with two
revolvers while the other robber work
ed to get the safe open.
Express Car Wrecked.
The interior of the express car was
wrecked by the series of explosions.
AS soon as the train was stopped Con-
ductor McWilliams of Chicago, ran a
mile across the fields to farm house
where he notified the train dispatcher
in this city A switch engine was load
ed with police officers and a score more
hurried to the scene in automoblles-
The first detachment of police posse,
ACCOMPANIED by newspaper men, ar
rived while the bandits were still at
their attempt to blow the SAFE Detec-
tive O'Leary and George Marney, re-
norter were some distance ahead of
the posse. walking along the railroad
track when two men sprang up from
the tall weeds and covered them with
their revolvers. Marney was unarmed.
Thev took O'Leary's pistol and watch
II, wit
Adams who came up in time to eaten
a glimpse of the two men, ADAMS was
armed with a riot shotgun loaded with
buckshot and is of the opinion that ne
wounded one OF the panolts. me tWo
men then boarded the engine and or
dered the engineer to run further down
the track.
Second Attempt.
They stopped near Cotton Hill, three
miles distant, and another attempt !
was made to force the safe, after the |
engineer had been told to beat it,
back to where the train was first stop
ped After making their final at |
TEMPT to blow the safe and realizing !
they must make their escape, the |
bandits boarded the engine and ran 1t
to Twentieth and Laurel, where they
left it dead" The fact that the des-
peradoes had run the engine into the
city caused confusion, as the officers
were searching in the country for the
engine and baggage car. FINALLY the
report came IN l1dL d S"llCh SLS4hO
sent in search had located the missing
engine.
Walked Over Four Miles.
ct walked four miles and a half
down the track said the engineer,
land 1 then ran my engine and the
baggage car back to the train. They
covered US with guns before we could
make any fight. We were forced to
stand in the ditch and then 1 was or
dered to run the engine ahead a sec
ond time One man fired the safe
while the other covered us. The ban
dts, two in number, were dressed in
big busters with masks ever their
faces. They wore slouch hats, were
both good sized men and seemed to
have absolutely no fear of death
1t was four hours after the train
was first held up near Glenarm until
it arrived in Springfield this morning,
and it was after O'Clock that details
of the robbery were obtainable.
Bullets Were Flying.
Donald Wilson, st. Louis, said he
thrust his head out of the chair car
window when the train first stopped.
''The bullets were flying along the
side of the train" said he. 1--WE were
all instructed to keep our heads inside
of the car and di So"
Like Hummer Holdup.
The hoIdup was similar to the at
robbery of the Alton Hummer
on the Chicago & Alton, three miles
south of Springfield, last Decent Der.
Two men held up the Hummer after
climbing over the tender and covering
the engineer and fireman with their
revolvers. They forced the engineer
to uncouple the express car and run it
a few miles down the track
Chicago, June 1S.-The robbers who
F,-aII he fra at