South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-09-27
BOY BANDITS
SEIZE TRAIN
GET $4,000
Compel Engineer to Run Ex-
press and Mail Cars to Lone
Iy Spot Where it is Looted
Deputy Sheriff Shot.

COTTONDALE. Ala. Sept. pa
man about %. and two boys said to be
not more than is. are being sought by
more than 100 armed deputy sheriffs
and farmers as the robbers who held
up the Alabama Great Southern fast
express train at l o'clock Friday
morning near Bibbville.
The three young bandits stole the
front section of the train and after a
Wild run OF 80 miles, blew the express
safe and escaped with $4,000 in cash
and negotiable papers.
Deputy Sheriff Brown of Birming
ham was shot and killed by a deputy
sheriff of Montgomery county. The
Montgomery county posse thought the
deputies In Browns party were the
bandits and fired at them.
Special trains carrying deputies are
on their way TO the scene from Birm
ingham. Mobile and Montgomery. The
last definite report they had of the
bandits was from Sheriff Palmer at
Tuscaloosa. Ala. where the engineer
with two cars sped through the town
at a rate of so miles an hour.
Sheriff Palmer who had been mott
fed OF the robbery, attempted to flag
the train to a stop at Tuscaloosa. The
bandit who sat in the engine cab,
ignored the signal. Sheriff Palmer
fired at the engine. From the first
car came a fusilade of shots in reply.
Palmer was picked up a few min
utes later on a special train carrying
armed men and bloodhOunds to trail
the bandits when they should aban-
don the train.
At the time Of the robbery a negro
porter who came forward from a
Pullman sleeper engaged in a strug-
gle with one of the younger bandits.
The negro was overpowered and COM
PEELED TO uncouple the passenger
coaches from the front cars Of the
train.
The fast express train was brought
TO a stop by Engineer r. w. Daniels
when he saw the block set against
him. One of the boys, wearing
mask that covered all Of his face eX-
cept his eyes. covered Daniels and
the fireman with revolver and COM
PEELED them TO climb to the ground.
Fired at Messenger.
l.. l.. Poole, the express messenger,
was eating his lunch when the man
and one boy 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 was seriously wounded.
Six mail clerks were ordered out of
their cars and lined up along the
right-of- with their hands in the
air.
Before ne was ordered to jump to
the ground Poole was asked by the
older bandit TO move a crate contain
ing 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 in a cattle
guard and was painfully hurt The
other men who were working in the
express and mail cars were left stand
ing beside the track and the engine
and two cars moved away with the
older bandit at the throttle. Con-
ductor Cook had gone through the
sleeping cars and awakened all the
passengers warning them to hide
their valuables. The doors of the
cars were locked By the conductor.
Then he walked back TO Woodstock,
more than three miles, and reported
the robbery.
Engineer Donnelly. who had run
his engine onto a siding below Wood
stock, scented trouble when the ban
dts whizzed by him. He secured
posse of armed citizens, and without
calling the train dispatcher for or
ders, steamed after the fleeing rob-
Der. The faster passenger engine soon
distanced the slower mount of En-
gineer Donnelly and the robbers were
miles ahead.
It was reported here that the ban
dts deserted the train in patch of
thick woods about 40 miles below
here, but the report has not been
verified.