The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-09
Tom, Torn,"

Tom. Tomi'
 The words echoed hollowly in the eerle
 silence of the early morning. Black dark
 it was and the twinkling blue lights mark
 ing the Black Creek sidings on the Louis
 vile and Nashville railroad served only to accentuate the blanket of gloom spread over the woodside
 The man up the telegraph pole repeated
 his hushed cry, but as before there
 was no answer. For an instant only the heartbeats of the four men crouched in
 the weeds marked the flight of time.
 Then on the crisp night air came the ring of steel on iron, metallic twang and a
 wire fell to the ground and curled away into the darkness. Thrice was the sound repeated and then a man, discernible only as blacker shadow against the sky,
 slid down the telegraph pole and picked
 his way cautiously from the railroad
 tracks. passing hardly at arms length
 from the stalkers in the rank dog -fennel.
 Night resumed her sway and save for
 the occasional snap of a breaking twig
 under the mans feet there was nothing
 to disturb the quiet. Those under the
 railroad bank followed the figure with
 their eyes far as possible and then
 turned once more to the task in hand.
 The wire-cutter chose his Way carefully
 toward the road paralleling the railroad
 tracks. white blur in the darkness. Thirty
 feet away automobile. with dimmed
 headlights and motionless engine stood
 with a blanket over the radiator to keep
 it warm for instant response when the
 need arose. A second man. stouter and
 heavier-set than the first. was bending
 over the hood of the machine, in an at
 titude of waiting. As the wire-cutter
 came into the dim circle of light he
 The Shooting Starts
 At points on the roadside. not 10 feet
 from. the car, electric flashlights, with
 out warning, licked into life and the
 two men, revealed in their binding glare.
 looked into the muzzles of two automatic shotguns and two pistols. There was a sharp cry:
 Hands up. Put 'em up"
 The stout man spun on his heel, his
 hand travelling to his hip like flash of light. It came up with gun, spout ing fire. The short man dived behind the rau1alOr or the car dHu dtioSS the ho0i his gun went into action. The response was not long delayed. The fla shlights went out and a six-foot lance of flame stabbed the darkness from the muzzle of shotgun Heavy-calbred DIS tols joined in and the rapid detonations of an automatic pistol added to the din; but dominating all was the purr Of the pump-guns in the hands of experts shoot ing buckshot.
 In 30 seconds it was over.
 The two about the automobile hadn't a chance A pistol bullet knocked the stout man down and load of buckshot caught him in the body as he fell. Firing over the radiator the, simmer man had his gun shot out of his hand and his fingers torn by the buckshot. In answer tc crisp commands, backed up by the frown ing shotguns, the wire-cutter crawled ou' from behind the automobile, the hood of which was punctured, with holes made by buckshot and pistol bullets.
 The big man was grooming under the wheel almost and the wire-cutter lay down beside him. The two were hand cuffed and cautioned as to mouon ano again silence.
 Five-ten-fifteen minutes. Time drags when every nerve Is keyed up to the highest tension. Far in the distance came the puff of a locomotive. Rapidly Il drew nearer. the bell shattering the still ness and the night lit up by the refiec- ton from the open firebox, and the smoke pouring from the stack. Without pause the train, two baggage cars, two day cars and two Pullmans. pounded down
 the straightaway track. slipped around the curve to the west and was gone | with the tail-lights gleaming redly. | Thus was an attempt to duplicate the daring train robberies at Irondale Blob vile and Calera and rob the Louisville Ma oh southbound frustrated through the I George H. Bodeker National Detective agency and George H. Bodeker former chief of police of Birmingham. Collier Fatally Shot As result of the attempt Tom Col I Her. A years of age, is at the Hillman I hospital with 15 bullet wounds in his 1 body, his right arm shot almost to rieces and his lungs punctured with steel shot. lip Raper. 35, of North Bir- mingham, Is in the county jail, his right 1 hand shattered by buckshot. Both men are charged with conspiracy to rob the | United States mail and interference with the operation of trains by cut l ting telegraph wires. Police are now | looking for three other men believed l to have been implicated.
 1 The story of the attempted holdur I is wilder and more blood curdling than the most lurlQ or Qlfle ioNelS- 1 The drama began last week wher | Chief Bodeker received tip that ar | attempt would be made to rob the | Louisville and Nashville train a few
 miles north of Boyles. He learned from trustworthy sources of informatior who were implicated and the most
 minute detail of the plan to duplicate | the daring robberies of the last foul 1 years.
 Chief Bodeker felt it necessary te l call in officers of the law and accord ingly notified officials of the railroad and postoffice inspectors stationed here. Through his wire" Chief Bod | eker was informed of every move made by the would-be robbers
 1 The plan of the bandits was foi l three men to be taken north of Bir mingham early in the night. The three 1 who were to do the actual robbine were to board the train at Trafford 1 just inside the county line. They were I to hold up the flyer, cut off the mai | coaches and pull the engine and two | cars to Black creek. about seven mile. north of Boyles, where the other two | were to cut the wires at a certain min ute and be in waiting with an auto | mobile ready for the dash to Birming ham with the booty.
 | Elaborate precautions were taken. t | good road leading into the Mt Pinsor
 road Is hardly 50 feet from the rail l road track Birmingham is hardly 2t | v,,i r,lo to hav crs