The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1916-08-18
Copyright by W. G. Chapman

The murder of Conductor Frazier by
bandits occurred while l was chief spe-
cial agent for the Missouri Pacific rail-
way, and Mr.. Hoxie, the vice-president
and general manager, notified me to
take action upon the case. | was to
attempted hold-up had occurred, and
make my investigations Immediately.
This episode happened in the year
1885. 1t was in the month of Febru-
airy and about midnight. The weather
was unusually cold for that section,
and the ground was covered with
about two inches of snow. The train,
view to Galveston and San Antonio,
was in charge of Conductor Frazier.
Just as the train was about to pull
out of the small station of Overton the
colored porter, whose duty it was to
see that no tramps or other intruders
boarded it when it was leaving sta
tons, noticed two men climb aboard
what is known as the blind end of
the baggage car, from the north side.
On seeing them, the porter boarded
the baggage car at it's rear end and, as
the baggage cars of that period all had
doors at each end, he entered the car
by the rear door and opened the front
door from the inside. thus coming upon
the men suddenly from within. The
train had not yet fully got underway
and the porter, peering out, ordered
the tramps, as he supposed them to
be, to get off the train. Immediately
they turned upon him, each man hold
ing two large revolverS. The porter
then perceived that they were wearing
masks, and he was thoroughly fright
ened. Slamming the door shut, he
fastened it and rushed back into the
car, where he met Conductor Frazier,
whom he informed that there were two
tramps on the front end of the bag
gage car and that, when he ordered
them off, they had pointed revolvers
at him. He did not tell the conductor
that they were wearing masks, how
ever.
Conductor Frazier, believing the
men to be merely tramps who had got
upon the car for the purpose of steal
ing a ride, concluded that he would in
vite them into the smoking car out of
the cold, where they would be more
comfortable, and put them off at the
next station. They would be more
comfortable in the smoking car than
out on the front platform. He went to
the front end Of the car, accompanied
by a brakeman named Powers. He
opened the front door and the men i'm
mediately opened fire on him.. Frazier
fell forward dead, his body rolling off
the train into ditch.
The men now caught sight of Pow
ers, the brakeman, who was behind the
conductor. AS soon as the firing be-
gan Powers turned to run back into
the coaches. He was shot in the body
and seriously wounded. The men then
sprang from the train and disappeared
Upon receiving my instructions
from Mr.. Hoxie, 1 departed for Over
ton, as I have said. l left st. Louis
early the morning following the at
tempted hold-up, reaching my destina-
ton some eighteen hours later. Here
/ learned, in addition to the facts
have given, that there was a north
bound passenger train from Galveston
that night. There was a water tank
about three miles south of Overton,
and here the north-bound train was to
meet and pass Conductor Fraziers
train. l conjectured that the masked
men had intended to steal ride on the
south-bound train to the water tank,
and there to board the north-bound
train from Galveston, hold it up, and