The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-07-11
Awaits Signal to Rush Timber
Where Bandits Believed to
Be Hiding.
KANSAS TRAIN HELD UP
Railroad Experience Indicated
in Way Men Handled Engine
and Detached Cars.

Paola, Kans.. July 11.-A posse Of
200 men today was patrolling the
banks of the Marais de Cygne
river near here awaiting the signal to
rush large patch OF timber In which
IL was believed were hiding dozen
men, who late last night held up a
south bound Missouri. Kansas ind
Texas passenger train at Koch siding
just south Of Paola, shot three persons.
looted the express and mail cars and
made their escape.
The posse is composed Of members
Of the county anti-horse thief asso-
citation and home guards from Osawa-
tonne and Is leds by county and rail-
road officials. The possemen were
called together within an hour after
news of the robbery became known and
Immediately started in pursuit of the
fleeing bandits who left the scene OF
the holdup in automobiles. A report
reaching here early today was that tire
bandits closely pursued by the passe-
men, abandoned their ears and trck
refuge in the timber which affords on
excellent hiding place.
To Tsrrorizs Passengers.
Details of the robbery. In which two
of the train crew and a woman pas
scnger were injured by bullets from the
bandits gun. as related by railway em-
ployce, seem 20 indicate that the rob-
ters shot up" the train to terrorize
the passengers and crew. no attempt
WAS made to rob the passengers. Tie
train was tagged as II was backing
from Koch siding and the bandits
swirmed about the engine. forcing the
engineer and firemen at the point of
revoly crs back into the smoliry ear.
The doors OF the smoking and day
coaches were locked and several of the
robbers ran up and down the aisle
shooting to the floor and through the
roof. stray bullets from their guns
striking Fireman r. Il. Carter in the
ankle and c. T. Witcher, the train
auditor. In the thigh. Others of the
bandits boarded the mail and express
cars. uncoupled them from the rest of
the train and with their own men at
the engine throttle ran out to the main
line and backed north. AS they passed
the standing coaches they fired into
F., the windows and 1t was then that Mrs.
l.. ID. Williams, of Achille, Okla. was
wounded.
A mile north Of the siding the mail
and express cars We're stopped and the
robbers proceeded to rifle them, throw
'ng the express safe from the car and
breaking 1t open. They are said to
have quantity Of registered mail. The
sum OF money taken from the mail
bags could not be estimated. Accord
ing to the express messengers and mail
clerks. who also were forced into the
smoking car with the engine crew.
there was not large amount of money
in either car
When the two cars had been stripped
Oh Vaiuables the bandits fled in motor
cars, which had either been left nearby
or brought up by confederates, Mem
bers of the train crew started for fhis
city and found the engine and two
cars deserted. They ran back to the
coaches. coupled up the train and pro-
ceeded with the wounded to Parsons.
han. The bandits are described an
young men. although all were masked.
Iheir familiarity with the train sched-
uie ana their handling of the engine
ana detached cars was the feature that
attracted the attention of railroad men
as 1t was taken to indicate at ieast
some OF them had had railroad expei-
ence.
one of the masked men was reported
70 nave warned companions: Don't
9nool that man. That's Jake Barker"
"' "ei was brakeman on the train.
Secured But Little Money,
(Associated Press.)
Muskogee. Okla, July 11.-Accord.
II
OF the mail clerks on the Missouri
Kansas d Texas passenger train looted
oy bandits near Paola, Kan, late last
niEnt, tne robbers secured but an In
signlhcant amount of money from the
rned mail and express cars.
four registered packages none of
Which Is believed to have been VAL
4noie, were taken from the mail car.
The small safe in the express car wn.
taken from the train, he said. Cotton
did not know what 1t contained. To-
cal express officials say, however. that
IT probably contained nothing of value.
since large amounts of money never
are shipped on that train, which makes
lts entire trip to Muskogee during the
night. -
Conductors Close Call.
X. f. Cowan. Pullman conductor on
the train. narrowly escaped death nj
the hands of the robbers according to
day.
AS the robbery was in progress.
Cowan raised his left hand to extin-
guish the lights in the car, intending
to protect the occupants from the BAN
dits who were on guard outside. Be- \
fore his fingers touched the switch he
heard warning from one of the out
laws, followed by rife shot.
Heard "Six" Shouted.
A window was shattered by the bull
let and piece of flying glass cut
cash above Cowan's right eye. After
that he did not attempt to put out the
lights. Cowan was impressed by the
signals the bandits used. Just before
the shot was fired at him he heard
one of the guarding bandits shout
"six" out in the darkness Close by
the side of the Pullman another an
swered "six" Other voices cried "six"
alongside the train, and then came the
report of the rifle and the smashing
Of the window The only possible con-
necton Cowan could see between the
bandits signal six" and the shot at
him was that he was in the sixth car
back.
Aside from this shot and one other
shot through a Pullman window,
Cowan said the occupants of the sleep
crs were not molested. He did not get
a close view of any of the bandits.