Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-12
MASKED BANDITS
| SHOOT UP AND ROB
PASSENGER TRAIN
Posse of 200 Men Surrounds
Moods Near Kansas Town,
Three Persons on Train Are
Wounded by Daring Robbers

PAOI,A. Kan. July 11.-A posse OF
200 men today was patroling the banks
of the Marais de Cygne river near here
awaiting the signal to rush a large patch
of timber in which it was Believed were
hiding a dozen men who late last night
field nm a southbound Missouri, Kansas
and Texas passenger train at Koch sid
ing. lust south of Paola, shot three per-
sons looted the express and mail cars
and made their escape.
The posse is composed of members OF
the county Anti-Horse Thief associa-
tion and home guards from Osawatomle
and is led by county and railroad Of
ficials. The possemen were called To-
gether within an hour after news OF
the robbery became known and lmme-
diately started in pursuit of the heelng
bandits who left the scene of the mold
-rp in automobiles. report reaching
here early today was that the Danults'
closely pursued by tire possemen, aban-
doned their cars and took refuge in the
timber which affords an excellent hiding
place.
Details of the robbery, in which two
of the train crew and a woman paSsen-
gere were wounded by bullets from the
bandits guns, as related by railway
employees. seem to indicate the robbers
shot up" the train to terrorize the pas
sengers and crew. No attempt was made
10 rob the passengers.
The train was tagged as it was back
ing from Koch siding, and the bandits
swarmed about the engine, forcing the
engineer and fireman at the point of
revolvers back into the smoking car.
The doors of the smoking and day
coaches were locked and several Of the
.NzT-e
shooting into the floor and through the
roof, stray bullets from their guns strik-
ing Fireman r. E. 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 throt-
tie ran out to the main line and backed
north. AS they passed the standing
coaches they fired into the windows and
it was then that Mrs. L. d. Williams.
of -Achille, Okla, was wounded.
mile north of the siding the mail
and express cars were stopped and the
robbers proceeded to rife them. throw
ing the express safe from the car and
breaking It open. They are said to have
taken quantity of registered mail. The
sum Of money taken from the mail bags
could not be estimated. According to
who also were forced into the smoking
car with the engine crew. there was not
n large amount of money in either car
When the two cars had been stripped
of valuables the bandits fed in motor
cars, which had either been left near
by or brought up by confederates Mem
bers of the train crew started for this
city and found the engine and two cars
deserted. They ran back to the coaches,
cOnnIpH ha Tod x-f%I,
the wounded to Parsons, Kan. The
bandits are described as young men, al
though all were masked. Their ia
miliarity with the train schedule and
their handling of the engine and detach--
ed cars was the feature that attracted
the attention of railroad men, as it was
taken to indicate at least some of them
had had railroad experience. One of the
masked men was reported to have
warned a companion: Don't shoot that
man; that's Jake Darkes." Darkes was
brakeman on the train.