The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-11-16
FAIL in ATTEMPT
E TO ROB EXPRESS
TWO WHITE MEN LOSE SAFE
CONTAINING $4,000.
Enter Expres Car Near kil.ians, Tic
Messenger and Dump Out Safe
and Depart.
The State, 18th.


The State, 18th.
To lose safe containing $4,000
in cold cash and then to have 1T re-
turned again within Il few hours. in
tact and with it's contents unmoicst-
ed, was the very unusual experience
of the American Railway Express
company yesterday morning.
The safe was on Southern passen-
ger train No. SO which leaves Colum-
bia for points north at $40 a. m.
Near Killians, two white men enter
ed the swiftly moving train through
the side door, according to express
officials, held UP the messenger, Il.
W. Peterman of Columbia, tied his
hands behind his back and then rolled
TN big combination safe, weighing
about. 1000 pounds and containing
$4,000, out of the door. They then
searched the messenger, secured his
keys and opened his small safe from
which they removed three packages
one containing$32l in currency. The
contents of the other two packages
had not been definitely ascertalned
last night, though one is supposed
to have contained jewelry.
The two men jumped from the
train after it had proceeded about
one and a half miles from the point
where the safe was rolled out. The
messenger says he mounted a barrel
in the express coach and STOPPING
over managed to reach the signal
cord and stoppedsthe train. When
the conductor learned what had hap
pened, he at once backed the train
to the point where he supposed the
safe to have. been thrown out z but
saw no traces of It. The train then
proceeded to- Blythewood where : It
met saa freight train, in" charge sot
ConductorsD.gH. Plott, coming south.
Tie. Grew was informed of the rob-
bery and was requested to keep a
sharp lookout for the safe. The
freight .atraingaat once proceeded to-
wafd. Columbia and Conductor Piott
saw the safe lying beside the track
about a half mile south of Sharpe.
The freight was stopped, tie safe
loaded ON the engine and it was
brought to Columbia. From it's APP
pcarance, railway and express OIL
cisis are of the opinion that it was
not molested after it was thrown
from the train. and it is supposed
the robbers took alarm when the pas
senger train backed and that they did
not have time to blow the safe open
before the freight arrived and cal.
ried it off. Except for the 1921 and
the two packages, one probably con-
tanning cancelled checks, the robbers
were none the better off for their
bold attempt.
Tells of Robbery.
j. R. Sowell, express agent in Co
lumbia, who was informed early IN
the morning of the removal OF the
large safe from the express car and
who spent a good part of the day
near Sharpe with officers who were
searching for traces of the robbers,
last night gave full account OF the
robbery as he had learned OF it from
Messenger Poterman.
Mr.. Sowells said: "The train !"ft
Columbia at $50 o'clock and IN the
express car was the large comblna-
ton safe, containing $4,000 and the
messengers safe containing several
packages. The messenger, r. w. Pet
erman, says that after leaving kll-
lians, while the train was running
at a good speed, two unmasked white
men, one large and the other small,
entered through the side door of the
car. The messenger was busy at his
work and did not see them apparent
ly until they were inside, when he
was held up with gun. The mes
scnger's hands were tied behind his
back, the large man standing be-
hind the stove and the work being
done by the smaller of the two, who
kept pulling Peterman's black cap
down over his eyes. This small man
was dressed in khaki shirt and
trousers and wore brown cloth cap
The large man was not seen clearly
because he kept behind the stove.
'After tieing the messenger, the
big safe was rolled out through the
open door and the keys to the small
er safe taken from the messenger