Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-11-08
OVERLOOK 100000
SACK DURING DARING
CRIME PAXTON. ILL
Chicago, Nov. Sc. A. Germer chief postal
Inspector announced this afternoon that the loot
obtained by six robbers who held up Illinois Cen
tral train near Paxton,
ILL.,, last night, wounded
four in a fusilade of shots.

ILL.,, last nlght, wounded
four in a fusilade of shots,
dynamited and set fire to the mail car
after taking what they could with
them, will total approximately $4oo.
They got two pouches of registered
mail and overlooked two Others"
Germer said. One of those overlooked
is said to have contained 100000 in
cash The robbers, who used pistols,
sawed off shot guns, dynamite, nitro
glyCerine and Odor bombs, finally
escaped in an automobile with hardly
enough to pay their expenses, Germer
said
The passengers were not mOlested
altho one got three bullet holes in his
coat when he and three companions
went up to the mail car and fired ON
the bandits while they were fighting
the engine crew and two mail clerks,
barricaded in the mail car.
Negro Porter Shot.
A negro train porter was the only
man seriously injured by the robbers
he being shot in The chest and groin
as he stood on the r2stibule of
smoker The fireman wGs wounded
in the shoulder, mail clerk was shot
in the hand and shoulder and another
dubbed over the head with a revol-
YER.
Two Of the robbers boarded the
train at some Point between Chicago
and Paxton and covered the engine
crew with their weapons as the train
was passing thru here according to
the report Of Division Supt. j. w.
HevrOn.
They ordered the train to proceed
to a small bridge over a stream two
miles farther south where the train
was stopped in such a manner that
the passengers could not come for
ward They were apparently not dis
turhed by the matter until the rob
hers began firing later
Move Eiail Car Ahead.
Ordering the crew to break the
train the engineer and fireman we're
forced to pull the mail car farther up
the tracks and about eight other men
appeared from automobiles which the
train crew noticed by the train for
the first time. On q threat Cf shoot
ing the engineer and drcman OF the
train if the mail car was not opened,
the robbers forced the mail clerks to
open the door but when the engineer
and fireman had cambored inside the
door was slammed shut
Several charges of dynamite a1d
firing from regolycrs and shotguns
finally forced the door and hand to
hand battle ou3ucd, was only stopped
after the robbers had thrown two
bombs into the car and fire brand
which smoked out the four mon in
the car.
Jump TO Save lives
During the fight the mail clerks and
fireman were injured These men
we're forced to throw out the red
striped sacks. those containing regis
tered mail and then iHuped to save
themselves from being burned The
bandits jumped in their machines and
left.
Tho train crew hooked up the train
AGAIN without the mail car and pro-
ceedod to Champaign where the in
jured We're sent to hospital.
Student Among Injured.
The injured: Arthur Moon, Chica-
60 colored train porter, is lying in
q Champaign hospital with two
wounds in abdomen.
BEN BOVTNETTE Nattoon, mail
clerk, shot in the shoulder and alb
domcn and wrist; sluggcd on head.
THOMAS BAKER, Carbondale, mail
clerk beaten over head with butt
end Of revolver.
II. H. BANGS, Chicago, fireman.
slightly wounded three times in
the left shoulder
KENNETH KNOWLTON, University
Of Illinois student slightly wound
ed in right arm in fight with ban
dts after they had completed their
work
Passed up 100000 Pouch.
Champaign, Nov. S-A pouch sup
posed TO contain 100000 cash was
the object of train robbers who held
up the l. c.. New Orleans limited
near Paxton, Ill, last night, ac-
cording to railroad men here today.
The robbers had the pouch and lost it
I railroad men said.
ouring the course of the hold up
when the mail clerks were being
forced to throw pouches from the car
one of the two threw out a pouch of
newspapers Where do you get that
stuff? one Of the bandits asked You
know what pouch we want Throw
it out here.
The pouch believed to contain the
fortune in cash was thrown from the
car, carried a short distance by tho
bandits and was for some reason Drop
ped and later recovered by the crew.
Engineer Describes HoIdup.
Champaign. Nov 81. r. Fogerty,
engineer of the Illinois Central lim.