The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-25
BANDITS STOP TRAIN ON
CHICAGO AND ALTON AND
TAKE. REGISTERED MAIL
Chicago Hummer" Held
Up Second Time on
Same Spot.

Posses to-day are conbing tho
Mississippi river bottoms in
the vicinity Of Quincy Junc.
tion, "a niles west Of here,
where four men armed WIN
rifles, held mp Chicago q Alton
passenger trxin No. 4lO, from
Kansas City, eakly this morn.
ing, and escaped after forcing
the mail O.erk to hand over
three registered letters and .
registered package.
While the amount obtained
by the bandits Is mot known,
reports received ut the division
ofhces Of the railroad here In.
dicate It will mot exceed go.
Messenger Ayers, In charge
Of the baggage car, saved sev.
eral hundred dollars In express
remlttanoes BY hiding the
pouch containing the money
when he heard The bandits or.
der the door Of the mail car
opened.
The train Is the same ono
held up several weeks ago at
almost the identical spot where
this mornings robbery WAS
staged. On the former occa-
sion the bandits obtained -
from members Of the engine
crew.
It is believed the same men were
in both, Ayers who
also was in the first robbery. stat
ing one of the men resembled q
in the previous hold
up.
The train, known as the Kansas
City Chicago Hummer" had Just
left Louisiana, Mo-. and was cross
Ing the bridge. over the Mississip.
pi river, when masked man, arm
ed with q rifle, crawled over ths
tender OF the engine and covering
Engineer Ed Donahue OF Slater
Mo-, and his fireman. with th'
weapon, ordered Donahue to stoI
at Quincy junction, a mile east
complied and as the train
halted the three other men Joined
their companion.
Drive Crew Back.
The spokesman next forced Don
ahue to accompany him back and
cut off the mail and baggae cars
from the rest of the train. Wks.
other members of the crew came
out to investigate the reason foI
stopping, they were driven back In.
to the coaches, the bandit refusing
to allow a brakeman to 60 back and
flag"
The bandits then told Donahue to
pull up the track, and after pro-
about a mile,. commanded
him to stop.
They then went back to the mail
car and when the clerk had COM
piled with their order to open the
door. demanded that he give then
whatever you've got" He hand.
ed over the letters and package
that was the extent OF the
and the robbers repeat.
ed the performance in the bag.
gage car.
Ayers, however, told them he had
and apparently satisfied
the four men left the car. After
being told by Donahue that he also
had nothing, they ordered him
back to the engine and made theiI
in the darkness.
The engine crew took the mai
and baggage cars back to the rest
of the train, and made a report ol
the robbery to the division ofiicet
here, from Pleasant Hill. the nexI
stop.
Police officials in nearby towns
in Illinois and Missouri were q,
once notified and posses were een1
out from Louisiana, Mo-. and Pleas
ant Hill. K
The robbers had more than two
hours start when the posses be.
gan the search, which is being con.
Quoted through the bottoms 0E
both sides of the river.
Clerks Report
Bloomington, ILL.,, Feb. 25.-U. s
Davis, in charge Of the mail cal
that was robbed ON the Chicago &
Alton railroad, last night, lives ir
Bloomington and today said tina,
the train did not carry any regis.
tered pouches but that 1t had some
hand packages and reg.
istered letters. He said that one
package and three regis.
tered letters were taken from him
MIR. Davis also said he made Z
which should have been In
the hands Of federal officers thii
and at 4:30 O'Clock he
made q personal report to Mr.
Tuohey. his superior in Chicago.
HIRE SUBSTITUTES.