Pueblo chieftain., 1921-11-08
BANDITS BOMB
MAIL COACH
STEAL MONEY
Daring Robbery Is Staged
By Il Outlaws In
Illinois

Paxton, Illinois, Nov. IA dozen
bandits armed with pistols, shot guns
and bombs, which they used freely
wouuding several trainmen and mall
clerks held up the New Orleans limit
ed train on the Illinois Central rail-
road tonight and with true wild west
tactics looted the mail car of all the
registered mail and the valuables in
the safe and ttlDn escaped in waiting
automobiles which were stationed two
miles south of Paxton.
The train was first stopped on
bridge over a small stream by three
bandits on the train who crept to the
engine cab over the tender and held
up the engineer and fireman, made
the fireman disconnect the mail car
and the baggage car and drive fur-
Their south, where the rest of the des-
peradoes helped in the bombing. dyna-
miting and firing OF the mail car be-
fore 1t could be entered and looted.
Those who were injured are: II.
Banks. fireman, Chicago. shot in
shoulder while helping in defense OF
mail car Thomas Baker, Carbondale,
H., mail-clerk. beaten with revolver
In mail car. Is. Bovinette, Mattoon.
malI-clerk. shot thru wrist and shoul-
der, not serious. Arthur Moon, negro.
porter, Chicago. shot in chest and
groin. X. II. Knowlton, student, Uni
versity OF Illinois, shot thru coat three
times. skin grazed.
fter the locomotive. the mail car
and the baggage car had come to q
halt tho bandits told the engine crew
to open the door on the preteNt OF
borrowing "A wrench. The tratnmen did
tad md
clerks refused to open the door. The
robbers then shouted thru the door
of the steel mail car that tho en-
gineer and fireman would be shot un-
less the door was opened.
The clerks under this threat opened
.he door couple of feet and the
engineer and fireman climbed aboard.
No sooner We're the trainmen In the
mail car than they slammed the door
In the face of the robbers.
Repeated demands from the gang
OF desporadoes that the door be opened
were refused and the thugs placed u
charge of dynamite under the front
truck OF the car. The explosion failed
to damage the heavy steel coach and
the detonntion also failed to scare
those inside into surrenderins their
fortress.
The robbers then fired with revolv-
ers and sawed off shotguns at the
sheet sides of the coach but the battle
OF buckshot and bullets still Called
TO bring u surrender
After consultation the bandits
placed a charge OF dynamite along
side the door of the mail car. The
explosion wrenched off the door. The
mnilclerks and the engine crew who
had harricaded themselves within the
car fired at the bandits but the at
tackers were too far below the floor
OF the car to be hit. The robbers re-
piled by throwing two bombs into the
mail car wrecking the interior and
forcing the defenders to sink down
behind their barricade. The clerks
and engine crew refused to como out
until the bandits had thrown a fire
brand amongst the wreckage of the
Interior OF the car. This set the debris
afire and the defenders surrendered.
The bandits then forced the mall
clerks to throw out the sacks with
tho red stripes" on. These are the
sacks which contain the registered
mail.
BY this time the interior OF tho car
was blazing fiercely and the men in
IL were In danger of incineratiou
They crowded to the door and tho
robbers seizing their loot backed
away covering the men whom they
allowed TO descend from the flaming
car.