The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-11-08

SHOT, CAR
SET ON FIRE
Two Registered Sacks Ia
ken; Posses Search for
Escaped Bandits.

Chicago, Nov. s.-E. A. Ger
mer, chief postal inspector, at
noon announced that the loot
obtained bE six robbers who
held up an Illinois Central
train near Paxton. Illinois, last
night. fought A. minute bat
tie with the train crew and
passengers, wOunding five men,
dynamited and burned the mail
car, will total approximately
$4G9.
"They got two pouches OF
registered mail and overlooked
two Others" Mr.. Germer said.
@One of those overlooked is
said to have contained Sl00.00O.
In the two they took" MIR. Ger
mer added, there was nothing but
the ordinary run OF registered mail
no bank shipments or other pack
ages of especial value 1t will
take a week to see each individual
sender and check up the exact loss.
but / estimate it at about $500"
The robbers, who used pistols,
sawed off shot guns. dynamite, nj
trCglycerine and odor bombs, and
finally escaped in an automobile,
hardly earned exI2nses, according
to MIR. Germer.
Paxton, H.. Nov S.-Hundreds
of men in posses were early today
searching for 10 bandits, who last
night held up the Illinois Central
New Orleans limited, two miles
south of here, wounded four train
employees, stole two pouches OF reg
istered mail and escaped after set
ting fire to the mail car.
No clue to the men had been
found early today, the only aid in
the search of the robbers being q
statement by members of the train
crew that they headed west in two
automobiles after robbing the mail
/ car The passengers were not mo-
! Tested although one got three bul-
7 let holes in his coat when he and
/ three companions went up 70 the
mail car and fired on the bandits
while they were fighting the engine
crew and two mail clerks, barri-
caded in the mail car.
Porter Seriously Wounded.
| A negro train porter was the
I only man seriously injured by the
robbers, he being shot in the Cbesi
and groin as he stood on the vesu.
bule of the smoker. The fireman
was wounded in the shoulder, .
mail clerk was shot in the hand ant
shoulder and another was cluobeG
over the head with revolver.
/ Ha ,4ahh1rg hYl FdaH rms
train at some point between Chr
cago and Paxton and covered The
engine crew with their weapons as
/ the train was passing through here
according to the report Of Division
| Superintendent J. w. Heyron.
! They ordered the train to pro
ceed to a small bridge over
stream, two miles farther soutl
where the train was stopped II
such a manner that the passenger
could not come forward. They ap
parentIy were not disturbed by mat
ters until the robbers began hrin
later.
Ordering the crew to break tn
train the engineer and fireman wer
forced to pull the mail car farthe
up the tracks and about eight othe
men appeared from automobile
which the train crew noticed b
, the train for the first time
On the threat Of shooting III
engineer and fireman Of the trai
, if the mail car was not opened. N
: robbers forced the mail clerks
open the door but when the eng
i. / neer and firemen had cIambeTed Il
, side the door was slammed shut
Mail Clerks Give Battle.
Several charges Of dynamite ar
= firing from reyoivers and shotgun
finally forced the door and = laT
: to hand battle ensued, which on
stopped after the robbers ha
!: thrown two bombs into the car ar
a fire brand which smoked out Il
, four men in tie car.
During the fight the mail cieri
and fireman were injured. Thei
men were forced to throw out Il
red-striped sacks. those ContatniT
5To,tippaI nu Dara E'fFfaAn