The Mena weekly star., 1921-09-08
USED GAS BONDIN
 ROBDINC MAIL CAR
Kansas City Southern Train Help Up Tuesday Night South of Texarkana P Robbers Expected Box of Gold
 but Were Disappointed.

Train No on the Kansas City Southern, due in Mena at 2:02 a. m., was held up and the mail car robbed just south of Texarkana Tuesday night. The train was delayed an hour in reaching Mena because of the crime. ]. H. Kerr, express messenger, was the only Mena resident on. the train at the time of the robbery.
 Warfare tactics were used by the robbers in effecting the robbery of the mail car. Failing in an effort to scare two mail clerks into opening the door, the robbers used a gas bomb, which forced Uncle Sam's employees to re- treat to the open air.
 Expected to Find Box of Gold.
 The extent of the loss is not known, but it is certain the robbers carried away at least one pouch of registered mail in addition to other valuables found in the mail car. The thieves were expecting to find box of gold in the registered mail, and evidently had been tipped off such a shipment was being made. They expressed dis appointment after a thoro search of the mail car over not finding the box of valuable metal
 In accomplishing the robbery of the mail ear, the robbers, who numbered four, and who were all white men. a negro porter on the train was shot thru the legs, and Engineer Buck Woodson was slugged with the butt of revolver. Conductor Joe Myers was not bothered and Brakeman Charley Lindsay, who went back to flag when No. 2 was stopped, was out of harms way.
 Express Messenger Kerr was for tunate in not getting mixed up in the melee. As it was, he got to witness a good part of the daring crime. Ac- cording to the Mena express man, the four robbers evidently boarded the train at Bloomburg, Tex. Kerr stated that he found a young fellow on the front end of his car and told him he couldn't ride there, but would have to go to the tender The young man accepted the orders good naturedly and left. Kerr says the fellow looked to be about Is or 19 years old. From
 
 eer Woodson, this was the same one of the robbers who later crawled over the tender into the cab and ordered the occupants to put 'em up," and enforced the order with big revolv- CT.
 Waited With Guns for Robbers.
 Kerr did not suspect holdup until the train began to slow up while cross ing Sulphur River bridge. Thinking that repairs on the structure were causing the slow running, he looked out and saw man standing on the ster at the front end of the maiI car with gun in his hand. As the train came to standstill the express mes senger realized that crime was con- templated and not knowing whether his car was the object of attack or not, decided to be on the safe side and pre- pare for an invasion. He closed the doors and put out all lights and sat down with his double barrel shot gun ready for the robbers.
 From the sounds that were made outside and towards the front of the train, Kerr was soon convinced it was the mail car and not the express the robbers were after. After a while he
 
 mail car being uncoupled. The rob- bers forced the fireman to help in this work after they had slugged Engineer Woodson. The engineer had been forced to go to the mail car and ask the clerks to open up. When the pos tai workers refused the robbers ar- ranged to take the mail car away from the rest of the train and rob it.
 Threw Gas Bomb Into Car.
 There were two clerks on duty in the mail car, one white and one negro. Their names were not known to MT. Kerr, but it was learned the two men had decided between themselves to shoot it out with the robbers and had barricaded themselves behind mail sacks in good positions guarding both doors. The two clerks might have suc- ceeded had not one of the robber band climbed on top of the car, broke open 8 ventilator and threw in a glass bot tie containing a stupefying gas simi- lar to the kind used in the world war.
 Unable to cope with this form of attack, the clerks opened the doors and were soon covered by the weapons of the robbers. The clerks were told by the robbers that they wanted the box of gold and at first refused to be- lieve there was no such shipment. Only after thoro search were the robbers convinced the golden treas ure was not aboard.
 After getting what parts of the registered mail they wanted, the rob- bers forced the engineer to pull the train up to the glass factory in the outskirts of Texarkana, where the four desperadoes left with instructions that the engine and mail car be taken back to the train, and not move the other way.
 This order was complied with and No. 2 finally pulled into the union station at Texarkana about an hour and half late. Here the story of the robbery was told and the authorities notified.
 Mrs. Kate Horton, l. o. Smith, J. F. Haley and Guy Beavers were some of the Mena residents who boarded the train at Texarkana and heard the story of the robbery. They learned that none of the passengers were harmed and no effort made to rob any part of the train but the mail ear. Some of the passengers. however, were badly frightened when they learned that the train had been halt cd by robbers, and made efforts to hide their valuabies
 Express Messenger Kerr has had a 4 A.