The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-11-08
THOUSANDS
STOLEN BY
ARMED GANG
Six Men Wounded in As
Minute Battle With Bandits
Who Loot Mail Train

CHAMPAIGN. Ill.,. Nov. E.
SIX train robbers. equipped with
al modern methods OF warfare.
apparently had made good their
escape today with many thou.
sands of dollars In registered mail
taken from the Chicago New Or.
leans train ON the Illinois Cen
trial.
The robbers used dynamite and
oslor bombs. saweSLcff shotguns.
fuses and searchlights In thrill.
iug t5-minute gun battle with
members uf tho crew and passeu.
gers after the train had been
stunned ON trvStlc near Paxton.
80 miles north Of here.
Trey escaped with from two 10
four sacks cf Registered mail.
leaving six injured. including one
passenger.
After obtaining their loot, they
fired the mail car. using sacks OF
Seccnd-slass matter as the torch. and
check.up Of the loot was made dis
ficult.
LOOT MAY BE
HALF MILLION
Estimates Of the loot varied today
Adolph Germer. chief postal in
xpector OF Chicago. said II was sew
eral THOUSAND dotars.s while other
sources placed II as high as 81 .oco. 600
After the bandits had blown the
uAfe. fired the mail car and sorted out
the registered mail sacks. showing an
accurate khowicdga OF the valuable
pouches. they reared away In two
high powered automobiles. which
we're hidden behind a ciump Of
buxheS. All lights were out ON this
machines. but the bandits had no diff
ficuity in picking up the main road
north ax their autos reared away Al
nearly 50 miles an hour.
Il Wouldn't have given nickel for
my life during that As minutes re
!. vo}ver battle Engineer Foxarts
nnid-
sThev took me back TO talk with
the mail clerks and tried to Induce
them to open tho doors without a
fight. Fireman Bangs was with me
NAIL CAR Is
DYNAAe1TED
when the clerks wouldn't open
the CIR and charge Of dynamite was
exploded under the car blasting of
the door, firing started from tbs
clerks in other mail cars. The rob
baxu returned the fire and VIC were
rigl1f in the path OF the bullets.
~ they started whixzing by W
Bnn1p looked At me and whispered
We 1ct to get out OF here
'sw3 made = break for the engine
the bapdits turned their fire on us
Bangs ftli wounded. but got arouns
the engine and crawied beneath ths
ptloe. Bangs crawled in beside me
Wa were sheltered from the bullets
but / shivered and my whole body
broke out in : cold sweat"
Immediately after the robbers left
Foenrty pulled the burning mail cal
10 Champaign. where the fire was ~
tingutshed.
An Of the injured were expected q
recover.
AMER forcing the doors Of the mai
ear. the bandits swarmed into this
coach.
The safe was blown open. while tbs
mail clerks were covered with re
volvers and almost overcome BY tn
fumes OF tho odor bombs.
The bandits rifled the contents.
STUDENT JOINS
TRAIN DEFENSE
Al this point II. n. Knowiton. 4
sfssfient from Charupaixn. Ill. ioiue<
the battle and fired at the bandits
Four bullets passed thru his coat
grazing his skin.
The bandits. with the loot OF tn
mail car strapped 70 their shoulders
escaped In an automobile.
The robbery. the most daring II
years. took more than an hour.
Exact amount of the loss will no
b. known for several days, accord
l..