The New York herald., 1921-11-08
DYNAMITE
SAFE,ROB MALBACS
AND SET CAR ON FIRE
Masked Men Cover Engine
Crew and Steal Cars on
Illinois Central.
MUCH PLUMBER TAKEN
Desperadoes Creep Over the
Tender as New Orleans
Limited Speeds On.
ESCAPE in AUTOMOBILE
One Bandit Holds Up Train in
ESCAPE in AUTOMOBILE
One Bandit Holds Up Train in
Idaho and R0bs Oberva-
tion Car Passengers.

PAXTON, ILL.,, Nov THE New Or
leans Limited passenger train Of the
Illinois Central Railroad was held up
tonight by armed robbers south of
Paxton and robbed of all registered
mail and the contents Of the safe,
which was blown open after the
bandits had forced the engineer and
fireman to disconnect the mail and
baggage car and run them to a bridge
crossing street further south.
The engineer and fireman at first
hesitated to comply with the demands
of the robbers. who crept over the
tender into the cab, but when pistols
We're thrust into their faces the train
men complied and escaped injury.
In dynamiting the safe the des-
peradoes set fire to the interior Of the
steel mail car. After the bandits had
fed in an automobile the engine crew
returned to the rest of their train. cut
out the flaming mail car and proceeded
to Champaign, the next division point.
The all steel train left Chicago loaded
with passengers at $3.50 tonight and
passing through Paxton at high speed
had gone two miles when the fireman
saw masked men sliding down the coal
pile in the glare from the open fire box
door. He stepped back, dropping his
shovel. The noise attracted the atten-
tion OF the engineer. who took his gaze
from the rails a moment to ascertain
shat was wrong.
Stop the train" shouted one of the
masked men. holding pistol toward
the engineer, while another bandit
covered the fireman. The engineer
closed the throttle. but hesitated to ap-
ply the brakes until the robber, stepping
close, poked the barrel OF hts revolver
In the face of the driver and COM
manded GIVE her the air quick"
The engineer stopped the train. The
bandits then commanded the fireman to
uncouple the mail ard the baggage car.
Az soon as these cars were disconnected
the bandits escorted the fireman back
TO the cab and ordered the engineer to
proceed.
A mile south of the holdup the rob-
bers commanded the engine crew TO stop.
While one of the men kept the engineer
and fireman guarded In the cab the other
robbers entered the mall car and blew
open the safe. All OF the registered
mail and all of the valuables In the safe
were placed in q bag. The robbers then
carried their plumber TO an automobile.
waved good night to the trainmen and
dashed away in the car.
Released from the commanding muZ-
zles of the bandits pistols. the engineer
and fireman, although they could see
smoke and flames coming from the door
of the mail car quickly backed vp 10
the rest of their train.
The passengers were roaming the
tracks in CONSERVATION trying to ascer-
tain what had happened, as the robbery
had required about an hour. The burn
ing mail car was switched Off the main
track as quickly as possible and the loco
motive and baggage car were connected
to the passenger coaches.
The train then proceeded to Cham
paign twenty miles south. where a new
engine crew picked up the train and pro-
ceeded toward New Orleans.
AMERICAN FALLS. Idaho. Nov. "A
masked bandit held up train No. II.
westbound Oregon and Washington
on the Oregon Short Line Rail-
road. eight miles west Of American
observation car were robbed OF their
valuables, but no attempt was made TO
enter the baggage and express cars.
The bandit Is believed to have boarded
the observation car here. After rob-
bing the passengers ne ordered a brake
man to stop the train at Coolidge,
small station twelve miles out Of Amer
lean Falls. where an automobile was
waiting for him.