Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-07-05

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sof tile Rock Island Express had
-. been effected In u less than a quar-
ter Of an. hour. The express car had
been hitched on immA diately behind
the engine; and one Of the firemen
recalled having seen Kellogg, the. mes
5senger, checking up his accoalnts about
fifteen minutes before the train pulled
into Morris, ILL.,: The next time he
glanced up shade had been pulled
across the window of the express car,
and the first he knew Of the robbery
was after the train stopped at Morris,
and Pitney, the brak eman, shouted !
out that Kellogg had been killed and
that thousands Of dollars was missing
from the safe.
Jameson, who was in charge Of the
baggage car, directly behind the ex-
press car, provided what appeared to
be the only clue to the crime, by stat
ing that shortly after the train left
joliet, man in a red mask had en-
tered his car, held him up at the
point OF a revolver, and had then
passed through to the car beyond, leav-
Ing Jameson in charge of another
masked man who had disappeared as
the train slowed down at Morris
II was. scared Stiff" admitted the
,baggageman, 'and didn't dare bulge.
The express authorities at Morris
promptly sidetracked the express car,
and wired the details of the case to
William A. +. Pinkerton, who arrived
only "a few hours later Meanwhile,
however, the contents Of the safe had
been checked up, and 1t was dis
covered that more than $4,000 was
missing. Kellogg, the messenger, was
dead, but before dying, he had EVIL
IDENTIFY given good account of himself.
Before he did anything else, Pinker-
ton walked back over the track on
which the train had come into Morris.
Less: than half a mile out he dis
!: covered; a red mask, lying close to the
track, and he also noted a most sig
nfficant fact-although there was more
than foot Of snow upon the ground,
there were no footprints within q
Quarter-mile Of the mask!
Returning to Norris, the detective
commenced his examination Of the ,ex-
press car, but failed to find anything
of value.
Close inspection of the body of the
dead messenger however, brought to
light, another point which Pinkerton
felt certain ought to prove valuable.
Under Kellogg's finger nails was a
considerable quantity of what at first
appeared to be wet paper or pulp of
some kind, but which the detective
recognized as the outer layers of
human skin, torn off during the
struggle when the messengers fingers
were fighting to secure hold upon
his assailant! Ill.,
Upon returning to Chicago, Pinker.
ton 1t once requested the officials Of
the road to have all the men employed
on the train come to his office, one
by one, to be interviewed. Jameson, he
directed. was to be the last man sent
When Pitney, the brakeman, en-
tered, Pinkerton did not overlook the
fact that he was dressed in a new
outfit which was distinctly above his
sphere in life. From tile points of
his glossy shoes to the top of his new
derby, the brakeman had evidently
treated himself to brand-new ward
robe. In honor of his interview with
the famous detective, in spite Of the
fact that he had very little to: tell.
It was he who had discovered the
robbery. but he had seen nothing of
the man in the red mask: though
Jameson's excited recital Of the hold
1 up had caused him Immediately to
investigate the express car.
"Tllat was just as we were pulling
into Morris" concluded the brakeman,
sand gave asyell the minute saw
what they had done to Kellogg"
That's what I wanted to talk to
you about" said Pinkerton. "Sit
down, won't you? And take off your
coat, it's warm in here 9 ~. Your
gloves, too, he. added. noting>that Pit
ney kept his hands covered.
After a moments hesitation the
brakeman peeled Off his new, gloves,
and Pinkerton had difficulty in conceal
ing asstart Of satisfaction. The backs,
Of the mans hands were scanned and
/ scored with network of sscratches!:-
Been playing with the cat?" in
Quired Pinkerton casually. 90
mo, no." Pitney replied. II got those
handling busted trunk few nights
+ ago. and then he launched into. q:
description of his experiences on the
night of the robbery When he. had
/. finished, Pinkerton thanked him and
bowed him out Of the Office, but the
muffled buzz Of bell In the anteroom
Informed the men stationed there that
Pitney was to be, followed night and
day. 81 s- ss: s. IA 4 sssS1s,ss
$50 far as I was concerned" Pinker-
ton said later, ''the. case ended right
there. The backs of Pitney's hands,
coupled with the absence Of ot-prints
In the vicinity Of the red mask
which proved that the job had been
handled BY someone on the train
gave the whole thing dead away.
There had been no hold-up In the bag
gage scar. Therefore, Jameson. was In
the game. too. The pair Of them had
Trimmed up q most plausible story,
hor3rsk 49,