Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1894 — FOILED THE ROBBERS [ARTICLE]

FOILED THE ROBBERS

FUTILE ATTEMPT TO HOLD UP A SANTA FE TRAIN. Railroad Officials Received Warning: in Time of a Proposed Attempt to Loot an Express Near Gorin, Mo,, and Armed Detectives Were Ready. Bullets Meet the Rohbtors. Train robbers in Missouri ire: e given a backset early Tuesday morning which they will never forget as long as they breathe. It was the neatest job ever done in the whole history of Missouri banditry, and it was all planned more than three weeks ago. The' attack wai made by a band of four masked men on the Denver express of the Santa Fe, carrying an express car with considerable money in it The train was flagged about three-quarters of a mile east of Go. in, a little town in the northern part of Missouri, and before the robbers had time to board it a volley from ten Winchester rifles belched out flame and lead into their very faces. Panic-stricken, the robbers flea to tho woods, with a posse of Sheriff's men and rai road detectives in hot pursuit The story of tho robbery and tho clever way in which it was balked reads like a romance. Three weeks ago, then, the officials of the road i eeeived word that the Denver express was to ho held up and at once began preparations to give the robbers a warm reception. The express train is the finest and fastest train that runs on the road of tho Santa Fe. It leaves Chicago every afternoon at 5 o clock and travels like the wind after it gets out into the open. It carries the Wells-Fargo express car to the West and this car is always loaded with treasure. Being in f 11 possession of the plans of the robbers, tho officials were in readiness to greet any demonstration of lawlessness with a shower of lead. Eight armed deputies, together with Sheriff Saling of Scotland County and City Marshal Byrnes of Memphis, Mo., were stationed on the train to welcome the bandits. Engineer Prescott was instructed to stop the train as soon as it was flagged, hut, unfortunately for.him, he did not act quickly enough to suit the robbers, one oi whom shot him, the ball striking him in tho shoulder and producing a severe wound, which, however, will not prove dangerous. At this juncture the Sheriff and deputies opened lire, and the robbers beat a haity retreat, breaking for the woods, where their horses were tied. All the while tho officers were shooting at the fleeing men, but only one shot took effect and this did no better than to wound onj of the men. A gray horse was killed and another was captured, while the four men *et off on the other two animals, ’ollovved by the posse.