People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1893 — THEY WERE BOLD. [ARTICLE]

THEY WERE BOLD.

Masked Bandits Attack a Lake Shore Train in Indiana. They Shoot and Badly Wound the Engineer, Blow Open the Express Car with Dynamite and Rifle the Safe of About StSO.OOO. ESCAPE OF THE THIEVES. Kendallville, Ind., Sept 13.—Never in the the history of Noble county has there been such an atrocious crime committed as the robbery of the United States express car on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern train near Kessler’s sidetrack Monday night at midnight The boldness and daring with which it was carried out were equal to the efforts of the James boys in their palmiest days. The attempted murder of the engineer and the blowing up of the safe, from which 8150,000 was obtained, show that the bandits were daring and skilled in their work. Kessler, where the robbery occurred, is a small station a short distance west of Kendallville, Ind. The train was on time and slowed down before rounding a curve, at which a clump of trees obscured a view of the track ahead. As the curve was reached Engineer Knapp saw that the switch light on the Kessler siding was turned against a clear track, showing that the switch was open. He applied the brakes and easily brought the train to a stop before the switch was reached. As he did so a number of men boarded the engine and ordered him and his fireman to throw up their hands. Revolvers were leveled at the trainmen’s heads, but Knapp seized the throttle and pulled it wide open, at the same time striking the robber who covered him in the face. This saved his life, for as the desperado pulled the trigger the bullet missed the engineer’s head and only plowed a furrow in his shoulder. This, however, felled him to the floor of the cab and the robbers shut off the steam, and, while two stood guard over the engineer and firemen, the others attacked the express car.

Dynamite was used in gaining access to the express car. As the train stopped Express Messenger W. H. ' Weist looked from the window of his car and saw the gang climbing on the 1 engine. He and H. B. Hamblin, i his assistant, hurriedly barricaded the doors of the car, but a moment later they were thrown to the floor by the force of an explosion which shattered the end of the car. | Before the express messengers re- ' gained their feet they were looking i into the muzzles of revolvers in the hands of half a dozen men, while others of the intruding party were busily engaged in getting the express safe from the car. It was dumped on the side of the track and blown open with an explosive supposed to be dynamite. The robbers hastily rifled the safe and then firing several shots from their revolvers over the heads of the train crew, as a warning against pursuit, left the scene. President and General ’Manager J. Newell, of the Lake Shore railroad ordered that 2,000 posters be printed offering a reward of SI,OOO for the capture and conviction of the robbers, and that they be posted broadcast over the country. General Superintendent C. H. Crosby, of the United States Express company, said that the robbers secured a good deal less than $20,000 from the raid. The robbery has caused the most intense excitement throughout this and adjoining counties. There are 500 resolute men armed with Winchester rifles, shotguns and, revolvers scouring the country around in the hope of capturing the brazen marauders. The only witness of the scene who has as yet reached Chicago was Byron B. Hamblin, who lives at 155 S. Western avenue and who was assistant express I messenger in the car looted by the robI bers. Hamblin told the following story:

“We were beyond Kendallville when I noticed that the train was slowing up at a little station called Kessler a few miles beyond. As , we were not scheduled to stop there I stepped i to the side door and looked out. I saw a red , light ahead, the switch target.had been turned, and in response to the signal the engineer was | Blowing up. I told Messenger Weist what I saw , and then shut and locked the door. We saw ' something was up and waited. We had hardly come to a standstill when an explosion came which seemed directly under the car. The floor of the car seamed In several places. Wo heard confused voices 'outside, but could not tell what was said. The car was filled with smoko. Then came a second explosion. A blinding flash accompanied it from the door and I knew the door had given wav. When the smoke had cleared sufficiently for us to see across the car we were looking Into the muzzles of two big guns. They had the drop so we lifted up our hands. The two men kept us covered while a third went to work on the safe. He drilled a hole in the door of the safe, inserted a rod of dynamite and lit the fuse. The thing refused to work. He tried it four times before it went off. 'When it did work the safe was demolished. In its place lay a mess of papers and plaster of paris, which formed the filling between the plates of the safe. The man rummaged through the papers, selecting what he wanted, and filled a bag. Then the gang cleared out with their booty. In the ruins of the safe they overlooked a lot of gold bullion.” Farmer Kessler, after whom is named the side track where the robbery occurred, found three men in his barn near the scene of the incident Tuesday evening. He telegraphed to the marshal of this place to come out and ararrest them, thinking, perhaps, that they were implicated in the robbery. When put in custody they declared that, as it was raining, they sought shelter in the barn. They were brought to this place, however, and hel lin confinement. Their names were given as Ernest Marks (colored), of Louisville, and Roy Jeppiner and Fred Moler of Omaha.

Helen Louise Johnson, editor ot Table Talk, is demonstrating at the Chicago exposition that electricity in cooking will do more to lighten the labor of the kitchen, save housework as well as money, than anything she knows of. All kinds of ordinary utensils heated by electricity are shown, and it is demonstrated that a steak can be cooked to a turn in four minutes, and everything else in short order. The utensils include everything required, from the making of pancakes to the baking of a ham, and even the flat-iron is heated by hooking on a cord and ■witching on current