Rensselaer Journal, Volume 12, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1902 — ROBBERS HOLD VP TRAIN NEAR CHICAGO [ARTICLE]

ROBBERS HOLD VP TRAIN NEAR CHICAGO

Posses Scour the Country in Search of Bandits Who Plundered Rock Island Express —One Man Under Arrest.

More than a dozen posses are scouring the country for the two men who held up the “Big Five” express on the Rock Island July 3, and the farmers, who also suffered at the hands of the robbers, are particularly enraged. The holdup occurred near Dupont, nineteen miles from Chicago, shortly before 11 o’clock the night of July 3. Pursuit of the robbers began at once. One of the two men under arrest, Charles Nessler, is known to have been with the robbers, but the police believe his story that he was an unwilling accomplice, being forced to aid the robbers under threat of death. In the chase that followed the robbery the two desperadoes stole seven horses and fought a battle with farmers who attempted to capture them. Several times they were almost captured, but each time they managed to elude their pursuers. The posses of detectives and citizens lost the trail at Willow Springs, twelve miles northwest of the scene of the holdup. Rater it was reported that the men had been seen at Lemont, where it is thought they may have boarded an Alton or Santa Fe train.

After disappearing into the woods beside the railroad tracks at Dupont the robbers, with their bag of booty, made their way to the nearest farmhouse to the northwest of the railroad. There they broke into a barn owned by James Abbey and secured a farm of horses, which they hitched to a buckboard. After driving the horses at a furious pace for two miles further on one of the fugitives entered the barnyard of Herman Nicha, where they took possession of a surrey, to which they hitched a team of horses, which they hitched to a buckboard. Five miles farther on, in the vicinity of Willow Springs, Adolph Chance engaged in a running fight with the fugitives. At Chance’s farm the horses stolen from Nicha were unhitched from the surrey and a fresh pair taken from the barn, while the horse which was being led was again hitched to the rear of the vehicle, to be used, apparently, as a reserve. The robbers made quick time in changing horses at Chance’s place, and soon were speeding down the road as fast as they could urge them. Chance, who had been awakened by the robbers, secured a shotgun and shells loaded with buckshot, then awakened one of his farm hands. The two harnessed a horse to a light buggy and gave pursuit. After the chase had lasted fifteen minutes Chance rounded a curve in the road within range of the men in the surrey, and when a command to halt was unheeded the farmer discharged both barrels of the gun at the fleeing men. Flashes from the revolvers of the robbers answered the farmer’s shots, and bullets whistled about the heads of the pursuers. show of resistance caused Chance to drop behind, and, as his horse was fagged, he was compelled to abandon the chase.

The Rock Island train No. 5, which is the Denver and Omaha express, left Chicago at 10 o’clock. It consisted of an engine, express car, a baggage car, and five Pullman sleepers. The train was in charge of Conductor Coffey and Engineer Charles Goodall. The express cars were in charge of Messenger John E. Kain and William Rejahl. After stopping at Englewood the train ran through Normal Park, Washington Heights and Blue Island without slackening its speed. As it was approaching Dupont, about three miles from Tingley Park the fireman opened the furnace door to shovel in coal. By the light of the fire within Engineer Goodall noticed a man climbing over the tender towards the engine cab.

“Stop the train at Dupont,” called out the man, as he clambered forward. “Obey orders.” Both the engineer and the fireman, Albert Duckett, after a moment of astonishment, broke into laughter. “You are held up; stop your train at Dupont,” repeated the man. “This is no joKe.” The engineer and fireman continued to laugn. “If you think this is a joke, look up tnere,” the man called out, at the same time pointing upwards where the cab roof and tender nearly join. Through the open space the engineer and fireman saw four revolvers pointed at them by two men dressed in dark clothes and wearing masks over their faces. An attempt to speak on the part of Engineer Goodall was met with a command to obey orders and keep his “mouth shut.”

“Stop,” shouted one of the masked men and the engineer brought the train to a standstill. “Climb out and be quick about it,” came another command. Both the engineer and fireman obeyed, and as they did so the man who had climbed over the tender dropped out of sight on the other side of the engine. “Make a hot foot to the express car,” commanded one of the robbers. As Engineer Goodall hesitated to obey he was threatened with death. He was told to pound on the door to the express car and ask the messenger to open it. He obeyed and the ruse was successful.

As the messenger opened the door the two robbers covered them with their revolvers and ordered them to come out. Both obeyed. “Hands up, or you are dead ones,” commanded the robber who appeared to be the leader. “We’re held up,” gasped Rejahl. “You are up against it,” retorted one of the robbers. The four men then were lined up along the side of -the express car and guarded by one of the robbers while the other began to fire his rovelvers to frighten the passengers, who had become curious over the delay and were climbing off the train. At the first shots they clambered back again. At this point Messenger Kain, who, with the rest, had been standing on the ends of the ties with his hands up, slipped and nearly fell to the ground. Without a word one of the robbers fired at him, and with a cry of pain the messenger fell to the ground, shot through the groin. “I did not attempt to escape or put up a fight,” groaned Kain. “Yes, you did,” came the reply, accompanied by oaths. Several of the more venturesome passengers saw the messenger shot down and, fearful that all would be killed, began shooting from the coach windows. The robbers returned the fire, and the bullets rattled on the sides of the cars. The women and some of the men in the train were panic stricken. One woman fainted, and others were hysterical. While one of the robbers was holding the passengers at bay and guarding the engine crew and wounded express messenger, the other directed Engineer Goodall to uncouple the express car from the rest of the train. The command was enforced at the point of a gun.

“Be quick or we’ll shoot you, too," came from the masked bandit. The engineer, realizing the plan of the robbers to run the express car forward and crack the safe, professed to be in ignorance of the coupling apparatus, and although apparently endeavoring to cut the train in two failed to do so. w “Cut that off or you are a dead one,” shouted the robber, but the engineer only fumbled at the coupling. He twisted and pulled and kicked it, and finally the fireman] was sent to his assistance. Still the connection remained unbroken. As a last resort Rejahl was ordered back, into the express car and told to open the small safe. The large safe is sent through without the messenger having possession of the combination. The robbers, apparently, were aware of the fact, for they made no attempt to force the messengers to open this safe. Rajahl dropped to his knees as he was bia and soon opened the safe. A number of packages of jewelry and a small amount of money was disclosed to view. One of the robbers pulled a canvas bag from under his coat and shoved the contents of the safe into it.

“Here, carry this,” Rajahl was commanded. He obeyed, and leading the way dropped down from the car and walked as directed a short distance westward from the railroad tracks. After the messenger had dropped the bag by the roadside he was commanded to return to the car. Then the robbers ordered the messengers and the engine crew to climb back to their places. As Engineer Goodall was about to climb into his cab he encountered the man who had first commanded him to stop the train. Seizing him the conductor pulled him aboard. It was this man that afterward proved to be Charles Nessler. With a ■ volley from their revolvers the robbers then backed away from the train and disappeared. As the train pulled out Engineer Goodall caught a glimpse of the two men as they disappeared in the woods. “The British museum is the principal building in Paris.”