Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1905 — ROBBERS LOOT A TRAIN. [ARTICLE]

ROBBERS LOOT A TRAIN.

Great Northern Overland Held Up Near Seattle, Wash. The Great Northern overland train leaving Seattle at 8:20 Monday night, was held up and the express car dynamited about five miles from Ballard, at 8:45 p. m. It was 11 o’clock before tha train pulled into Edmonds, and meager reports were sent to the Seattle office. Sheriff Smith and a posse, armed with rifles, shotguns and revolvers, and led by trained bloodhounds, went in pursuit of the blind of robbers. Two boys who attempted to rob the passengers wbll* the adult bandits dynamited the through safe in the express car are in jail. Meantime it is reported that the highwaymen obtained a big shipment of gold from the Alaskan mines. The amount stolen is estimated all the way from $2,000 to SIOO,OOO. Three men, well dressed in rain coats and wearing slouch hats, did tho work. Conductor Grant’s report of the holdup shows that at least seven men were in the gang that committed the robbery. The conductor believes three or four of the gang were further down the track, but did not take any part, possibly because the train had stopped too soon. When once inside the car tho robbers began dynamiting, the first explosion being of six sticks, the second of twelve, and the third of eighteen. No one was injured seriously, although a continual fire of revolvers was kept up. After securing the contents of the safe the three men started off in an easterly direction. —■ ——— ' -■

The train was flagged and as the engineer slowed up two or three men climbed over the tender and pointed revolvers at his head. When the train stopped two of the robbers jumped off, making the engineer and fireman follow, and all marched to the express car door. “Open the door,” the robber commanded the messenger. He refused and the robber placed an extra heavy citarge of dynamite against it, which he exploded. The explosion tore the car almost to pieces. The safe was then dynamited. , The train was delayed two and a half hours aud then was pulled into Edmonds, making a brief report before proceeding to Everett. While the robbers were engaged on the safe, two who had been riding on the blind baggage slipped off and went through the train, attempting to hold up the passengers. They had no guns, but took advantage of the timidity of the passengers while the shooting was going on outside. The boys assert they never met the holdups until they got on the train and are in no way connected with their work. The Idea to hold up the passengers occurred to them after th* explosion.