Buchanan County, Missouri - Chapter 22: Criminal Incidents, 1904

RoBiDOux Robbed - Killing of Whittle at Sparta - Murder of Dr. Jones - Tom Farris - Killing of Charles Robidoux - Burning of the Friend Family - Rescue of Dr. Doy - Three War-Time Tragedies - Killing of Jesse James - The Bond Robbery - Jewelry Robbery - Murder of Colonel Strong - The Bulling Murder - Hold-up at McDonald's Factory - Several Train Robberies.

The criminal history of Buchanan County dates back to the summer of 1842. Joseph Robidoux had received $4,000 in silver, in payment for merchandise sold to the Sac and Fox Indians. This money was placed in four strong wooden boxes and stored by Robidoux under a counter in his place of business. Some nights afterward an entrance was effected and the money carried away. Circumstances fastened suspicion upon a party of people who had recently come into the county, and who had "located on the east side of One Hundred and Two River. There were three families, named Spence, Scott and Davis. A search was instituted. One of the Spence boys had purchased a pair of new shoes of Robidoux shortly before the robbery. The fact that one of these shoes was found in the mud at the crossing of Blacksnake Creek confirmed the suspicion. A posse -vvas organized, and efforts were stimulated by a reward of $500 which Robidoux offered for the recovery of the silver. The suspects were surrounded, but stoutly and defiantly denied guilt. The man Davis was taken by a portion of the posse to a secluded spot, and threatened, but he stubbornly refused to confess. As had been prearranged, a pistol was fired, and several of the posse rushed to where the man Scott was in custody, declaring that Davis had been killed, and that they now proposed to treat Scott likewise. Scott begged for mercy, and agreed to tell where the money was. He was promised immunity, and at once led his captors to a spot where $1,000, wrapped in a blanket, had been buried. But Scott's knowledge did not extend beyond the first cache. The vigilantes now resorted to strategy. Davis, who was still in custody, was informed that Scott had confessed, and was told that he would be given his liberty if he did likewise. After much profanity and defiance, he yielded upon being shown an ominous rope. The remainder of the silver had been buried as the first, and in close proximity. The money was all recovered except $27. Scott and Davis were brought to Blacksnake Hills as prisoners. Davis escaped and Scott was given his liberty.

the late Peter H. Burnett, the first circuit attorney who prosecuted in Buchanan County, and who was afterward Governor of Cahfornia, relates the following incident :

"A celebrated counterfeiter of the name oi Whittle went from the county in which he resided to an adjoining county and passed upon a plain farmer some counterfeit gold coin in payment for a horse. Ha^'ing been indicted in the proper county, he applied for a change of venue ; and the case, upon a proper showing, went to Buchanan Count}'.

"When the case was called the prisoner was ready for trial, and I asked the court to^ order the sheriff to call the trial jurors. The moment I heard their names called I was satisfied that it was mainly a packed jury. I knew that some of them belonged to the band of criminals in that county, or they were unfortunate in reputation and association. 1 promptly rose and said: 'If the court please, it is now very near dinner time, and I think it very likely I will dispose of this case without troubling the court.' Judge Atchison seemed to understaond what I was driving at, and readily adjourned court.

"When the court met again there was a large crowd present, as it must have been anticipated that some decisive step in the case would be taken. When the case was called I said : 'With the leave of the court, I will enter a nolle prosequi and let the pri.soner go. I do not mean to make a farce of justice b} trying this prisoner before such a jury.' The prisoner was wholly taken by surprise, and looked exceedingly mortified. He evidently expected to be tried and acquitted. T intended to have the witnesses again subpcenaed before the grand jury of the proper county, and they would no dou1)t have found another indictment ; and. ujxmi another change of venue, I should have opposed successfully any effort

"He w^as a man of Herculean frame and of desperate character. His death happened in this wise : He forced a quarrel upon a peaceable, awkward, innocent young man. about the age of twenty-one, for the purpose, most likely, of showing off his prowess before his friends. At all events, when the young man had hitched his horse to the rack. Whittle went out and cut off the horse's tail, and came into the room where the young man was sitting, and thrust it rudely into his face. Upon the young man remonstrating. Whittle chased him into the street : and several times afterward during the day he followed him into other places and forced him hastily to leave. The poor young man became desperate at last, and armed himself with a pistol. Whittle again drove him from the house, and was pursuing him into the stre.et, when the young man turned upon him and shot him through the heart. Though fatally wounded, ^Vhittle picked up a large Stone and threw it at the young man with such force that had it struck him it would have killed him instantly. After throwing the .stone, \Miittle fell upon his face dead."

The history of Buchanan County, published in T88r, cefers to this incident, and states that it occurred at Sparta. The name of Whittle's slayer is given as Gillett, and the event is said to have occurred in 1842. Whittle's body was the first to be buried in the Sparta graveyard, and his taking off is said to have caused general satisfaction. Gillett left the county soon afterwards, though it is doubtful if he would ever have been punished for the notable criminal episodes in the county. Dr. Jones lived on Rock House Prairie. He was sitting- with his family upon the porch of his residence. A man named Gibson came and quarreled with Dr. Jones. In an altercation which ensued, Gibson fatally stabbed Dr. Jones with a knife. The murderer escaped and was never captured.

Tom Farris was one of the pestiferous petty criminals of St. Joseph during the "Overland Period." His career extended from 1849 to 1 85 1. His specialty was stealing wheels and chains from the wagons of the emigrants, and then selling- the stolen articles back to their owners, in disguised form, at a good price. Many stores were robbed from time to time In- Farris and his gang, but notwithstanding the leaders were all well known, they always managed to evade the law, and it was impossible to fasten any evidence upon them. One fine May day the good people of St. Joseph became so tired of these things that "Old Tom" and his first lieutenant, a handsome and finely dressed man, were conducted to the top of Prospect Hill, given 100 lashes each and ordered to leave. This broke up the thieving gang.

The excitement and public indignation caused by the tragic death of Charles Robidoux is well remembered by the survivors of those days. Charles was the youngest son of Joseph Robidoux. He was a handsome, lighthearted young man, in his 20th year, who was generally beloved. The circumstances connected with his death are as follows : the street, engaged in some harmless sport. They were rapping at the doors of the business houses, to awaken clerks and others sleeping therein. They rapped on the door of D. & T. D. S. MacDonald, which was located on Main street, where the Sommer-Richardson cracker factory now stands; and, after leaving it, they went to a post set in the ground, at the edge of the pavement opposite the building, and pulled it up. Young Robidoux placed the post on his shoulder and started toward the opposite side of the street. When he had gone about onethird of the distance, a gun was fired from the window of the second story of MacDonald's store. The load, which consisted of shot of large size, took effect in the back of Robidoux's head and he expired in a few minutes.

Duncan MacDonald confessed that he fired the gun, but with no intention of injuring any person. The deed created an intense feeling, and there was strong talk of violence on the part of young Robidoux's friends. This was stimulated by the grewsome act of one of these. He procured a quantity of blood from a slaughterhouse, with which, during the night, he covered the entire sign in front of the MacDonald store, and then dotted the hideous red ground with black paint, in imitation of bullet marks. Wiser counsel prevailed, however, and the meditated violence was prevented. MacDonald was tried and acquitted, it having been shown that there was no intention to commit murder.

On May 28, 1856, the family of Jacob Friend, consisting of father, mother and four children, residing about four miles south of St. Joseph, were burned to death in their dwelling. The general supposition, borne out by circumstances_, was that the family was first murdered and then the residence burned, to destroy evidence of crime. Five men, residing in the neighborhood, were arrested on suspicion. They were indicted and tried, but the evidence was not of sufficient weight to convict, the main point being that it was known that an enmity existed between the parties. Only one member of the family, a daughter, Avho was away on a visit, escaped, and was not aware of the calamity until the next day.

In 1859. at the time the slave question was agfitated and secession was threatened in several of the Southern States, Kansas was recognized as the haven of slaves ; that is, when a slave in Missouri w^as missing the supposition was that he had been stolen and transported to Kansas. In January of that year a party of Missourians from Platte County, in pursuit of a negro named "Dick," belonging to a man named Niedman in Platte County, caught up with two wagons near Lawrence, Kansas. In those wagons, driven by Dr. John Doy and his son, they found the negro, besides several more who had been taken from Jackson County, Missouri. The Doys were returned to Platte City, where an indictment was found against them, tried for the offense, found guilty and placed in jail. J. M. Bassett, the circuit attorney, being sick. Judge Elijah H. Norton, before whom the cases were tried, appointed Col. John Doniphan, now of this city, to prosecute. A change of venue was taken from Platte to Euchanan County, and on May 25th, they were put on trial. A hung jury was the result, curcumstantial evidence being the main hindrance. In June the cases were again consid- 'cred, the indictment against young Doy having been dismissed in the meantime. The news of Doy's arrest and the earnest desire of the people of Kansas to see justice done impelled the Legislature of Kansas to employ the best legal

On Sunday evening, September 21, 1862, a desperado named John Young, without cause or provocation, shot and killed D. W. Fritzlein, proprietor of the Avenue Brewery in tliis city. The murder occurred in the bottoms between Elwood and Wathena. About six o'clock that evening a wagon was seen coming from the Elwood ferry-boat. It was at once driven up Frederick avenue to the brewery. One of the men in the wagon was covered with blood, and around his neck was a rope, held by one of the other occupants. This attracted general attention-, and thousands of people followed. Fritzlein's friends were going to lynch Young. He was taken to the cottonwoods on the hills east of the city where the mob seized the rope, pulled the murderer from the wagon and dragged him to a tree. After beating and pounding him severely.he was tied to the trunk of a tree and preparations were made to burn him. Coroner ^Maxwell used his best endeavors, being seconded in his efforts by the mihtary, to let the law take its course. They Avere successful, and the man was turned over to the civil authorities. While in the hands of the crowd, he begged piteously to be shot rather than hanged. The following Monday night the prisoner requested to be removed to the post hospital for the purpose of having" his wounds dressed. This was granted, and the surereon. after an examination, ordered the prisoner returned to jail, being convinced that he was feigning, evidently with the hope that he could thereby efi'ect his escape. As the guards, consisting of a sergeant and two men, were returning the man to jail he was fired upon by parties concealed in the lumber yard, unknown to the guard, the ball inflicting only a flesh wound in his arm. So great was the indignation of the citizens against the murderer that a special guard of militia had to be stationed at the jail to protect him. The murderer was, upon a requisition from the Governor of Kansas, turned over to the Doniphan County (Kansas) authorities and placed in jail at Troy. Some months afterwards his body was found in the river. Bullet holes indicated that he had been shot before being consigned to the water.

On ]May 19, 1863, Capt. Charles Mast, a prominent German citizen of St. Joseph, and captain of a militia company, who kept a saloon on Second street, was killed in his place of business by Gideon Hudson, a private in a company of Colorado volunteers. Hudson was drunk and threatened several persons with his pistol. Captain Mast remonstrated and while endeavoring to disarm Hudson was fatally shot. An arrest followed. The commander of the Colorado troops took the ground that Hudson was acting on the lines of duty. There was much local indignation at this finding, and the papers in the case were then sent to department headquarters, but no one seems to know what finallv became of them or Hudson.

On the night of Augitst 13, 1878, when the passenger train going south on the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad, Conductor George Brown, arrived at Winthrop Junction, four men boarded it. They seemed unconcerned, cool and deliberate, and it did not take them long to make their purpose known. They entered the express and baggage car, in charge of Frank Baxter. The men were not masked and were strangers to all the railroad men. With drawn revolvers they compelled Baxter to open the express safe, from which they secured about $5,000. They then commanded the conductor to stop the train, whereupon they deliberately took their leave, going into the brush. Subsequently Mike Roarke, Dan Dement. Tillman and Frank Brooks were arrested and punished for other work of the same nature, and circumstances pointed strongly to their connection with this affair.

Jesse James, outlaw, upon whose head the State had put a price and to whose captors or slayers immunity had been promised, was killed in St. Joseph April 3, 1882, at about 10 o'clock in the morning. James had been living in St. Joseph since November 9, 1881, under the alias of "James Howard." His wife, two children and Charley Ford, a fellow-bandit, whose alias was Charles Johnson, composed the household. For^a short time they lived at 21st and Lafayette streets, but the tragedy took place at No^

The identity of James was known to but a few persons in St. Joseph, who, for reasons best knciwn to themselves, kept it concealed. He mingled very little with the outside world, seldom going to the business portion of the city, making few acquaintances and keeping his own counsel.

Tempted by a $10,000 reward and the promised immunity, Charley Ford entered into a plan to trap and slay his friend and protector. Feeling the need of an accomplice, he persuaded James to give shelter to his brother Robert, commonly called "Bob." These two worthies only awaited a favorable opportunity. This came on the morning of April 3, 1882. Bob Ford assisted Mrs. James in the housework, while Charley Ford assisted James in the stable. The morning chores accomplished, the three men entered the front room, leaving Mrs. James in the kitchen to prepare dinner. James opened the front door. He remarked that if the people in the street saw him heavily armed they might become suspicious, and he thereupon removed his belt and pistols, throwing them upon a bed. Then he mounted a chair and iDegan to dust a picture that hung against the wall. This was the first time in their long association that the Ford boys had seen James off his guard. He was unarmed and his back was turned. Simultaneously they grasped the situation, and drew their pistols. The click of the trigger caused James to turn his head slightly, but in that instant Bob fired and James fell backward to the floor a corpse. The bullet entered the back of his head near the right ear.

The Fords replaced their revolvers in their belts and hastily left the house, going to the Western Union Telegraph office, where they at once wired Governor Crittenden, as well as

Sheriff Timberlake of Clay County and the marshal of Kansas City, that they had killed Jesse James. Thence they went in search of City Marshal Enos Craig, but he had heard of the affair and had gone to the scene of the tragedy. They then secured the protection of a policeman and returned to the house. Meeting the (officials, they i'mparted the fact that they had done the shooting, at the same time disclosing the identity of the victim. They requested to be taken into custody, which was done. Subsequently Mrs. James swore out a warrant charging them with the murder of her husband.

Judge O. M. Spencer, w-ho ^Vas State's attorney for Buchanan County at that time, insisted upon prosecuting the Fords. They were indicted for murder in the first degree, and, upon arraignment l^efore Judge Sherman, on April 18, 1882, pleaded guilty to the charge. Judge Sherman sentenced them to be hanged on May 19th. On April 19th a pardon, signed by Governor Crittenden, arrived and the Fords were released. They were at once rearrested by an officer from Ray County and taken to Richmond to answer to the charge of having murdered one Wood Hite. Of this they were also cleared.

The reward of $10,000, which had been offered by express and railroad companies that had been troubled by the depredations of the James gang, was paid over to the Fords, and they lived in debauchery until they perished - Charley as a suicide and Bob by a pistol-ball in a Colorado dance hall.

cussed ill every household, on every street corner, and even m the pulpit, the startling information was imparted that the city treasury of St. Joseph had been robbed. The iirst intimation the officers or citizens had of such a condition of affairs \\as conveved bv wire from New York in a telegram dated April 8, 3 150 P. M., received by John S. Lemon and Charles W. Campbell, and sent by Robert W. Donnell, formerly of St. Joseph, then a banker of New York and fiscal agent of the city. The telegram was brief, stating that Pinkerton detectives had arrested two men, giving their names as Irwin and Fish, both of St. Joseph, who were trying to dispose of 4 per cent, funding bonds of the city of St. Joseph to the amount of $100,000.

MessrS; Lemon and Campl^ell, being members of the finance committee of the City Council, immediately caused a hasty examination of the city register's office to be made, and it was discovered that 1x)nds numbered 901 to 1000, inclusive, were missing. During the afternoon and evening a number of telegrams were exchanged, and at a special session of the City Council that evening an appropriation was made to send a delegation to New- York City to investigate the matter. Mayor J. A. Piner, Register James H. Ringo and Marshal Enos Craig were selected. The delegates at once left the city, Marshal Craig going to Jefferson City for requisition papers.

From the tenor of the dispatches, immediate action on the part of St. Joseph officials was necessary, as efforts were being made there to release the bond thieves. It appears that these men had teen in New York for over a week, endeavoring to dispose of the bonds. Their actions and liberal oft'ers excited suspicion, although the bonds were pronounced genuine by the city's financial ag'ent. They claimed that thev had secured the bonds from a man in Missouri, but the story was doubted, and Mr. Donnell expressed the opinion that if the men having the bonds in their possession were not guilty of theft they were acting as an agent of a desreputable city official at St. Joseph.

A new city administration having now assumed control with Francis M. Posegate as mayor, it was deemed advisable to send Thomas H. Ritchie, the newly elected city marshal, to New York City to aid in securing and bringing back to St. Josepli the tond thieves. Upon the arrival of the St. Joseph parties in New^ York, the prisoners were turned over to Marshal Ritchie and Ex-Marshal Craig, while the bonds were placed in the custody of Air. Donnell. It was discovered that $4,000 of the coupons attached to the bonds were missing. The man who gave the name of Fisk wdien arrested proved to be W. \\'. Scott, who was engaged in the roofing business while here.

Register Ringo submitted to an interviewwhile in New York, in which he said : "It was one of the coolest burglaries ever committed in St. Joseph. The bonds were lying on a little bench in the vault, a large pile of them, and the robber or robl>ers ^vould have to turn the pile over, which was done, they taking the lower part of them, and a robbery would not have been suspected unless it became necessary to count all of the tends. These men must have watched me and taken an impression of the keys, as no person has a key except myself and the chairman of the finance committee."

The jewelry store of Saxon & Hendrick. then located where the Tootle-Lemon National Bank now- is. on the north side of Felix street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, was robbed of jewelry to the value of $4,000 at about 6:30 o'clock on the evening of April 23, 1885. Four men entered the store. One engaged the only salesman present, Alfred E. Daniels ; the other three sneaked behind the counters, robbed the show' cases of gold watches, diamonds and other jewelry and escaped. No arrests were ever made, nor was the property recovered.

The murder of Col. J. W. Strong by Dr. S. A. Richmond, on June 18, 1886, shocked the community. Colonel Strong, who had been prominently identified with public enterprises in St. Joseph, was at that time publisher of the Herald, the office being located at the southwest corner of Sixth and Edmond streets. Dr. Richmond was the proprietor of a patent medicine. He had failed in business and had previously created a sensation by mysteriously disappearing and having himself "discovered" in Chicago. On the morning of June 29th, Colonel Strong was in his office, on the first floor of the Flerald building. Richmond came up in a carriage, alighted and walked rapidly into Colonel Strong's presence. Without a word he fired three shots from a pistol into Colonel Strong's body. Death resulted in a few minutes. Richmond was tried and the jury found that he was insane at the time the deed was committed. He was sent to Asylum No. 2, from which he escaped. He is now living in Illinois, no effort having ever been made to return him to the asylum.

On Sunday afternoon, March 8, 1888, a tragedy occurred at the Herbert House, corner of Fourth and Charles streets, this city. Louis Bulling, a young man born and reared in this city, who had been separated from his wife, called at the hotel, where she was employed,

?nd asked to see her. After a short conversation he shot her while she was kneeling by a trunk in search of a picture of their child, which Bulling had requested.

Bulling was tried, found guilty of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to be hanged. The case was appealed and remanded. A change of venue was then taken to Andrew- County, and in March, 1889, the case came up for trial. The jury stood six for acquittal and six for conviction. In the following May the case was again tried and Bulling was convicted. The case was again appealed to the Supreme Court, which sustained the decision. The date of the execution was set for March 6, 1891, to take place at Savannah. Sheriff Berry of Andrew County secured the gallows upon which Peter Hronek had been hanged in St. Joseph, and made other preparations. However, a respite was granted to April 17, 1891. On the night of April 10, Bulling sawed the jail bars and escaped. He was captured at Chicago in the latter part of June and returned to Savannah on July 3, 1891. On the night of July 4, 1 891, he made an unsuccessful attempt to suicide with morphine.

Bulling was again sentenced, and September A set for the date of execution. The Governor's clemency was invoked, but was refused. On the night before the execution, the condemned man was much disturbed in mind, although he had a slim hope that his friends would be able to secure a commutation of his sentence to life in"'prisonment. It was expected that the execution would take place early on the morning of September 4th, but it was delayed by the sheriff. The condemned man begged for a few hours' lease of life, and the hour was set for 2 o'clock. In the meantime the militia company was called out.

cell. Scarcely had the door closed, before two shots were heard. Upon entering, the officers found Bulling- weltering in his own blood. Both bullets had taken effect. For fear that the law would -be cheated out of a victim, four stalwart men took hold of Bulling, who fought like a demon, and conveyed him to the scaffold, placing him in a chair. At 3:18 the drop fell.

A bold daylight robbery occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, February 21, 1891. W. T. Kershaw, paymaster at the ^IcDonald overall factory, in the Patee Building, arrived with a sack of money, amounting ot $1,600 to pay the employees. As he entered the vestibule, he saw a man bearing a parcel wrapped in paper, »vho was apparently waiting for some one. The man proved to be a robber and the parcel a club. He struck Mr. Kershaw upon the head. A struggle ensued in which j\Ir. Kershaw w^as worsted, being stunned by the blow. The robber had an accomplice ready with a horse and buggy. They drove rapidly away and, though given a hot chase, escaped. No clew was ever found to them or the money.

Train robberies were quite common in the vicinity of St. Joseph some years ago. A plan to rob a train on the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council BlufTs Railroad was formulated in September of 1893. A point in the vicinity of Roy's Branch, about one mile north of the city, was selected for the scene of operations. Those implicated in the plot were N. A. Hearst, Charles Fredericks, William Carver. Fred Kohler, Henry Gleitz and Hugo Engel. Some days previous to the attempt the railroad officials had received pointers. Superintendent Hohl. having learned that the attempt was to be made on the night of September 24, 1893. so arranged that the train marked by the robbers was enabled to slip by. The robbers then arranged for Sunday night, September 25th. The railroad officials were again informed, and in connection with Chief of Police Broder and Sheriff Charles W. Carson, again arranged to frustrate the attempt. The two officers each furnished a cjuota of men. Those in the police squad were Sergeant J. Fred Henry, Patrolmen John Roach. Robert ]\Ianey. Daniel Shea. E. L. Keififer, John Kendrick, John L. Claiborne, Charles S. Scott. John H. Martin, George W. Hays, Jeff. Carson. \\''illiam Halley, Ed. Long and William H. Rice. Sherifif Carson was accompanied by Deputy Sherifif John Brown. T. H. Ritchie, General Manager Brown and Superintendent Hohl were also of the party.

Instead of sending out the regular train, for fear of endangering the lives of passengers, a dummy train, an exact counterpart of the regular, was dispatched, the two rear coaches being darkened to give them the appearance of sleepers. The armed men were mostly placed in the baggage car. To make it appear that a large amount of baggage was on board, empty boxes were taken on at the Francis street depot. The train was in charge of Conductor Jake Hardenstein. \\\ L. Wright was engineer and Victor \\'ise, fireman.

There were several traitors in the robbers' camp. Prior to the attempt, Hearst, Frederick and Garver had agreed with the officers that as soon as firing began they were to fall down flat on the ground and to remain unmolested. This plan was carried out to the letter. When the train arrived at Roy's Branch bridge, a red light appeared on the track and a signal was given to stop. The train stopped, and as it did so the bandits were discovered, all heavily armed, ranged along the side of the track. Beside their guns they were supplied with dynamite and fuse. Kohler, who seemed to be the leader in company with Henry Gleitze. rushed up to the engineer and fireman, co^-ered then with revolvers, and ordered them to cHmb down and open the express car door. They obeyed with alacrity, \\lien the door was reached Kohler, with an oath, demanded that the door be opened, threatening at the same time to blow the inmates up with dynamite. Those inside obeyed, and when Kohler sa\\' the head of a man he fired at it. The police then fired a volley and Kohler fell backward to the ground. Although badly wounded in a number of places he kept shooting" until his revolver was empty. The other bandits, except those who gave the scheme awa}% also continued shooting, and soon Hugo Engel went down with his body full of bullets. Henry Gleitze made his escajie, while the accomplices were made prisoners.

Gleitze was arrested the next day. He was arraigned at the December term of court. The grand jury had indicted him for an attempt to rob R. E. Calicotte, who acted as express messenger, of a watch valued at $25, and not for an attempt to rob an express train, the train being a dummy and not an express. The prisoner was allowed, by agreement, to plead guilty, and was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary. Garver, Fredericks and Hearst were

At about 6:40 P. M. on January 10, 1894, the Chicago fast train, better known as the "Eli," on the Burlington system, was held up about four miles east of the city by fi\-e men. As the train reached the summit of the heavy grade a torpedo on the track warned Engineer Gross that something was wrong, and almost at the same instant a red light in the hands of one of the bandits was swung in frcMit of the train. This caused the engineer to immediately apply the air-brakes and stop the train. He was promptly covered with revolvers.

The robbers ordered the engineer and fireman to accompau)- them to the express car, which they did. Messenger G. B. Wetzel, in charge of the Adams Express Company's safe, being covered witli revolvers, opened the car door and also the safe. The robbers secured all the valuables therein contained. They also took the mail pouches. Having secured \\ hat booty they desired, they ordered the engineer and fireman to resume tlieir respective- places. The passengers were warned to secrete their treasures by. Conductor Frank Murray, but this was

At an early hour Thursday morning, January 18, 1894, five men, presumably those who figured in the foregoing case, robbed passengei train No. 3 on the K. C, St. Jo. & C. B. Railroad at Roy's Branch. In less than five minutes from the time the train halted, the express Car had been looted and the bandits disappeared. Express Messenger C. E. Baxter was powerless, and was compelled to stand and witness one of the three men in the car hand the booty to his pals, who placed the parcels into sacks, after v.'hich they departed.

The torpedo and red lantern were the means employed to halt the train. The mail coach in this instance was not molested, nor were the passengers. The firing of a number of snots by the bandits warned the postal clerks and passengers that something was wrong, whereat the clerks fastened all the doors of their car and hid under the pouches, while the passengers kept inside the coaches and were busy in secreting their money and jewelry.

The job being completed, the trainmen we'"e stood in line on the west side of the -track and the robbers took to the willows. Instead of pursuing its course, the train backed down to the Francis street depot, where the railroad and countv officials were notifi'id of the robberv.

In\estig"ation proved that the men did not remain in the willows, Ixit returned to the city, two of them riding- in a buggy, while three walked. The was tracked for some distance. A notorious character named Pat Crow plead guilty to complicity in this robbery and was sent to the penitentiary for two years.

The fourth attempt to rob a train in this vicinity was made on the night of March 2. 1894, the St. Joseph hill, three miles east of the city, being selected as the place and passenger train No. 18 on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific being the victim. The same plan was adopted by the bandits as had been successfully carried out in the two last escapades - the torpedo and the red lantern. The engineer, J. D. IMcKinney, slowed up his train when he observed the danger signal, but when he looked out and saw the armed and masked men he pulled the throttle wide open and ran the train through. While the train was in rapid motion the engineer was commanded to halt the train, but instead he dodged down in the cab, at the same time calling to the hreman to do the same thing. An examination, when the train reached Stockbridge, showed that the robbers had shot to kill, as the windows of the cab were broken and five bullets were buried in the woodwork near the spot where the engineer's head would have l)een had he not dodged.

The Burlington train, south bound, was robl>ed on the night of August ir, 1898, at about 9 o'clock by five boys - James Hathaway, William Hathaway, Charles Cook, Alonzo Atterbur}' and Herbert Donovan. They took the safe from the express car, but were scared away by an approaching freight train and secured no booty. The boys were arrested and punished.

On the night of September 23, 1903, the Denver express of the Burlington road, south bound, was stopped at Dillon Creek, near tlie AVaterv.-orks, by four masked men, who blew open the express company's safe, and secured booty estimated at $40,000. They have n.r)t vet been caught.