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Archive: Rawlins Republican 06.03.1899
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No. 1 HELD UP BY SIX MASKED BANDITS
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Express Car Blown to Pieces With Dynamite.
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Robbery Takes Place Near Wilcox |
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Express Rifled for Nearly Two Hours - Escape
Made.
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| First section of
train No. 1, carrying mail and express, was held up
between Leroy and Wilcox about 11 miles east of
Medicine Bow by six masked men at 2:18 o'clock
Friday morning. Engineer Jones, upon observing
danger signals, stopped the train and both firemen
and engineer were immediately covered with guns. The
train crew was ordered out and placed under guard.
Likewise, the postal clerks and express messenger.
The messenger at first refused to come out, even
after the robbers told him they were about to blow
up the car. Fireman Walsh was then compelled at the
point of a gun to inter the express car and induce
the messenger to come out, which he did. The
engineer was compelled by the robbers to uncouple
the mail and express cars and pull ahead and
endeavored to do so, but the train was so situated
that he could not get it under traction without
backing up to take up the slack. Upon reversing the
engine, one of the two bandits covering the engineer
and fireman mistook the engineers action for
attempting to escape and struck him on the head with
the butt of a revolver, knocking him against the
side of the cab but not stunning him. |
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| According to the
bandits' orders the train was pulled across a bridge
and stopped at the top of Wilcox hill, about a mile
from the first stop, dynamite had been placed under
the bridge. Engineer Jones was ordered to pull ahead
and as soon as the train crossed over it exploded,
but did not do much damage to the bridge. The delay
in starting the train made it a narrow escape for
those on the engine, the dynamite had been ignited
before the engine was ordered ahead. Jones saw the
fuse burning as he passed over and expected to be
blown up before he could get across. Jones, the
engineer, tried to bluff them by saying they had the
passenger train and that there was four carloads of
soldiers in the next section, but was responded to
by the bandits with the remark that they did not
care if there was forty carloads of soldiers. The
engineer wished to send back a brakeman to flag the
second section, but was not allowed to. Finally a
brakeman managed to make his escape and ran back and
flagged the second section, preventing it from
running into the passenger coaches. The safe in the
express was completely demolished by placing a
charge of dynamite on top of it. The explosion which
wrecked the safe also wrecked the car, blowing the
roof off and sides out, portions of the car being
blown 150 yards. It is reported that the safe
contained $8,000 and from $8,000 to $10,000 worth of
diamonds and jewelry consigned to parties in Salt
Lake and San Francisco. A large quantity of paper
currency, was destroyed by the explosion. Express
packages that had not been opened by the explosion
were rifled and whatever was wanted was taken. About
two hours after the robbers stopped the train they
took their departure for the north, and Jones ran to
Medicine Bow and reported the robbery. |
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A posse was
organized by Sheriff McDaniels here and, with
their horses, were at once transferred to the
scene of the hold up on train No. 4,
nevertheless giving the bandits about a five
hour head start. Friday night another posse was
organized and started across the country in the
hopes of intercepting them in their flight
north.
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| The men wore
masked, made of handkerchiefs and their faces were
blackened, and were armed with the latest improved
guns. Engineer Jones says he would recognize the
leader should he see him again. He appeared to be a
man about 50 years of age and slightly gray. |
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| It is thought they
were the notorious “Hole-in-the-Wall” gang, whose
headquarters are supposed to be in northern Wyoming,
for no amateur could have done as neat a job. They
undoubtedly secured about $6,000 each. The Union
Pacific has offered the reward of $1,000 for each
and every one of the bandits dead or alive. They
were camped near the scene of the robbery as their
blankets and horses tracks were found afterwards.
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| Newt Rankin, who
was one of the posse sent from here yesterday
morning to the scene of the holdup, returned this
morning. He reports that there are fourteen men in
the party that they started out from Wilcox in
pursuit of the robbers. The trail they followed
showed the tracks of only three horses. The other
robbers must have gone in a different direction. The
trail crossed Rock creek about a mile north of
Wilcox and then in the direction of the hills north
of Laramie. Six or seven miles from Wilcox, where
the trail struck the mesa, it was difficult to
follow. The fourteen men continued in pursuit and
Mr. Rankin returned to the railroad. |
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| The robbers were
well supplied with dynamite as 150 pounds were found
near the scene of the robbery after the hold ups had
departed. |
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