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Print Archive: Springfield Republican 06.03.1899

 

Hold Up On The Union Pacific
Express Car and Safe Blown Open and Contents Taken by Desperadoes.
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Union Pacific train No. 1 westbound was held up at Wilcox, Wy., at 2 o’clock yesterday morning. The express car was completely wrecked by dynamite, the safe blown open and contents taken. Engineer Jones was injured by flying debris. Union Pacific officials furnish the following account of the robbery: Just before daylight in the midst of drenching rain, the train was held up just beyond Wilcox. The robbers blew up the express car with dynamite, severely wounding the engineer, then escaped to the mountains. According to the officials of the express company, the robbers obtained only a nominal reward for their crime. A posse under the command of the sheriff of Carbon county is in pursuit, and officers are confident of capturing them. Union Pacific officials received their first information of the affair from Engineer Jones of the train which was held up. His message was as follows: -

First section No. 1, held up a mile west of Wilcox. Express car blown open, mail car damaged. Safe blown open; contents gone. We were ordered to pull over bridge just west of Wilcox, and after we passed the bridge the explosion occurred. Can’t tell how bad bridge was damaged. No one hurt except Jones, scalp wound and cut on hand.

JONES, Engineer.

The robbers boarded the train at Wilcox at 2:09 a.m.  As the train reached the bridge one of the robbers crawled into the cab and at the point of a gun ordered Engineer Jones to pull across the bridge and stop. Meantime the others of the gang were at work in the express car. Just as the engine pulled off the bridge there was a tremendous explosion that scattered pieces of the express car for a hundred feet in every direction. The end of the mail car was stove in and several stringers knocked out of the bridge. It only required a few minutes for the robbers to rifle the safe, which was blown open by the explosion. They took the contents, signaled their confederate on the engine, and before the passengers and train crew were aware of just what happened, were off for the mountains.

It required two hours to clear away the wreckage so the train could proceed to Medicine Bow, the next station, from which the report was sent. The sheriff was notified at once and with a posse started in pursuit of the robbers. It is not positively known just how many there are of them, but as only four were seen by the trainmen, it is believed that number constitutes the party. The passengers were badly scared, but the robbers made no effort to molest them. The Omaha officials state that the safe contained little of value

 

 

 

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