RAILWAY BANDITS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2738, 30 December 1881, Page 2

RAILWAY BANDITS.

The first reports of the robbery of the train in Missouri said that the depredations were confined to . the express car and no attempt made to rob the passengers. This version, wo presume was sent out by the railroad company in order not to frighten travel from their lino ; but a gentleman who was on the train following the robbed train says that a coffee sack was quite filled with pocket-books, watches and jewellery, amounting in the aggregate to 30,000 dols. One passenger, before the robbers entered his car, put lodols of his 200dols into his satchel and 186 dols into his pocket book. He intended to do just the reverse, and chuckled to himself when ho handed over to the

bandits, as he thought, a big wad of one dollar bills. But, on reaching home, he discovered his blander. Another passenger hid his wallet, containing 175d015, under the seat cushions, but the robbers, on searching the car, came across this amount the first thing. They were very angry at this “ insult ’’ and threatened to kill the man who was so “dishonorable” as to conceal his property. They evidenly looked upon him with far more abhorrence than they would upon a taxpayer trying to deceive an assessor. Another passenger overdid the business by hiding bis money and watch in a spittoon and turning over only 2 dels. 50 cents. But they told him that first-class passengers always had more money than that, and by putting two revolvers to bis head persuaded him in a most practical manner to confess that their knowledge of the travelling public was well founded and accurate. Four or five of the passengers carried revolvers, hut were more successful in concealing them than in hiding their money. They did not show their weapons or in the least expose their presence to the robbers. They felt ashamed of their modest little pistols by the side of the Winchester rifles carried by their visitors.—“ Detroit Press.”