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| Oliver Curtis Perry. |
DICK TURPIN
OUTDONE.
TRAIN ROBBERY ON THE CENTRAL.
The Burglar and His Pursuers Have a Race
With Locomotives—Flying Fusillade of Pistol Shots.
ROCHESTER,
Feb. 21—The shooting of an express messenger on a Central-Hudson train, the
rifling of a valuable safe, the flight of the robber on another train from
which he drives the crew at the point of a revolver, a running fight from the engine
cab for miles, another engine filled with railway men, and the final capture of
the desperado by a sheriff's posse in a swamp after a wild pursuit across the
country, are some of the sensational features of the most desperate attempt at
train robbery in the history of the Central-Hudson railway and which cast in
the shade, as an exhibition of coolness and nerve, the famous exploits of the
Jesse James band or other outlaws of western fame.
Train No. 34 on the Central-Hudson is
known as the American Express company’s special. It runs every day in the year
between New York and Buffalo, and carries only goods and property shipped by
that company. The express company pay the Central-Hudson many thousands of
dollars yearly for the use of this train, and it runs on the same time and with
the same privileges as the limited expresses. The train leaves New York at nine
o'clock each evening and is due in this city at 7:05 in the morning. Nearly all
the cars are run through to Chicago, and contain the most valuable express
matter. One car is known as the “money” car, and in it is sent the specie from
the United States treasury for western banks, as well as the money in process
of exchange between the banks of New York and the west. The load of wealth sent
out from New York on this train is usually greater Saturday evenings than on
other days and often amounts to more than a million dollars in addition to
jewelry and other valuables. One of the most trusted messengers of the company,
and sometimes several, are placed in charge of this car and its contents that
often the crew of the train do not know in which car the money is carried.
Daniel T. McInerney of this city was in
charge of the money car on the trip Saturday night. The train was made up of
eight express cars and one day coach for the accommodation of the regular train
crew. Only one messenger was assigned to the money car as the work of billing
was light. The other cars had two messengers. The train left Syracuse at five o'clock
this morning in charge of Conductor Emil Laass of this city. The train was
drawn by engine 682 with Caleb Cherry engineer. The coach was in the rear of
the train and the money car was just ahead.
When the train was near Weedsport the
conductor, who was in the coach with his two trainmen, thought he heard the air
whistle sound very faintly. It was enough to arouse him to the belief that something
was wrong in the express car. Going out on the platform of the coach, he
climbed on the rail and looking through the hole where the bell cord comes
through. He saw the upper part of a man whose face below the eyes was concealed by
a red flannel mask. The messenger he could not see. He went back, set the
brakes and called his two trainmen. The three stood leaning out from the
platform looking forward along the sides of the express car. Revolver bullets
whistled past their ears and a voice was heard commanding them to signal the
engineer to go ahead or take the consequences. The trainmen were unharmed. The
conductor told one of his men to jump off, run back to Jordan and telegraph
along the line to Rochester that they had a train robber on board. This was
done and the conductor signaled the engineer to go ahead full speed, thinking that
the robber would not dare to jump and would be captured at the next stop. The
train went to Port Byron. Here the brakes were set again, and the conductor and
the trainman went to the express car.
The car showed signs of a desperate struggle.
Money packages and jewelry were lying scattered about, everything in the car
seemed stained with blood, and Messenger McInerney was lying bleeding from
several wounds and almost unconscious. The robber was nowhere to be seen and was
supposed to have jumped and made good his escape. McInerney wanted to be brought
on to Rochester. A telegram for an ambulance was sent on to Rochester and the
train went on to Lyons, the next stop.
The news had spread all along the line by
this time and the station at Lyons was all alive. Among others in the crowd was
a well dressed young man, wearing gold eyeglasses and carrying a satchel slung
by a strap over his shoulder. Now it so happened that the trainmen had noticed
this young man at the station in Syracuse before the train pulled out, and they
had not seen him since, and the question of what he was doing at Lyons and how
he got there at once suggested itself. An attempt was made to seize him, but he
pulled out two revolvers, held the crowd back and backed across the yard until
he reached a coal train, the engines with steam up ready to pull out for the
west. He pulled the pin holding the tender to the first car, climbed over the
coal into the cab, drove the engineer and fireman out with his revolvers and
started the engine.
Conductor Laass and one of the switchmen
procured a shot gun, freed the engine of the express, and with the firemen and engineer
started in pursuit of the fugitive. It will be remembered that the Central-Hudson
is a four-tracked road and the two engines, though both going west, were not on
the same track. The express engine soon overtook the robber, who suddenly reversed
his engine and let his pursuers pass him, pouring a perfect trail of pistol bullets
into the cab as his pursuers went by. Then the pursuers stopped and the pursued
went ahead. Another artillery duel ensued, the shot gun taking part this time.
No one was hurt in either battle.
About two miles beyond the robber found his
engine’s steam was giving out. So he jumped off at a cross road and started
across the country, going south. He managed to terrorize a farmer into letting
him have a horse, and rode on about two miles further south. Here he procured a
horse and cutter, persuading the owner, a German farmer, to entrust them with
him, by firing upon him.
The party on the express train had returned
to Lyons, where the sheriff of Wayne County had organized a posse, which, under
command of Deputy Sheriff Collins, started in pursuit. Meantime the farmer’s
along the robber’s line of retreat, had also turned out fully armed in pursuit.
The runaway was sighted about five miles south of Newark. The roads are very
bad and he had made poor speed. He abandoned his rig and ran across lots to
Benson’s swamp. But the swamp proved too full of water to be penetrated and the
fugitive took up his position behind a stone wall and faced his pursuers. After
some parley, he surrendered to Deputy Sheriff Collins. He was taken back to
Lyons and lodged in jail. He gave the name William Cross, said he was from New
Mexico and had been living in Syracuse for some time. He admitted that he was
the man who had attempted the train robbery to Chief of Detectives Hayden of
this city who had been wired for. He is believed to be the much wanted Oliver
Curtis Perry, who robbed Express Messenger Moore near Utica last fall.
The story of the attempt of robbery as far
as it can be gathered is this: The express messenger, be it understood, will
not talk. Cross boarded the train when it pulled out of Syracuse and climbed on
top of the express car. He was provided with a hooked rope. Fastening the hook
in the slight cornice of the roof on one side of the car, he let himself down
on the other, and resting his toes on the ledge that runs around the car he
looked in the glass of the side door and saw the express messenger in front of
the safe, which was open, making up his bills. He smashed the glass with his
revolver, covered the messenger, and shouted to him to hold up his hands.
Instead of doing this, McInerney reached for the signal cord with one hand and
for his revolver with the other. A bullet smashed the hand on the cord, but not
before it had given the signal that aroused the conductor. Then McInerney fired
on the robber and put a bullet through his coat. Then the robber shot the
messenger twice, once in the right leg, and once in the left temple. He climbed
into the car and a desperate struggle took place which did not end until the
train was stopped for the first time near Weedsport. It is evident that the
robber had climbed out on top of the cars and remained there through the stop
at Port Byron until the train reached Lyons.
So far as can be learned the robber secured
absolutely nothing, for which the company can thank the readiness of Conductor
Laass and the pluck of Messenger McInerney.
LATER. It is now learned that Perry, the
Lyons train robber, was formerly a cowboy and later worked as a railway brakeman.
PLANNING ESCAPE.
Oliver Curtis Perry, the daring train
robber, was arraigned before Justice of the Peace
Theodore Fries in Lyons at 2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon upon the charge preferred
by the officers of the New York Central and Hudson River railroad company of
discharging firearms and damaging one of their locomotives. Perry said he did
not wish counsel assigned to defend him and then pleaded not guilty and waived
examination.
BEFORE THE POLICE JUSTICE.
Perry was then taken before Police Justice
Carver and arraigned upon the charge of assault in the second degree upon Engineer
Alexander McGilvery. Again Perry declined the offer of counsel, pleaded not
guilty and waived examination. Mr. Dunwell was allowed to examine a few witnesses
and Mr. McGilvery repeated the evidence which he had given before Justice of
the Peace Fries.
Judge Carver held the prisoner in $3,000
bail for the offense charged.
The first charge is not bailable and the prisoner
will have to remain in the Wayne county jail. It is presumed that he will be
held for trial in Wayne county for the attempted express robbery, and also for
assaulting Messenger McInerney with intent to murder.
When Perry and the deputy were about to leave
the court room for the county jail, Perry’s father, Oliver H. Perry, came hurrying
in from the railroad station from his home in Syracuse. The prisoner seemed
much affected. Stepping up to him he said: "Hello, father," and
kissed him. The father showed much emotion, and the prisoner seeing it said
"Don't cry, father. It will be all right."
He was taken back to jail, followed by his
father and a large crowd.
Perry has not been in the Lyons jail long
but he is already dissatisfied with the place and he will try every scheme that
a desperate man, deprived of his liberty, can invent to regain his freedom. His
first plan, which was formulated yesterday afternoon, was discovered and it is
said that the officials intend to chain him to the floor of his cell. After Perry
was taken to the jail from Police Justice Carver's court he was visited by his
father, Oliver H. Perry, of Syracuse. While they were in conversation with Deputy
Sheriff Collins, a guard in the corridor detected the prisoner passing a note to
his father. After the conversation had been finished Collins requested the
elder Perry to step into the office and closing the door informed him that he
was compelled to make him submit to being searched. He immediately proceeded to
search him and was rewarded by finding the scrap of paper and on it was drawn
an exact outline of the key which unlocks the corridor door. In addition to the
drawing the paper contained these written instructions: "Make of hard
wood. Be sure and not get it brittle, for it must be very tough and strong. Make
it about the size of this drawing; hole in key three-eights of an inch. Make
the key blade as thick as is drawn above."
Orders were given after this discovery to
keep the prisoner's father out of the Jail.
PERRY'S CAREER.
Yesterday's New York Sun contained
this sketch of Perry:
Superintendent Bangs of the New York branch
of Pinkerton's detective agency says that Oliver Curtis Perry is the wickedest and
nerviest man that ever stood in two boots, that he absolutely does not know
what fear is. Yet he is polite and effeminate in manner, and is nervous and
uneasy in behavior. His counterpart, according to men who know all about
criminals, is not to be found among the criminal classes in the United States.
He is twenty-six years of age, five feet six or seven inches in height, of
slight build, weighing about 130 pounds, has dark brown hair, wore until
recently a small sandy mustache, has brown eyes, a high, white forehead, with
wrinkles between the eyes that give his face a troubled and thoughtful
expression, thin lips, a rather long nose, slim white hands with knuckles
enlarged by hard work. He has a scar about three inches long on the upper part
of his forehead, which is noticeable when his hat is off. He also has scars on
the left arm and above the right nipple. He has a girlish voice. He dresses in dark
clothes, invariably wears gloves, and is noticeably particular about keeping
his hands clean. This is the description of the train robber that was sent out
by the Pinkertons after he had successfully held up the express at Utica last
September.
Oliver
Curtis Perry: http://margaretreaneylibrary.blogspot.com/2015/06/oliver-curtis-perry.html
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