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Show KILLED ON THE EXPRESS An Illinois Messenger Makes a Brave Fisrht Against a Band of Masked Bobbers. Finally Overpowered and Cruelly Murdered Mur-dered by the Desperadoes. HpdrophoMa in England Causes a Scare and the Victims Are Going to rasteur. Killed tbe Express messenger. Joliet, 111., March 13. One of the most daring and bloody express robberies ever perpetrated in Illinois ocourred on the Chicago, Chi-cago, Book Island & Pacifio west-bound express ex-press last night between this place and Morris. Mor-ris. The facts, as learned from the baggage man are that shortly after the train, which leaves here at 12:45 a. in., bad left this city, he heard a rap at the baggage-car door. Thinking it was the express messenger, he opened t he door and was CONFBONTED BY MASKED BOBBEES, Who covered him with revolvers and demanded de-manded his keys to the express car. They were given up, and one robber, who was on top of the baggage car, held a revolver on the baggage man through the transom in the roof of the car, while his confederates turned their attention to the express. It is thought that they rapped on the express car door and informed Messenger Kellogg Nichols that the baggage man wanted to get in at the rear of the express car. Tho door was opened and the desperadoes entered. Being confronted by the murderous villains, the messenger FOUGHT FOB HIS LIFE And the property in his trust. The interior of the express car shows that he fought the robbers from one end to the other, but at last the blows that they rained on his head with an iron poker forced him to suocumb, and he was left dead in the car. The thieves rifled his pockets for the key of the safe, which they robbed of all it3 contents, variously vari-ously estimated at from $20,000 to $25,000. Checks and valuable packages not containing contain-ing money they left scattered about the floor. Nothing was known of the poourrenoe until the train reached Morris, the first stop west of here, with the exception of a coal chute, where the train stopped to take in coal. At Morris the local express messenger rapped on the express car door, but as the summons was not answered it was thought that the train messenger was asleep. Upon the car being opened, the horrible evidences of a desperate struggle and THE DEAD BODY OF NICHOLS Were discovered. In one hand tho dead man clutched a lock of dark-colored hair, which must have been torn from the head of his assailant. The news was at once telegraphed tele-graphed to this city. Sheriff Reitz and Chief of Police Murray at once organized a Eosse and started on a special engine for lorris. A large force of officers and men from this plaoe and Morris are now scouring the country. |