<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18812">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tunga>Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>January 23,
1910</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>MAY HAVE INTENDED TO ROB PAY TRAIN</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Four Men Armed With Winchesters Called on Engineer to
Stop But He Did Not Obey</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Les Coleman and an
engineer took $12,000 on a Climax engine yesterday morning after No. 4 passed
Devon and started up Knox Creek on their way to the Ritter Lumber camps where
the money was to be used to pay off the men. When the engine had run about
a half mile four men with Winchesters crossed the creek and called to the
engineer to stop the train. Les Coleman, who was riding on the tender with
a Winchester, spoke to the engineer, telling him to drive ahead at full speed,
which he did while Mr. Coleman kept the men covered. Whether the men were
out to rob the train of the pay roll is not known but it is singular that they
should be out at such an early hour. Mr. Coleman was there with his rifle,
and many of the people think that the men were frightened off by the fact that
instead of stopping full speed was put on by the engineer. Mr. Coleman
fired a few shots to frighten the men as the train went by.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>A bit of the 'ol wild west on the Big Sandy &
Cumberland narrow gauge. Even at full speed a Climax would not be much of
a get-away engine.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon
Hamilton</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>