Hello all! I am working on creating some waypoints with historical information for the Redbud Trail which is being built along the old railway between Andover and Augusta in Kansas for a class project. I found the story about the 1898 train robbery attempt at the Andover Depot and thought it would be a great waypoint. I figured searching around this forum I would find the beginnings of some additional great info about the railway to add. Thanks for having me.
Welcome Sara, ref; 1890's >1898 [SLSF] robbery incidents at Andover Depot. Sara you got me interested the history of the robberies at Frisco depots. Before electricity numerous depots burnt down from wood and coal heating fires. Some others were relocated. The life of a Frisco depot was not assured. I looked into the Andover depot robbery history and found information easily available. It plays out like a western movie. I am not sure how such could be or if such be posted within the frisco.org forums systems. At this evergreen stage, perhaps is to early for pdf's. Perhaps Keith can give some guidance? For the Andover depot robbery, the below may give historians some ideas for projects. Best regards, Charles mountaincreekar TOPICS 1. THE AGENT WHO ROBBED AT ANDOVER 2. TRAIN ROBBERY WHILE PARKED AT ANDOVER 3. ROBBERS CAUGHT 4. ALLEGED TRAIN ROBBERS CAPTURED BY AN INVESTATION TEAM WHICH INCLUDED TWO VERY ACTIVE FRISCO OFFICERS 5. READY FOR A MOB Sheriff Simmons received notice that a crowd of men from Andover were .....planning to visit the Sedgwick County Jail for the purpose of taking Sam .....Smith and Dan Wind out and hanging them. 6. SENTENCED TO HANG? 7. WHAT HAPPIED TO THE VICTOMS? 8. PRIOR TO THE ANDOVER ROBBERY ....a) Sam Smith and Tom Wind were though to be involved in ........robberies at Kansas & Oklahoma post offices. ....b) Both had escaped from the penitentiary. 9. THE VICTOMS 10. REFERENCES Butler County, Kansas CRIME NEWS ARTICLES Walnut Valley Times, July 18, 1898 El Dorado Republican, Friday, July 22, 1898 El Dorado Republican, August 12, 1898 Kansas Semi-Weekly Capital, August 30, 1898, page 6) St. Louis Republic, August 5, 1898, page 12) Topeka Weekly Capital, December 13, 1898, page 8) https://genealogytrails.com/kan/butler/news_crime.html www.findagrave.com › memorial › 19825983William O. Belford (1870-1898)age 28 Died during a train robbery in Andover during an ice cream social. Per: Dawn Roll (46945234) 9/9/2020 2 . . chroniclingamerica.loc.gov › lccn › sn82016014 The Topeka state journal. [volume], August 26, 1898, Victim of Frisco Train Robbers Dies From Bullet Wound. Wellington. Aug. 26. Wm. Belford of Andover died. He is the man who was shot at the depot by Sam Smith on the night of July 16, 1898. - still evergreen -
OK This topic is covered well in Frisco Forums Depots / Andover [In frisco/forms/depots/Andover is not in alphabeticle order]. Here are some more publishsions about this Andovcr depot robbery topic. THE AGENT HELD UP AT ANDOVER The depot agent was held up at Andover The depot agent and the Frisco 10 o'clock train were held up at Andover that Saturday night by about two unknown outlaws. Some residents secured fire arms in an attempted to capture them but were not successful. William Belford was shot by one of the robbers. It was thought that his injuries would prove quite serious. One horse belonging to a robber was killed and one of those men was thought to have been wounded. Some money and home item were stolen [info from Walnut Valley Times, July 18, 1898]. TRAIN ROBBERY AT ANDOVER Wichita, Kan., July 18, Train No. 109 of the St. Louis & San Francisco railway was held up Saturday night about 10:30 pm at Andover, ~ 12 miles east of Wichita here by 2 [or more perhaps?] masked men. They stopped the train at the depot and entered the express car where they disarmed the messenger and entered the safe of the Wells Fargo company. It is not known how much money was secured, but it is believed to be in excess of $500. Charles Donaldson, a citizen who attempted to notify the train officials and was shot by the robbers, will probably die. Later - The man who was shot was William Belford. A horse was shot from under one of the robbers, he get on the horse with his partner and escaped. The robbers were still at large. Wichita, Kan., July 19 Sheriff Simmons says that two men answering the description of the men who held up the Frisco passenger train at Andover have been arrested at Maizo. There is great excitement at Andover, and an attempt is being made to organize a crowd to take charge of the robbers as soon as they are identified. Conductor Steve Hayden came through this afternoon on the Mo. Pacific passenger. He says that the two men captured at Maizo are undoubtedly wanted somewhere but he is not sure whether they are the Andover robbers or not. Neither was wounded and one of the Andover robbers is said to be. They have not been brought here. (info from El Dorado Republican, Friday, July 22, 1898) ROBBERS CAUGHT The Andover Train Robbers caught as Nowata, Indian Territory Wednesday evening County Attorney Schumacher received the following telegram from F. J. Dodge, special officer of the Wells, Fargo & Co., sent from Wichita. "We have got Sam Smith and Tom Wind arrested at Nowata, I. T. for the attempted murder and train robbery at Andover". "This is a sure thing, they are the right men; Blakeman is familiar with faces". Sheriff of Sumner county starts tonight for Topeka to get requisition papers for them for escaping from the penitentiary. They escaped from there June 24th." Mr. Dodge telegraphed this morning also from Wichita, "Will be in Nowata in the morning and will keep you advised". "We have got the stolen buggy with the men." County Attorney Schumacher sent Constable Sid Blakeman, who is also a Frisco special officer to Coffeyville, where the prisoners will be turned over to him and brought here, if he gets there ahead of the sheriff of Sumner County on Monday. The preliminary was held this afternoon before Justice McCarty. Constable Sid Blakeman came in this afternoon from Wichita with Sam Smith and Tom Wind, the desperadoes who held up the Frisco train at Andover and shot and fatally wounded young Will Belford. The prisoners are quiet looking fellows, but they are desperate characters and were brought in chained and handcuffed. They were finally captured in the Indian Territory about fifty miles south of Coffeyville, and were turned over to Constable Blakeman at Coffeyville by the Wells Fargo detectives, Frisco officer and a United States Post Office Inspector through whose efforts they were located and captured. The Post Office inspector had charges against them of robbing two post offices but willingly gave them up to the state authorities, as the crime committed at Andover, especially if Belford dies, is more serious. The wife of Sam Smith was present at the preliminary. Lawyer Geo. Adams of Wichita, appeared as attorney for the prisoners. S. B. MacLaren, station agent, who was robbed and Mike Williams and David Roam, also of Andover, were here as witnesses for the state. The preliminary was not concluded at the time of going to press, but there is sufficient evidence to warrant binding them over to the district court and this will be done. Justice McCarty bound the prisoners over to the district court Tuesday. Tom Winn(?d) and Sam Smith, the Andover train robbers who were yesterday afternoon bound over to the district court by Justice McCarty, were returned to Wichita this morning and placed in the jail there awaiting trial here in the fall. The Wells, Fargo and Frisco officer as well as the United States post office inspector, who spent considerable money and who were mainly responsible for the capture asked this as a favor. They know them to be desperate characters and want them where there is no chance for escape. The Wichita jail is very secure. This request was granted by the county attorney and by the county commissioners, who were in special session yesterday. This action is no reflection upon the officers here, but is simply an extra precaution taken by special request of the express and Frisco railroad officer who assisted so much in overhauling the criminals. (info from El Dorado Republican, August 12, 1898)
READY FOR A MOB Wichita Officials Will Protect Sam Smith and Dan Winn Wichita, Kan., Aug. 26 - Sheriff Simmons received notice today that a crowd of men from Andover were planning to visit the Sedgwick County Jail for the purpose of taking Sam Smith and Dan Winn out and hanging them. Smith and Winn are in jail for the robbery of the 'Frisco train at Andover some weeks ago. While robbing the train a man named William Belford saw them and was going to give them trouble so they shot him. It was not thought at first that his wounds were serious, but he died there this week. Now his friends and neighbors want to avenge his death. (info is from Kansas Semi-Weekly Capital, August 30, 1898, page 6) ALLEGED TRAIN ROBBERS CAPTURED Sam Smith and Tom Winn Arrested in the Indian Nation by Inspector Hauk. Charged with Holding up Frisco cars Near Andover, Kansas. Last July Post Office Inspector Dice yesterday received a telegram from Inspector N. P. Hauk to the effect that he had succeeded in capturing two alleged train and post office robbers near Nowata, Indian Nation, and that both are in custody at that place. The men under arrest give the names of Sam Smith and Tom Winn, and according to advices, they made a determined resistance before their capture was effected. Both are wanted in Kansas to answer a charge of robbing a train. The train in question was running on the Frisco Railroad near Andover, Kansas., on the night of July 16. The robbers stopped the train by means of a red light and covered both the engineer and fireman with pistols before they could make any resistance or outcry. They then went through the mail and express car and helped themselves to valuables at their pleasure, after first terrorizing the train crew into submission. The robbery of the train is said to have been one of the boldest that ever occurred in the Western Country and rivaled any of the deeds of the Dalton gang. The Sheriff of the county in which Andover is situated organized a posse of determined citizens as soon as he received news of the holdup and started on a thorough search, but the audacious bandits had made good their escape. The case was then reported to Inspector Dice and Deputy Hauk was immediately detailed on the case. He has been on the trail of the men ever since. In his telegram to Mr. Dice, Hauk says that he has positive information that the men were implicated in the Frisco holdup. He also says that he thinks he can connect them with a recent post office robbery near Crystal Springs in the Indian Nation. Further than this, Hauk alleges that the men he has in custody are escaped convicts, having succeeded in eluding the vigilance of the penitentiary authorities of the State of Kansas on June 24. The men will be taken to Coffeyville, Kansas., where their trial will be had, after first being arraigned before the United States Commissioner at that place. Mr. Dice is gratified at what he thinks is an important capture made by Deputy Hauk, and thinks it will do much toward solving some of the recent post office robberies in his district. He is now after James and Timothy Hogan for whom a reward of $100 each has been offered, and thinks that he can also implicate them in some of the recent robberies. Their pal, Richard O. Davis was taken through St. Louis day before yesterday to Topeka, Kan. The operations of these three men are confined mostly, however, it is alleged, to letter boxes. (info from St. Louis Republic, August 5, 1898, page 1
SENTENCED TO HANG Train Robbers Convicted in Butler County District Court El Dorado, Kan., Dec. 5 - Samuel Smith was convicted of murder in the first degree last evening and has been sentenced to hang. Tom Winn, his accomplice, pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and was sentenced to twenty years in the penitentiary. Smith and Winn robbed a Frisco train at Andover in June. Several of the citizens attacked the robbers and killed one of the horses. Smith shot William Belford who died a few weeks afterwards. A motion for a new trial has been filed but was overruled. Both men are escaped convicts from the Kansas penitentiary. (info from Topeka Weekly Capital, December 13, 1898, page 8) - still evergreen -
As one explores the contemporary news accounts of the period, one will note that depot robberies/burglaries were common. When compared to the local bank, a railroad depot was a very soft target, and good for $20 or $30. Even into the 1930’s, reports of depot robberies appeared in the press.
I cannot thank you all enough for so much amazing information. I am really excited to dig through those sources as well as the rest of this forum!
The amount of information and photos is amazing. Can't say enough Thank Yous to all the members who make this forum the best website. Joe
Sara, TRAIN ROBBERS Sam Smith and Tom Wind [not Wynn, nor Winn] In one of the newspaper articles, it stated that they did not hang Sam Smith That was confirmed in penitentiary records. Years later he escaped from the penitentiary [again] , In pursuit a guard shot him dead. Many years later, reducing the prison population, Tom Wind and other long time prisoners were pardoned by governor. Penitentiary records; www.kshs.org/p/kansas-state-penitentiary-at-lansing-records/17871 Kansas State Penitentiary at Lansing records Prisoners at Kansas-state-penitentiary-at-lansing: 40219 Wind Thos. entered the penitentiary on 12/10/1898 after his conviction of Murder 2 [he was not the shooter]. 33890 Smith Sam #2 entered penitentiary on 12/10/1898 Murder 1 [he was the shooter at Andover]. Sam Smith and Tom Wind were also charged with robberies at post offices. They also raided farms. They were Kansas' and Oklahoma's raiders like Missouri's Jesse James and Younger. Sara, Let us know what your museum achieves can add. This history of decades of crimes would make a good book or a wild action movie.
