It was a _chef-d’œuvre_, in the execution of which he doubtless congratulated himself. That a man should, under any circumstances, successfully hold an entire train crew at bay, and, single-handed, rob the express car, is a deed of such daring as to almost challenge admiration, at least for his dauntless courage, whatever may be thought of his lawless purpose; but that a man hunted down by detectives, living like a wild beast in the swamps, afraid to show his face in daylight because of their dreaded presence, should emerge from his place of concealment and rob the very corporation whose sleuth hounds had tracked him to his lair, betokens a degree of audacity unparalleled in the history of crime or the realms of fiction. Rube is credited with possessing a sense of the ridiculous, inherent in the Burrow family, and doubtless this turning of the tables on his would-be captors appealed strongly to his sense of humor, if, indeed, the dare-devil deed was not inspired thereby. The train pulled into the station of Flomaton about ten P. M., where it was delayed some twenty minutes in awaiting the Pensacola connection. Meantime a tall man, coarsely dressed, was seen to mount the steps of the express car, next the engine, and look in upon the messenger through the glass door in the end of the car. When he came down from the car he was seen to have a coal pick, which he had taken from the tender of the engine. A few minutes afterward, just as the train was pulling out, he ran toward the engine and mounted it. The yard-master observed these movements, but simply thought the man was some employe of the railway. Before the train was fairly under headway the engineer, facing about, saw himself and fireman covered by two revolvers in the hands of a man whose face was masked and who held under his arm a coal pick. “Pull ahead and stop the train with the express car on the north side of Escambia River bridge, or I will blow the top of your head off,” was the stern command. “All right, Captain,” said the engineer. The bridge was about three quarters of a mile north of the station. While _en route_, Rube said: “If you obey my orders, I will not harm you, but the penalty is instant death if you disobey.” On arriving at the bridge the sharp command “Stop!” was given, and the engineer instantly complied. “Get down,” said Rube to the engineer and fireman, and he followed the two men to the ground. The colored fireman, as soon as he reached _terra firma_, made instant flight from the scene. Rube fired two shots at him as he fled, which had no other effect, however, than to increase his speed. When called upon afterwards to explain the cause of his retreat, the darkey replied: “I thought I heerd him say run, and as we was all ’beyin’ orders, I run.”