Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-11-05
Greatest Highway Rob.
berry on the Pacific
Coast!
ROBBERY OF A RAILROAD
TRAIN LAST NIGHT!
THE ~RIGHWAYMRN GET BE.
TWEEN FORTY AND FIFTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS:

The most high-handed and daring
robbery v perpetrated oil the Pa
| cific Coast, occurred on the Central
Pacific Railroad last night, or this
morning ut half-past one O'Clock, at
Verdi. fifteen miles above Reno. We
learn the following particulars Of the
affair from 4 passenger OH the train,
and whose statement may be relied
upon as correct. 1t appears that the
eastward bound train had been delayed
an hour by the freight trains which
collided yesterday; and consequently
il was an hour behind time when 1t
arrived ut Verdi. The train here
waited for the westward bound pas
senger train from Reno to pass it and
after it has passed, seven masked men
mounted the platform of the Express
car and the next passenger car, stand
ing in the way Of the brakesman, who
desired them to get ont of his way, rs
he could not operate the brakes but
they paid no heed to him, and he went
into the ear for the conductor, who,
OH coming out, had several pistols
pointed ut his head, and was requested
TO go back. Just then the bcll-rope
was cut, and the highwaymen took to
the locomotive, and with drawn pis-
tolls commanded the engineer to start
the locomotive and the Express and
Mail cars down the road. The engineer
ut first protested, but it was life or
death with him, rs the formidable
weapons which were pointed ut his
head, very plainly convinced him that
his strange visitors meant business.
lie accordingly 1 the locomotive and
Express car down the road about eight
miles, to Hunters old crossing Of the
Truckee river, where he was conf
manded to stop. which he did-and
while two Of the highwaymen kept the
engineer covered with their weapons,
the Others went OH each side Of Wells,
Fargo & Co.'S Express car, and knocked
for admission. There was but II
clerk in the car, and he was entirely
Ignorant as to what was going on out
side /; so he partly opened q shutter or
small door, and seeing the men hang
ing OH to the side OF the a trying to
get in. he quickly closed it; and OH
going to the other side he found sew
eral others trying to force the door
open. lie accordingly surren-
dered, opened the doors, and the
highwaymcn entered. 1t was but
the work of 4 few moments for the five
robbers to clutch the SACKS Of gold,
containing between forty and fifty
thousand dollars, which were In the
safe, and to leave the CIR and be out OF
sight among the c%liaparral. In the
haste of selling the coin, some Of it got
scattered over the car floor, and was
afterwards gathered up BY the clerk or
messenger. There was also consider
able silver coin in the safe, but the
robbers took none of 1t. After the
seven had left the car and locomotive,
the engineer concluded to 90 back for
his train at Verdi, which was standing
lust where it had been left-most all
the passengers being asleep, and only
about a dozen being aware that the
seven masked men had run away with
the locomotive and express a After
the conductor had been so unceremo-
niously ordered into the sleeping car
by the robbers, he rushed into q rear
car for n weapon, and returned only in
time to see the fugitives passing round
n bend in the road ut n speed OF
forty knots an hour. lie then rushed
for the telegraph Office, but only to find
That the wires had been cut in both
u-..,s trfar n 1ptnntiOn of thp