Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-11-23


| Recommendations of Three OF the
Supposed Brigands. IU q
From the San Francisco Chronicle. Nov. 81
Mr.. Cummings, the baggage-master,
makes the following statement of the
transaction to one of our reporters:
We had just got about nine miles out
of Verdi. The moon was shining
brightly. When the brakeman wenc
around the cars, as he always does, co
see if there were any "dead-heads" on
board, as there generally are, he saw two
men on the platform OF the express car,
and asked them what they were doing
there when they put pistol to his face
and told him to get inside. He came in
the baggage car and told the conductor,
Mr.. Marshall, that some men drew pis
toll on him. Marshall opened the door
to go outside, when they put the pistol to
his face. He came in and picked up a
hatchet, and said they had pistols out
there. ! told him not to go out with
nothing but a Ratchet, for they might
shoot him. i then said we had better
stop the train and see who was running
tive or them While we were talking
the rest had climbed over to
the express car and detached it.
At this time the train had Just struck
the grade. The express car had no
break; and they must have gone down
the hill at the rate of fifty miles an
hour The engineer whistled down
brakes. He then looked around when
two pistols were pointed right in his face.
They told him to go on. He asked them
where they wanted him to go. Here he
pulled the whistle twice, when one of
the men asked him what he did that for2
He answered that it was to loose the
brakes. They then told him to go down
to that lower switch. The engineer, Mr..
Small, said: The other train is due
there in few moments, and we will be
run into. That's all right, one of
the fellows said; we've fixed that ali
up. They had placed distractions un
the track When they got down to the
switch they took the engineer and fire
man and made them stand on the round
and then they went to the door of the
express car and knocked Tb e express
man, who had seen sometbi. ng was the
matter, supposed il was one of the train
men and opened it, when they. nut a
pistol to his head and told him that they
wanted the specie boz, and must have il.
They were all masked.
The next time we were robbed IL was
done in precisely the same manner.
None ofHs had had firearms except the
expressman, and he had laid them aside
and could Dot get them in time.
The Chronicle was the only paper on
Sunday that published any news CON
caruipfr tha .a,nuI .olb,-.- -, Al -.
train at Independence station, 500 miles
from Sacramento. In addition to the
particulars then published, we give the
following, which have reached us by tel
egraph from Carlin: As the passenger
train Of the Central Pacific railroad,
bound east, was leaving Independence
station, about eight clock last evening.
four masked men came from behind a
vacant building standing near the track,
two Of them jumping on the engine, one
on the forward end and one on the rear
end Of the express car. Those getting
on the engine covered the engineer and
fireman with cooked revolvers and rifles,
and the one getting on the rear Of the
express car cut the bell-cord and express
car from the balance Of the train. Con-
ductOr Carter, Of the train, was standing
on the front platform Of the passenger
coach, and when he saw that the express
car was cut loose from the train, he hailed
the express messenger and asked him to
pull the bell-cord, which he did, but the
men ordered the engineer 70 20 ahead,
under pain Of instant death, which he
did, and when SIX and half miles east
Of Independents they ordered the engi-
neer 10 stop. They then took of the /
fireman. express and mail agents, and /
leit one man in charge They then or
dered the engineer 70 20 ahead, which he !