Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-01-06
The Spanish Bandits at Kingston.

The Visalia Delta of January LIST
gives the following particulars Of the
late robbery at Kingston, brief ac-
count of which we had by telegraph:
On Friday evening last, between the
hours OF and 8 o'clock, the notorious
outlaw Vasquez and his band of some
twelve or fifteen men, entered the
quiet little village of Kingston, Fres-
no county, and robbed the entire town
of all valuables they could convenient
ly take with them. They entered
town by the bridge on the north side,
leaving their horses in charge of one
of their number, near the bridge, SO
that their approach might be as quiet
as possible. On crossing the bridge
they met man on foot, who was i'm
mediately gagged and tied by them
before he could give any alarm. Leav-
ing him, they passed on to the hotel,
where they met Douglas of this place,
and GilrOy, who were at supper Vas
quez was Immediately recognized by
these gentlemen. GilrOy made some
resistance by striking the robber with
his chair. After swapping II cap at
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striking him with the pistol. Both
men were then tied. They took from
Douglas some coin and valuable
watch-one that was highly priced, it
having belonged to his deceased father.
Gilroy was taken to the store of Jacob
& Einstein for the purpose of opening
the safe; each one in the store was tied
down, their watches taken, and their
pockets rified Of coin. From this
place the robbers entered the store of
Sweet & Co., again tying each one and
taking what they could get. They
tied Sweet standing up, and then or
dered him to fall OH his face. Sweet
begged not to be treated so roughly,
but they showed no mercy. When
Sweet was getting down one of the
robbers tried to take ring from his
finger, but S. begged for it, telling
him it was a present from his wife; so
the robbers left it. The amount of
booty by this time was $3.50 from the
hotel, $500 from Jacob Einstein and
$50 from Sweet & Co., together with
many watches and other valuables,
which will amount to several thou
sand dollars.
While the robbers We're in and
around the store of Sweet & Co., Sulli-
van and another gentleman at the ho-
tel, hearing the robbers at their work,
got q small reinforcement and made an
attack upon them, firing some forty
shots, and beyond all doubt wounding
some of the desperadoes, as various
places on the bridge were found to be
bloody after their retreat. When the
firing commenced upon the marauders
their leader gave orders to retreat,
which they hastily did. Crossing the
bridge, they mounted their horses and
rode off. These gentlemen deserve
great credit for the manner in which
they acted, and which perhaps saved
much valuable property by causing a
hasty retreat of the desperadoes.
As soon as daylight began to'dawn,
various parties started In pursuit,
many going from Visalia. After fol-
lowing the robbers some miles, they
came upon Spaniard who claimed to
belong to sheep camp near by, but
when taken there could not be identi-
fed His stories were SO conflicting
that he was taken to Kingston and
identified as one of the party. He
finally confessed, stating that he was
left behind to take care OF two wound
ed men and bury them if they died.
He would not tell where the wounded
men were, and as yet they have not
been found. This desperate was taken
by the officers to Jail at Fresno, to
await the action of the grand jury.
Reports are continually reaching us
of the doings of these desperadoes. AL
most every herder and sheep man on
their line of march has suffered more
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