New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-04-16

MEXICAN BANDITS.

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MEXICAN BANDITS.
nsw1 Trey lsS naliIlr,oaA rrains "a
e-Oeaehes - 8 Row Speclmen
D0bbefles !.
TIE brigands have reduced the rob-
blng OF railway trains to q science. As
each train is accompanied by military
guard, the usual freights and the
money in the passengers pockets are
not worth the risk Of capturing. It is
only when the Government or some
banking firm sends q large quantity Of
specie on one Of the trains that there is
any likelihood Of an attack; and the
thieves seem to have some sure means
Of learning when there is q large sum
Of money aboard. The trains on the
railway from Mexico to Vera Cruz are
usually very long, all drawn by q huge
double locomotive. At the rear end Of
the train is always small Car, about
half the size Of the others, very much
like the g caboose" at the end Of Ameri-
can coal trains. This is for the escort
or military guard, q dozen or fifteen
men, under command of an officer.
These men, like all the Mexican SOL
diers, are copper olored, full or half
breed Indians, clad in very light stuff,
wearing sandals, and very small in
stature. The specie is on one of the
freight cars that go ahead Of the pas
senger cars-the thieves easily find out
which one. Beside the escort on the
train there is small military guard
that meets the train at each station,
and gives the country the appear
ance, to traveller by rail, of being
full up to the brim with soldiers
and running over. On account of this
latter guard, the thieves are very
careful that the robberies shall be
committed between stations. They
have q very ingenious way of getting
rid OF the military escort that accom-
panies the train. They get in the cars
separately at different stations, and
when the proper time comes one of the
band, who has previously been selected,
goes to the rear of the last passenger
Car and uncouples the car containing
the soldiers. This is always done on 8
sharp curve, when the engineer cannot
see the end of his train, and always on
an upgrade, 50 that the uncoupled car
will soon stop; and there are plenty of
such places on this steep and crooked
railroad. Then they go through the
train till they come to the treasure car,
break into it, saw hole through the
bottom, and when the place is reached
that has been determined upon, the
boxes containing the money are drop
ped out through the hole. Another
part of the bri gand party, of course.
are awaiting at the appointed place,
and pick up the specie and make off
with it as soon as it is dropped. The
specie and the brigands disappear to-
gether, and the Government, the only
loser, bushes up the story as much as
possible, and seizes another church to
make up for the loss. The passengers,
perhaps, know nothing about the rob
berry, or, if they do, they know better
than to interfere. And all this time
the twelve soldiers in the rear car, find
ing that they are in no personal dam
ger, sit still and resolve to defend their
car to the very last gasp.
The process of robbing stage coach
is very simple. I cannot tell it better
than in the words of a man who had
had the experience:
t"'The first thing we knew" said he,
there were forty or fifty brigands
around the diligence, aud the horses
were stopped. Before I had time to
turn around, had q revolver pointed at
each side of my head, and was told
to hand over my money. l had $500
in notes along, but mad hidden that in
one of the cushions, and had only two
or three dollars in silver in nv pockets,
They helped themselves to my watch
and everything else in my pocket that
| cared anything for; but my having SO
little money seemed to excite their sus-
picions, and one of them. took me to
one side of the road, away from the
coach. making me bring along a small
sachel was carrying with me. He
told me to take off my clothes, and
did. The sachel contained an old suit
of light clothes belonging to friend of
mine, much too small for me; but he
said he thought my clothes would
about fit him, and he made me put on
the old ones. He did not take time to
search the pockets, as he was taking
clothes and all; but when I told him
shat should need two or three more
meals and 9 lodging before got to the
end of my journey, he gave me back
the two or three dollars in silver. But
he left me a bad-looking specimen. in
the little old suit of clothes, though 1
was better off than most of the passen-
gers, for they were sitting around in
their underclothes, and one woman.
whose clothes had been stolen, was
wrapped up in horse blanket. Then
we went on. -
While your correspondent was stay
ing in the Iturbide Hotel, in the City Of
Mexico. q stage coach drove into the
courtyard that had been robbed while
on its way into the city, and only few
miles from the National Palace and the
headquarters of 10000 regular troops.
Among the passengers was a Young
Newly orker, a clerk and relative Of
another New Yorker who has a COM
mission house in Mexico. The clerk
was robbed of all the valuables he had
with him, and of his clothes, and when
he reached Mexico he told his story to
some of his friends. The next day,
however, when his relative and employ
er heard of it, he blamed the young
clerk severely for saving anything
about it, fearing that the telling of the
story might injure his business.
OF course, there are many railroad
trains and many stage-coaches con-
stantly going through that are not dis
turbed by the bandits, but one robbery
in week or so is enough to make ev-
erybody feel timid about travelling, and
people have learned to leave their val