Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-09-03
INDIANS IN THE LOWER COUNTRY.
Etc.
CALIFORNIA.
The Attempted Train RObbery-Further
Particulars,

Particulars.
NEVADA, September 2d.-Detectives Har-
ris, Burke, Hickey, Thacker, Captain Stone
and three or four others were in this city this
morning on business connected with the
recently attempted train robbery at Cape
Horn Mills. As yet nothing definite has
been learned of the whereabouts of the rob-
bers, but it is supposed that there is an organ
lied band, and that their headquarters are
somewhere in this section. The country Is
being scoured for miles around by the Of
ficers. 1t now transpires that the horse and
wagon at FIRST thought to belong to the
wreckers is the property of rancher who
had passed near the scene OF the wreck the
SECOND DISPATCH.l
GRASS VALLEY, September 2d.-The fol-
lowing is the latest from the train robbers
Yesterday evening Chinaman gave informa-
ton to the officers that some men had in
quired the way to Nevada City, and that he
furnished the information asked for. The
men went on, and making a mistake got into
the tunnel of the narrOwgauge railroad,
where they lost their bearings and returned
by mistake to Grass Valley, where they were
again seen in Chinatown by the same China
man who had directed them to Nevada. The
officers were informed of this fact, and are
now in search of these men.
CoLpAx, September 2d.-The detectives,
after securing the country between Nevada
CITY and the scene of Thursday nights at
tempt to wreck and rob the overland train.
have been given a new clew ia an entirely new
direction. This afternoon a railroad man
walking along the track picked up two pieces
of fuse, each about eighteen inches long, and
each capped with giant powder cap. These
were found about mile and half east of
the point where the train was ditched, and
the detectives now think that the robbers
went east instead of west, as was at
first supposed Railroad detective Burke
telegraphed last night that ne was
close on the trail of the wagon in which it
was thought the robbers escaped to Grass
Valley. This sent all the other officers off
in the same direction, and all yesterday and
to-day the country this side Of the scene of
the attempt has been searched. Ii the men
really did go east, then the false trail taken
up by Burke has simply given the robbers
two days start. Your reporter has carefully
examined the fuse and caps found to-day.
and closely questioned the man who found
them, and has arrived at an entirely differ
eut conclusion from that adopted by
the officers. The caps were evidently
placed upon the fuse by an experienced
person, and the man states that they were
found in position they could not have acct
dentally fallen into. The woodmen who
work in the vicinity use such fuse caps in
exploding powder used in splitting logs.
This fact, in connection with the fact that
the handles of the axes and hammers left be-
hind by the robbers are covered with pine
pitch, as are all the woodmen's axes here
abouts, either duplicates some of the wood
men or proves that the implements were
stolen from the woodmens camp. 1t was
noticeable fact that although in the
u glars outfit recovered there were
no less than thirty giant powder cartridges
aud plenty of fuse, not single cap was
found. This was at once noticed and re-
marked by Senator Fair upon the discovery
of the kit. This all looks as though the caps
and fuse found to-day were placed there by
some one in advance, who forgot to take
them to the place selected for the robbery.
This itself would have disconcerted
the robbers, and would in part &C.
count for their running away. Moreover,
If the gang had been a lot of wood
choppers or tramps. led by one or
two old hands who did the planning,
any mishap in the arrangements could have
caused panic, which would not have &C.
Cured if all concerned had been old hands.
Officers Harris and Hickey, from Sacrament
TO, and Reno officer, returned to Colfax
this evening and will start out on the east
ern trail early in the morning. Detective
Burke mas telegrapneu tnaC ne Will De mere
tonight. Captain Stone, of San Francisco,
police officers Arlington and Thacker, of Sac
ramento, and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s messen-
ger, left Grass Valley this afternoon. The
team will continue to hunt in this part of the
country. A hat found near the Cape Horn
Mills side track has been identified by sew
eral railroad men here as one worn by thief
who was sentenced here for petty larceny
short while ago. The track at the scene of
che ditching has been entirely repaired and
is now used instead of the side track. 1t is
now believed that the robbers did not have
wagon. The peculiar wagon track followed
by Burke has been traced to ranch near
Grass Valley and the wagon accounted for.