St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-11-24
TRAIN ROBBING IN MEXICO.


a panty of Desperadoes Ditch ana Isoo %
Train On the Mexican National Railroad,
securing. ms. 900 in Bullion-Troops IL
Pursuit of the Gang.
LAREDO TEX, Nov. IA.
Tn wild. uninhabited region near Lar
zorita. TWENTY-FIVE miles south of Laredo,
a. .bort seven o'clock last evening the reg
MAJ, train from Saltillo, consisting OF TOUR
coaches, one mail and one express Cal WIN
seyenty-five passengers ABOARD can 80
the mail and IS, 900 in silver IN the EXPRESS,
safe, were going twenty-five miles an noui
when the engine turned complete sohiei
sault, landing twenty feet from tne S'acA'
followed by the express and two PASSENGER
cars. The other coaches were deralieu ou''
not capsized. In the confusion Wofo was
passed that Fireman Fessler was crusi.eo
to death and Engineer Madden Daoiyt
wounded. The next moment the ifieh'-
ened and helpless passengers became d."
| that thew were surrounded by desperadoes,
,bo attemnted to force Conductor Burt to
rive the combination of the safe, when a.
member of the gang impatiently knocked
the knob off with an ak. Burt, Win a ooz-
en- Winchester rifles leveled at him, was
compelled to strike blow after dow upon
the hinges an finally, when given the al
tentative of opening the safe IN minute
or having his head blown off, he lntorhe"'
tho robbers there was $1,000 silver bullion.
in the Express car. The whole gang en-
| paged in the work of carrying the pafs 10
pack mules tied conveniently
AS the last bar was pulled out OF the
wreck the noise of an approaching train
was heard. with soldiers coming up the
| track from the opposite direction. In afew
,r,;,ntes tine robbers had disappeared, but
| took no other booty.
| A Mexican customs ot11cer nae poarued
tho train at Jarita the last station passed..
and i,nmediately the train was wrecked
.,.an+ bacly nfoot and brought his guards to-
| tbe rescue, The telegraph wire mad peen
cut and the train dispatcher reported sus-
/ picions of foul play. superntenden6 Les
/ ter ordered speclal tfaln seno Wv T" A'A
/ 100 Mexican soldiers.
/ investigation showed the mules had peeh-
/ 1-ent in +, thicket the night before when S15,-
/ 00d in silver was shipped from Monterey
and SaltiIlo to Laredo, but fortunately the
/ train was ten hours late, passing the spo1'
/ in day-time, and was thus saved.
But few of the passengers were roooed,
tho nnarauders DELAYING so long with the
/ safe and bullion. DR.. V. y. ting ana wlfes
of San Antonio, and r. 5. Vivian, OF Kan,
i sas City, Mo-, were among the passengers
/ Thav saw the robbers were all Mexlcans-
except the leader, who is an American.
Passengers furnished detailed descriip-.
| tion of the leader to the authorities who
| think he is a well-known character IN Lare--
/ do. 1t is believed he will not escape cap 9
4 ture. Engineer Madden saved the lives OF,
the passengers by his prompt application
of the air brakes.
! The leader acted in cool-headed and de-
/ liberate manner and spoke good English,
4 All the rest of the gang acted like savages,
| utterly regardless of discipline or COM
mand. The leader forced the conductor to
deliver the treasure, under the threat TO-
kin all Americans on the train. The rob
berry was skilfully planned, but with q
reckless regard for human life. The ran
/ fine telegraph wires cut, SO as to destroy
I communication between the stations.