Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-12
A TRAIN ROBBED.
4 Number CT Bandits Hold Up Train
on the Mexican Central Nssr
chihuahua.
They Attack the Express Car with the
Ususl Result-what Ehcy Looked
Like acd What They Got.

Ell PAso, TEX, Jan. IL The Mexican
Central passenger train due here this
morning was held up last night about 500
miles south of here by band of robbers.
The train had stopped at watering place
st the base of the mountains, and
just as the engineer was about to open
The throttle valve eight men suddenly
made their appearance out OF piece Of
woods skirting the track. Two OF them
covered the engineer and fireman with
their revolvers, and two others proceeded
TO the express car, and the balance sta
toned themselves st the door OF the
coaches and terrified TIE passengers so
completely that no Effort was made to
saye the express agent, who in defending
tee valuable property IL his CIR was being
roughly handed. The robbers were
said to have been Americans, and were
armed to The teeth. Thee flaal!y
succeeded IN qu;eting the express agent
and secured y considerable sum of money.
z lite large quantity of silver WAS stored
in q corner Of the csr and the robbers IN
dertook TO carry 1t along, but owing to
It's great weight they left it behind. So
tsr as learned no passengers were NAL
treated, and having deliberately secured
their booty they took TO the mountains,
disappearing 50 suddenly as they had
come upon the ecene. AS yet the details
Of the robbery are very measre, though
we sre assured there were no casualties
The whole transaction did not occupy
three minutes snd those of the train were
go completely surprised that no attempt
a. defense was made.
THE MESSENGERS TALE.
Special to the Gazette.
Ell PAs0, TEX Jan. 11.-Express Mes
senger Cooper, who was on the Mexican
Central passenger train that was robbed
last night st Mepula, twelve miles south
of Chiauhaua and $50 miles from FL Pas :,
arrived here to-day and gives the follow
ing account OF the affair:
SIT was about dusk and l was sitting
beside the stove in the express Car. The
train was stopped and soon heard
scuffla, but supposed the conductor was
hurrying the poor Mex.caDs on the train.
Then the conductor raped ct the express
Car door and asked me to open it. I
suspected nothing wrong and complied.
| looked to one side and
saw Winchester. The conductor
was covered and the men were
guarding the train" Cooper ssys there
were seven men, four on one side OF the
train and two on the other, and one on
the engine. He says they were negroes.
TheygotS344 10 Mexican silver. They wore
no masks. He thought they were painted
Cooper saved $4,000 for the Wells, Fargo
& Co., and says If he lad known
what WAS up he could have
stood the man off with his
Winchester and that number Of Mexi-
cans also would have helped him. He
SAYS The tone OF the men while in the ex
press car was friendly.
"You are making bad break to hold
up this train. There is nothing on it,"
said Cooper.
ave know it," was the reply; "but we
arrived here last night just in time 10 see
the train pull out"
The first train had considerable money
on it. The negroes who did the wore arc
said to be known. "They passed throush
Ell Paso southbound about week ago,
and hold up has been expected" said q
railroad man, "for some days, but not in
the locality where 1t occurred. 1t was
expected between Ell Paso and Chihus-
hua."
This Is the second time the Mexican
Central passenger train has been held up.
Three thousand Mexican soldiers have
completely surrounded Mapula.