Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-12-27
TIE EXPRESS ROBBERY.
SOME FURTHER DETAILS OF THE
BOLD ACT.
Detective Hume Positive that the
Messengers are Perfectly
Innocent.

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, except
more complete details gathered from the
| officers, and the opinions of the latter in
regard to the perpetrators of the crime.
All day yesterday detectives were coming
and going on the road, each apparently
working on his own theory. At three
o'clock there was fine array of talent at
the depot, including j. B. Hume, chief of
Wells, Fargo & Co.'s detectives, and rail
road detectives Len Harris, Fred T. Burke,
William Hickey and Ben True. Wells
Fargo's detective John Thacker, Deputy
Sheriff Mccormick, of Auburn, and Con-
stable Dyer. of Colfax, were at the latter
place and in communication with the Off
GERS here.
Most OF the officers were exceedingly
reticent and declined to talk. When asked
for news, detective Burke replied " have
nothing to say at present. | never talk to
newspaper men when | am working on
case. l am satisfied we are on the right
track and will get the robbers, but until we
do have nothing more to say"
Robert Johnston, the messenger in charge
of the car, returned to this city yesterday
after making his trip to Reno. He had
nothing to say beyond what has already
been published. He feels very keenly
some of the comments of the press on the
robbery and the insinuations that the mes
sengers may have been in collision with
the robbers.
Detective Hume went to Colfax Yesterday
morning and returned on the Swing" train.
In an interview with reporter of the
RECORD U MON he said that he had talked
with the messengers Johnst N and Carpen-
ter, and had ample evidence to show that
/ their statements vra Il,
intimation that there was any colusion
between them aud the two men who robbed
the car is an injustice to two worthy and
honest men. He said Il give it as nv
unqualified opinion that neither of the
messengers were in COLLISION with the rob
bers, and have plenty of evidence of this.
If had the slightest reason for believing
that these men, even though they are en-
ployes OF the company, were guilty, it
would be more important for me to detect
them in their guilt than if it were outsiders.
| could. therefore, have no object in shield
ing them if any suspicion attached to them
but assert that there is no ground for anv
such suspicion"
Mr.. Hume then went on and gave de-
tailed description of how the robbery was
committed. The car had four doors, two on
each side, in the upper portions of which
were two panes of glass. The lower edges
of the windows are four feet two inches
from the door sill, where there is small
projection. The desk at which Johnson is
at work is situated just forward of the rear
door, on the left hand side of the car. Car
penter was at work placing small pack
| ages in the locker which was to be put off
at Colfax, and which stood close to the
forward door on the right-hand side.
| While Carpenter was thus engaged. one of
the panes was smashed in and an arm
came through full length with revolver
pointed directly at his head. A voice com
manded him to throw up his hands and he
| did so. Johnston turned his head in that
direction and at that instant there was an
other crash and an arm came through the
window close at his side, and when he
| turned his head he was looking into the
! muzzle of revolver. He was ordered to
| throw up one hand and open the door with
| the other, which he did and man walked
| in, still covering him with revolver. II:
the meantime the man at the forward win
dow broke the other pane of glass, I'M
hooked the door and walked in. They then
marched the men to the rear end of the car
! and stood them up together, and the
| one who entered the rear door covered
them with his revolver, while the other,
WHO wore sack slung over his shoulder.
went through the safe. While he was at
work the one who was guarding the pris.
oners said: " If your sack is not large
enough take this one" and taking another
sack from inside his coat threw it to his
/ confederate. He then ordered Johnston
and Carpenter to turn their faces toward
the rear end OF the car and kneel down,
which they did. Then, from the sound of
| their voices, they seemed to be at the rear
door, when one of them said Now don't
look around this way at your peril We
Will be back here shortly to see you again
| Ia about thirty seconds one of the messen-
gers looked round and saw that there was
no one in the car. Then they got no, very
much excited, fearing that everything wss
taken, but found a sack containing S12 500
| b d been left
When the train reached New England
Mills, four tramp VINO were riding on the
platform of the baggage car, and saw the
breaking in of the car. reported il to the
engineer as has already been published
| These tramps are now in custody.
When Mr.. Hume reached Sacramento ON
iuesday he telegraphed to Clipper Gap to
have two responsible men sent out 10
search thoroughly On both sides for signs
OF men having jumped off the car. but got
no response until after he left here. At
Newcastle he received dispatch announc-
ing that there was important information
at Clipper Gap. When he arrived there he
found that two rope ladders had been
found some distance from the track. and
that they had been sent to Colfax, which
was his next stopping place The rope
ladders were found to be artistically made.
and OF such strength that they could be
fastened to the transome on the top of the
| car and man could descend to the doors
on the side with perfect safety. OF course
neither Johnston nor Carpenter could have
paced these ladders where they were
found, rolled up together and hid in the
pushes Just about at the point where it is
| known the robbers disappeared from the
| car. Inc men who searched along the
track discovered evidence of men having
Jumped from the train, and the foot prints
LED them to where the ladders were found.
| Mr.. Hume considers that these facts
show conclusiyely that the robbers acted
entirely independent of the messengers.
His theory is that when the men left the
car they did not jump of at the door but
that both went up the rope ladder, which
bad been suspended from the transome at
that point, pulled the rope I'D after them.
then went and took up the other ladder
and got on the car on to the platform, from
the steps OF which they slipped off into the
darkness. The messengers heard footsteps
on top of the car and supposed for some
| time that the robbers were still up there.
Detective Thacker had visited Clipper Gan
aIiu lalkeu Win the TWO men who found
the rope LADDERS.
Yesterday morning at daylight Thacker
HAMS, Mccormick AMI Dyer were on the
ground, but the heavy rains of the preyi.rs
night had obliterated all tracks and there
was no hope OF following them. If some
skilled person had been on The ground al
the time the rope ladders were found be
could have followed the tracks a suffj Gent
distance to have determined with some
degree of certainty the region of country
the robbers were making for, but the rain
made 1t impossible to get any further infor-
nation from that source.
Mr. Hume says there is no foundation
for the wild stories ahoat in regard TO a
large amount having been lost. He has
all OF the way bills and they foot up a lille
less than s, 300
The rack containing the loaded .ifies Is
situated on the right hand side of the car
near the center, and just opposite he safe
which stands on the right hani side. Both
messengers were therefore sevsral fest from
u tirarms when The robbers appeared
Pans Soap is the mo -Iegant toilet adj
met.