The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-09-27
THE STATE.
Latest From the Bandits Who
Held UP the Train at
HARDWOOD.
Another Storm In the Gulf-Trag-
edy at Ell Paso-Desperado
Captured.
Special Telegram to the Statesman.


CUERo, Tex, September 24.-Three very
suspicious looking. characters, whom per.
soa might suppose to be part of the
HARDWOOD train-robbing gang, rode in, ex-
pecting to board the Arkansas Pass west
bound train, turned their horses over to a
boy, and were intending to board the
train, but upon suspicioning that they
were Swallowed by the officers, they con-
cluded to defer their trip until more IA
vorable day, or go elsewhere to get on.
At any rate they remounted their horses
and put out. The officers, Sheriff Kilgore
in charge, took the train, hoping to inter
cept them at some other station. The
men are supposed to be robbers; were
we'll armed with six-shooters and Win
chesters, and kept clear of the town, but
sent boy in after supply of ammuni-
tion,
Sheriff Jones, of Gonzales, is still in
pursuit of the robbers, who attacked and
attempted to rob the Southern Pacific
Express train at Harwood, Saturday night
Everybody is praising United States Mar
shall Rankin and Deputies West, Van
Ripper, McNeill and Kelly for the part
they play ed in defending the train. The
latest version of the affair is given by
passengers and officers as follows:
Saturday evening at 4:25 Marshal
Rankin and Deputies West, VanRiper, Nc
Neill and Kelly left San Antonio on the
the Southern Pacific east bound passenger
train. They had been expecting an attack
for several nights past, and had been
going up and down the road under orders
of Marshal Rankin. West and MoNeil
occupied the mail car next to the tender,
while Rankin, VanRiper and A&plly sat in
the express car. Most of the officers were
armed with double-barreled shotguns.
One or two of them had Winohesters. ALI
had pistols. 1t was expected that the
robbers would attack in force. Instead,
two of them met the train west of Harwood,
captured the engineer and fireman and
forced them to uucouple the locomotive
and mail car from the rest of the train
and run them down the track where the
main gang were waiting. They were
doubtless of the Impression that they had
the express car in tow, and their failure to
attach the express car to the front part of
the train saved them several lives, as
Rankin aud his two aides were secreted
in it and waiting to be hauled to where
the main gang were in operation. AS
it happened, only Deputies West and
Mcneil were in tho mail car, and
when they were hauled down
to the rendezvous they opened fire. The
inability of the robbers to tell the differ
ence between a mail and express car saved
them. 1t has been ascertained that at
the point where the main portion of the
gang stopped they had built camp fire
and breastwork of railroad ties.
They are supposed to be young men,
who, for the most part, belong to families
in the neighborhood, and, who were led by
two old bands who have been In the Flat
onia and Texas Pacific and Cisco bank
robberies. There is but little doubt that
there were two of them wounded by
Deputies Mcneil and West, and that they
will be caught
The country here is aroused, aud all
hands are on the alert for the robbers. 1t
is pretty certain some of the robbers be-
long to the same gang that did so much
mischief to trains in this section last year.