The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-30
MEXICAN TRAIN ROBBERY.
The Murderous Work of Six
Masked Bandits.
After Killing Four Men They OBJ
tain Only $3.50 Booty.

One Of the most desperate train robberies
that has ever occurred in the Southwest took
place Saturday night about ten o'clock at
Aqua Zarca, a small station on the Sonora
Railroad, twelve miles south Of Nogales,
Arizona, in Mexico. The train left Nogales
little after nine o'clock and consisted Of two
passenger coaches, a baggage, express, and
mail car, and five freight cars. Jus.
as the train slowed up at the Aqua
Zarca siding to take wood there were
several shots fired, and Fireman Forbes fell
in the passageway between the cab and
tender and died instantly, large load Of
buckshot having struck him in the front
part Of the body. James Gray, the engineer,
jumped from his seat through the cab win
dow, and secreted himself under the engine,
thereby escaping. Almost Immediately
after the first fire the robbers made
for the express car and shot Isaac Hay,
the messenger One shot struck Hay in the
head and another in the body, making v fatal
wound. Conductor Louis Atkinson, who was
in the baggage car; started out and was fatal
ly shot just as he stepped out of the car door.
W. q. French, passenger, who was former
is now on,the Mexican Central, was standing
in the second class coach and was shot in the
boiy, the ball passing through his body and
lodging in his arm:
When the robbers got into the express car
the messenger who had fallen to the floor at
the first shot, feigned death, and the robbers
turned him over and took from his pocket the
key to the safe, small iron box. After get
ting the key they could not unlock the box,
and three Of them carried it off. The pas
sengers, of whom there was large number,
made rush for the forward part Of the train,
but were met in the third-class apartment
Of tnosforward coach by some OF the robbers,
and warned by one of the robbers, who
spoke English we'll, to ''Get back; get back"
There were two Mexican customs guards .'on
the train-two guards 60 on each train in
Mexico-and they were covered with guns
and told to keep quiet, as were also all the
passengers who were armed.
Soon after the safe had been taken from
the car eight Mexican customs line guards,
who were encamped half mile north Of the
station and had heard the firing, appeared on
the scene, but the robbers had made their
escape. The trainmen then side-tracked the
freight, and brought the remainder of the
train with the wounded back to Nogales.
As soon as the train arrived posse was
made up and the train again started on its
trip, taking the posse as far as the scene of the
robbery, where they got of and followed the
Mexican customs guards who were on the
trail of the robbers. The posse that pnr-
sued found the express safe a short dis
tance from the siding. 1t had been unlocked,
and the contents, about $3.50 in American
money and some papers, taken out
There were six robbers in the party, all
Mexicans, and all wore masks They fired
about dozen shots. After leaving the train
they took southerly course for some dis
tance, and then turned north for the purpose,
it is supposed, Of reaching the line and cross
ing into the United States.
Soon after the train got back to Nogales
Conductor Atkinson breathed his last The
express messenger and French were both
fatally shot. Conductor Atkinson and Fire
man FORBES, both of whom leave families,
were buried next afternoon and their
funerals attended by the major portion of
the townspeople. Nearly all places of busi-
ness were closed.