Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-02-24
THE TRAIN-ROBBERS.
Inquest on the Body Of the
Brakeman.
THE TALE TOLD BY A TRAMP.
Conflicting Estimates of the Amount
of the Booty Secured by the
Thieves.
Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HERALD.

Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HERALD,
DELANo, CAL, February 23.-Coronel
Buckrass this morning held an inquest
over the body of Charles F. Gabert, the
young man killed in the train robbery
near Pixley, last evening. He was a
native Of West Virginia, aged 20 years,
and was instantly killed. The testimony
given by P. T. Holger, engineer, and
G. J. Elder, fireman, of Tulare, is as fol-
lows: "When leaving Pixley two
masked men boarded the engine, cover
ing us with shot guns, and ordered us to
pull out and ordered us to slow down.
We were taken back by the robbers to
the express car and bomb was thrown
under the car, the explosion of which
nearly turned the car over. The mes
senger came out when called. and was
ordered to light the car. One of the rob-
bers Quilted the car, while the other held
the fireman, engineer and messenger
under cover. Meanwhile, the brakeman
and Gabert came up on one
side OF the car, and Bently came
up on the other side to see the
cause Of the delay. When approach.
ing, one robber remarked, 'Stop' and
fred, Gabert receiving the heavy load OF
buckshot in the head, killing him
instantly. The robber then reached |
under the car at the other parties, when |
Bently was struck by several shots in the
abdomen and right arm. The robbers
then marched the three men I'D on the |
engine and backed away into the dark.
ness"
TULARE, February pa tramp, who
saw the characters suspected to h;ve
been the train-robbers, states that thevt
met him and another man near pixley
tne previous day. He says: "They
asked us where there was good place to
get on the train and we told them, and
then asked them where they
were going. They said to De-
lano to shoot iack-rabbits. We
asked them what was the matter
with shooting jack-rabbits at Pixley. One
of them said he had ranch at Delano.
Just then the train came along and the
men jumped on the front part Of the
engine"
One of the tramps continued: "Some.
thing seemed to warn me that all was
not right. As the train passed, a third
man jumped out from somewhere and
boarded one OF the passenger cars.
felt uneasy and walked over to the depot
and told some one what had happened.
I was only laughed at, but it was not
long till we heard what had happened"
A man who was riding on the "blind
baggage said: "The train commenced to
slow when we got some distance beyond
Pixley. When it had nearly stopped we
there was trouble ot some
kind and jumped off. When they COM
menced shooting ran and jumped the
wire fence and lay down in
field near by. heard some
one say "My God. Pm killed." When
the shooting occurred heard an explo-
sion of some kind. When the robbers
had gone slipped OUT and got among
the passengers. One of the men shot had
his side torn all to pieces with buckshot.
The train backed up to Pixley when one
of the passengers claimed he saw man
fall at a distance from the track
The train went back and we searched
for the man. We soon found him. He
had evidently been instantly killed.
The shot entered near the temple. He
had ticket in his hat for Poso."