The record-union., 1891-02-08
Messenger Haswelrs Story of the
Alila Affair.
THE ROBBERS WE'RE FIRST TO OPEN,
FIRE.
One of the Participants Seen on thej
Train Previous to the Attack-None
of the Passengers in Possession of
a Weapon-Fireman' RadclfR Dies
From His Injuries.
Special to the REconp-Us1oN.


Los ANGELES, Feb. wells, Fargo d
COS Express messenger, Charles C.
Haswell, who succeeded in keeping the
bandits out of the express car at Delano,
arrived in the city this morning. He de-
tailed the following account of his ex-
perlence at point one mile south of
Alila:
Il was first notified of the fact that
something was wrong by sudden stop
ping OF the the train and the firing Of
several pistol shots in quick succession.
L stepped to the door of my car lust in
Tune to see four men get down from off
the engine and tender. This was enough
1or me- L did not wait to see any more,
but promptly closed the door to my car,
put out the lights and prepared for bat
tie.
Inc robbers came to the rear of the ex-
press car, and heard the brakeman ask
for link. Some one shouted from the
outside to me:
"'Open that door, and be quick about
AT this [ presented my face against
the upper glass in the door of the car to
locate the robbers more accurately. AS
soon as did so, one of them fired. and
shot me in the face, one buckshot striking
me over the left eye, producing painful,
but not serious wound.
Il saw the man who shot me. and
flred at him. | am confident / struck
hln, for L saw him throw up his hands
and heard him exclaim Pm hit He
then went towards the engine. This
man, think, was the leader of the gang.
All told. / fired three shots at him. L
ran 10 the forward end and fired with
shotgun and revolver, but I do not be-
heye that the last two shots took effect.
The robbers fired twice at me while I
was at the forward door of the car. once
with shotgun and once with pistol. L
heard another one of my assailaIlts at the
hind door say, My God I'm shotr' As
bullets were then flying through the air
at a very rapid rate, l laid down as a
matter of self-protection.
one OF the passengers told me this
morning that he saw one man. who had
formerly been sitting behind him in the
passenger coach, fire five times into my
car.
II am confident l did not fire the shot
which wounded the fireman knew him
well, and he was at no time in range of
After the fight, which lasted about ten
minutes, we pulled into Delano. The
baggage car, mail car or passengers were
not touched. 1t is quite evident that they
We're after what / had in the express carr
HasweH has been a faithful and trusted
employe of Wells-Fargo for twenty-one
years.
The reiriarKsble faet in connection with
the Whole affair is that not one passenger
on the train had revolver with him. and
the consequence was that the engineer.
hreman and express messenger were
left to fight the whole battle out alone
DEATH OF FIREMAN RADCLIFFE.
DELANo (Cal.), Feb. 7.-George Rad
cliff, the fireman who was shot i'm the
robbery of the passenger train last even
ing near Alila, died this afternoon from
the effects of the wounds.
No very reliable information has vet
been received of the parties in pursuit of
the robbers, though various rumors are
atioat. One report states that the parties
have been traced in northwesterly di-
rection toward Hanford, and the officers
are in close pursuit
Sheriff Borgwardt and seven men
passed through to Alila on special last
night, and from that point took to the
Westward. Every possible means is be-
ing exhausted to capture the robbers
OFFICERS IN PURSUIT..
HURON Cali, Feb. IA special train
arrived here this morning from Tulare
with Sheriff L. w. Kay and two depu-
ties in pursuit of the men who robbed the
train. AT Alila last night Sheriff KAY
and deputies started west for Sunfiower
Valley, the supposed direction the rob-
bers are pursuing, and Deputy +. D.
Vogelsang and Tulare deputy went
south by Tulare Lake and towards the
hills. Nothing has been heard up to this
evening from them.