The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-30
/" HANDS UP, GENTS"
How John Mcconnell Was Stood
Up and Robbed.
Four Men Held at Bay by Two Robbers
Nearly Three Hundred Dollars Taken.
The Victim Cripple.

Hands up. gents, and don't move Or I'll
blow your brains out!" were the omnous
words that greeted four men sitting in
grocery-store on the corner of Santa Clara
and Harrison streets, about o'clock last
evening, and eight hands went up as high as
arms could extend them.
The men were: John Mcconnell, pro-
prietor of the place; David Lewis. a driver
for mattress factory in that neighborhood;
Smith, brakeman on thu Southern Pacific
Railroad. Lewis was sitting on the counter
and Smith on a chair, both near the door,
and the two others were sitting further back
in the store.
The man who gave the command was
about 5 feet 9 inches in height He was
dressed in dark suit with a drab overcoat.
Over the upper part of his face he wore
red handkerchief and his hat, which was of
light color, was drawn down over the
handkerchief to hold it in place. Close
behind him was asmaller, dark -complexioned
man, who was dressed in dark suit of
clothes and dark cloth mask. Each had
ACfViNOl III illo anu bACJ iiVhSo oSche
as if they knew their business.
THEY TAP THE TILL.
As soon as the two entered Mcconnell
tried to rise, when the taller man ordered
him to sit down. He then directed the
smaller one to go behind the counter to the
till. What followed is best told in the
words of Mr.. Mcdonnell, who was seen by
a reporter a few minutes after the affair:
when the fellow got behind the counter
l moved my arm up to support myself on
shelf He noticed the movement, and cried
to the larger one that | had a gun. The
one who was guarding US came nearer.
threateningly, with an oath; then he noticed
was cripple. and said: IT I'd known
you were !: cripple we wouldn't have come,
but since we're here up with your hands,
and no movementsp We kept quiet enough
then, while the one at the till was rifling it.
First he got out a buckskin sack with $3.50
in it; then he took the change, S12 80, from
the till, making 1912 80 in all. They left
me nothing. Tue smaller man left first. AS
the larger backed out and when he got OPP
poste Smith and Lewis he searched Smith
for his watch, but could not find it. When
he reached the door he said: You may
catch US, but you'll never get the money
4ACJ hAO bOaoO W waning
backward, with the pistol pointed at us.
and then turned and hurried away by the
railroad along the side of the house. No
one besides ourselves, SO far as we know,
saw them leave, but we could hear them
hurry away.
LOOKED LIKE DOPE FIENDS.
81 would know them if / met them, no
matter how they were dressed. They were
not physically the equal of any of lis, but
they had the deadwood ON us and we
couldn't move. They looked for all the
world like dope iends.'"
John Mcconnell has been in business at
that place for two years. He took to it
on account of his having lost his leg in the
railroad service. His place is always patron
lied by brakemen and swtchmen. and it is
thought that, yesterday being payday for
the downtown employees, was selected for
the robbery in the hope that larger amount
was on hand. Unluckily for Mcconnell, he
had the money in the sack brought there
after o'clock last evening, but fortunately
Tor the brakemen of that neighbo rhood, yes
terday was not a payday and none of their
money was in McConnell's care