The record-union., 1892-01-08
Special to the REcoRp-uNror.

special 10 the RECORD-UNION.
AUBURN, Jan. THE third day of the
trial OF Al Roberts was passed in exam
lining witnesses for the prosecution.
| Wenban of San Francisco, a passenger
on the derailed sleeper, did not think it
more than two minutes after the wreck
before the car door was broken open The
time IS important, as connecting the de-
tendant with the wreck.
Detective B. F. True and Constable
Dyer of Colfax testified of having timed
themselves on the ground of the wreck,
to prove by experiments as to the time
necessary to go from the wreck to the
sleeper Santa Cruz and other distances.
Rocco Rol derri, section man, found
the claw-bar on November 18TH Mr..
Cashan, the section boss, was with him.
| The clawbar used is about eighteen
'Eches long, and was formerly 81 octo-
. IN drill, very clumsily hammered.
Both claws are broken. A piece of 6he
| claw found or the date of the wreck fits
! on one of the broken claws. This was re-
ceiyed as evidence.
Phil Douglas. master of the wreckinr
train, said he did not think the engines
would have passed the scene of the de-
rallment II the track had been in the con-
dltion in which it was found after the de-
railment. He said that every truck
would naturally spread it further and
that the car Santa Cruz, when it rolled
over, probably did most of the spreading.
}. II. Campbell, teamster, was at the
Roberts house last on October Sth. He
left his monkey and pipe-wrench on a
fence in the dooryard. When he came
back after the wreck he found the wrench
under pillow at his bunk. The wrench
was shown to be capable of use in re-
moving bolts from the fish-plates OF the
railroad, and was given in evidence.
charles Irott, locomotive engineer on
the first section of the derailed train,
says that when he passed the scene of the
wreck the track was all right. The two
sections ran about ten minutes apart.
CaShan was then recalled. He first
knew Al Roberts on October 10th. All
told him where the claw bar was. He
told CaShan that if it was his own brother
! he would give him up. Al described the
| bar as about twenty inches in length 1t
was eight-cOrnered and was old and dull.
The bar found is just like the one de-
scribed by Roberts.
j. E. Dyer, Constable at Colfax, saw Al
Roberts on the 18th. He said he had
found the claw bar. Dryer went with
him to the point, but he could not find it.
After searching for 1.-THE said, "Johnnie,
| this looks bad for me. Pm III hole"
had been his fathers bar, and
that the clawbar he knew was an old
drill that used to lie about the house.
Dyer told him that he must find it, and
Roberts said: Pm going to give YOU the
truth of this matter. 1t will get my
prother INTO hole" On October 18th
both Al and Jeff Roberts were at the
scene of the wreck, and when one OF the
officers asked him who was with him in
this business, he chOked up and said:
My God, must l give my brother away
lie pointed to JEFF and said, 'There is
one OF them" He never offered either
OF the boys a reward.
Ora Dibble of the Truckee ReptBIi cn71
was at ColfaX at the time, and read state
ment made by Al Roberts at Judge
Stevens room on October25th. The state
ment goes on to say that jeff made a
proposition to go in with him to make
some money. Al stated that he would
not accept the proposition. Soon after he
saw his brother going to blacksmith
shop with a old piece of drill. He was
heard at work in the shop, and went there
afterward, but found nothing On the dav
before the wreck he says he reached
| home at 10 P. NJ, and went to bed
and got up and dressed and
ran up to the wrecked train.
He helped the passengers what he could,
and got home to breakfast. jeff came
soon after. His hands were all black.
jeff said, Don't you tell on me I
wrecked the train" oAl told him he
would tell on him, and asked him if he
got anything. jeff said he would divide.
He then returned to the wreck and found
the claw-bar. He closed with a statement
that he said all this without the hope of
reward.
Mrs. Mcdonald, a passenger on the de-
rallied car Santa Cruz, said she saw Al
Roberts in the car. She lost scarf-pin.
which she was sure she fastened to her
dress on retiring. When she put on her
dress it was gone. II was afterward re-
turned to her as coming from AL Roberts.
Adjourned till 10 o'clock Friday.