The morning call., 1893-12-25
A DARING DEED.
Stories Told by the Conductor and
Express Messenger.

A-APt~Co f1@coChSSks
The Southern Pacific train which ar
rived from Los Angeles yesterday brought
portion of the crew and the passengers
who were in the cars when the robbery
occurred near Roscoe on Saturday night.
From L. A Hamp pson, the conductor of
the Pullman cars. the following graphic
description of the affair was ATTAINED:
I Rocky Bill Stewart, as he is best known,
WAS the engineer in charge. and it might be-
stated parenthetically that this is the
fourth affair of the kind in which he has
been an unwilling participant, and the
first he saw of the men was just after leav-
ing Burbank, when his f, eman remarked,
Who is that coming over the tender p
Looking around. he saw TWO men seraDb-
ling over the coal, and almost at the same
moment one of them raised up and COM
menced firing into the cab. At the same
time the stern command was given to stop
that engine Rocky Bill said that he never
brought his engine to a standstill so
quickly in his life. and after the stop was
made the robbers Immediately ordered the
fireman and himself to the ground. At
this moment Stewart noticed a camp fire
built alongside of the track, and only a
short distance ahead, but saw nobody
near it. After reaching the ground the
robbers marched the engineer and fireman
back 10 the express-car, and with as little
delay as possible placed a small tin can,
about four or five inches high. on the side
of the car door, and ordered Stewart to
light the fuse.
HE did so, and all of them retreated for
time, but the formidable weapon of de-
struction for some reason failed TO ex-
plode. Again Stewart was compelled,
under cover of the robbers guns. to go up
TO the car and ignite the fuse, but once
more failure to secure desired results at
tended the desperadoes' efforts. For the
third time Stewart was ordered to COM
plete his task. Look here, fellows said
he, that thing is liable to go off, That's
just what we want 1t to do. responded one
of the robbers $50 You march up there. old
man, and stay there till she fiZzesr
Stewart had no alternative but to obey
his orders, and with not little apprehen-
sion as to what might follow and with
some uncertainty as TO whether the fuse
was really out or not. he followed instruc-
tons, getting away from the car with a
good deal more alacrity than he splayed
in approaching it.
exploded with heavy, muffled report. and
when the smoke cleared away 1t was dis
covered that the door had been almost
completely blown away.
again Mr.. Stewart and bis fireman were
made to act as foils for the robbers, as
the latter hastily ordered them to get In
the car. With a mental resolve to quit
rairoading forever when he got in off that
trip, Stewart stuck bis head in the door
and yelled:
So Don't you shoot. messenger; there's
400 men out here with a nowitzer.'
Hastily pressing the unlucky trainmen
in the robbers lost no time IN following.
and before Express Messenger Fred L.
Potts could recover from the shock of the
explosion he was covered by the guns OF
the robbers. Bidding him hola his hands
up and ranging the other two men along
side of him. one of the robbers held them
in that position while the other gave his
attent ton to the safe. Just what was ac-
complished in this way it was impossible
to learn last night, the express official who
met the train at the mole refusing to make
statement. aside from the fact that less
than 500 was missing.I
1.-THE robbers were by this time appar-
emily aware that further effort was USE
less, and alighting from the car they CON-
PEELED Potts. Stewart and the fremen to
accompany them up the track for about 2
quarter of mile. where. with a parting
injunction to them to keep on walking. the
desperad oes turned abru tly from the
road in a westerly direction aud disap-
peared from view.
"Hastening back to the train the run
was quickly made to Fern and. and from
there the news of the robbery was tele-
graphed TO the officials of the road and
also the civil authorities"
There seems to be diversity OF opinion