The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-03-21
A HERoLc cALHoRNLA MoMAN.


She Braves Dangers From Train Robbers
10 help an In5 ared 1Ean-
There were some incidents "a the re-
cent robbery Of the Southern Pacific
railroad train near Roscoe, in Los AN
geles county. which were not developed
in the accounts sent from Los Angeles
or in the stories told by passengers. One
Of the best Of these incidents was the
bravery of little Mrs. j D. Brown of
Bakersfield, who vanturad out ia the
darkness when men refused to go and
gave aid to the fatally injured fireman,
who was damned under the disabled
engine. Mrs Brown is The wife of
civil engine who IS engaged in super
intending large irrigation works ln -he
San joaquin valley. She had been visit
ing in Les Angeles. and Ga leaving her
mother in the depot she said laughngly
that she proposed to put one OF her slip
pers in her berth, 50 that IS the train
was held up She could break out the
window. An hour afterward she had
really figured in one of the most sensa-
tIonal holdups ia this state.
Mrs. Brown, when seen q few days
ago at her home. dIsclaimed amy special
merit ia the work that she did On the
night Of the robbery She It's a fragile
little woman, but in her eyes is a light
which gives some hint of her nerve.
She didn want to BE quoted but She
gave a very amusing account of the
scenes that followed the stoppage of the
train. 1t seems that the crash OF the
derailed engine and baggage car was
followed by q fusiIlade of shots.
The Pullman cars were largely filed
with eastern tourists, with sDrinEling
of heavy business men of San francisco.
The latter did not show the courage
which has been ascrlbed 60 the Ear vest
ern man. They were fully as much
ratified as the down casters They
INDUCED ln foolish speeches. hid their
valuables ia all sorts of ridiculous
places and acted like children Only
one man had q revolver. and he declared
he wasn't going out to be filed with
lead as Detective Len Harris had been
at one of the train robberes two years
before in the san joaquin valley. An
other man. who afterward told a story
Of his great efforts TO get ou6 and of Inc
refusal of the conductor to allow hum
to risk has life, really kept very close
to his berth aud never stuck his head
out until the robbers were reported To
be gone. The frightened passengers
could see the bandits carrying sacks Of
coin to a wagcn. ana then, 50 clear was
the moonlight, they saw the robbers
drive off.
Even then 40 one ventured out. In a
moment came q LAUNDERING knock at
the car door and q demand for ad nit
lance. Every one fancIed THAT it was
part of the gang which bad been detailed
to rob the passengers. IS this was the
last Pullman on the tram. Finally
Mrs. Brown suggested that 1T might be
some one who was wounded aud needed
aid. So the door was unlocked. She
proved To be right. It was one Of the
brakemen, who said the fireman was
teIIibly hurt, and a doctor was wanted.
No physician was ca the train. but
none of the men volunteered to help.
Then Mrs. Brown rose up and said She
knew something about dressing wounds,
and she would willingly do what She
could Only one q the passengers +
showed amy desire 10 accompany her
out into the night, which had become
very dark, owing to the clouding of the
moon.
They found the poor fireman crushed
between the engine and tender and CALI
ing upon his friends 70 shoot him and
end bis misery. NO one could eztricate (
him, but Mrs. Brown climbed up OH the
disabled engine and gave clear direc-
hons for applying Eniment and BAN
dages to alleviate lis sufferngs. She
did everything she could to help the
victim, who was afterward taken out of
the wreck, only to die few hours later.
In the half hour that she was ON the
wrecked engine, Mrs. Brown says, no
one came near the place to offer help,
except the bral-emen, the conductor and /
the one passenger mentioned The en-
gineer at the first alarm had leaped
from the engine and taken refuge in the I