The record-union., 1894-10-16
An Express Office at The Dalles
Looted Of a Large Sum.
TOOK ALL THE GOLD BUT LEFT
THE SILVER BEHIND.
Two Young Men Horribly Mutilated
by an Explosion of Giant Powder
Caps in Calayeras County-Big Log
Raft Drifting Before the Wind Off
the Coast of Oregon.
Special to the REcoRp.UN1oN.

SpeclaI 10 the REC0RD-UNION.
THE DALLEs or, Oct. 15.-The Pa
cihc Express office here was robbed of
$4,000 early yesterday morning. The
money was shipped from Portland on
the regular Oregon Railway and Naviga-
ton overland train which arrives here at
II p. NJ. For some time the banks here
have been obliged to retain large amounts
OF silver to pay the fishermen and farm
hands. The robbers evidently knew this
fact, and made their plans accordingly.
Agent L. y. Hill, after hauling the strong
box from the train to the office, went
away and did not return until shortly
after midnight. When he returned he
found the contents of the box gone, with
The exception of 81, 900 in silver The au-
thOrities were notified at once. Detect
ives from Portland are here watching the
case.
The most plausible theory advanced is
that the robbers secreted themselves in
the back room Of the express office, and
waited for the agent to leave the building
AS no locks We're forced, they must have
known that the express messenger, who
sleeps III lie Ofllce, was attending to the
horse in a stable near by. The robbers
leaving 81, 900 consignment to Ere nch Il
Co. in the box.
Ladd q Tilton of Portland shipped
$4,000. s., 800 in gold and 81, 800 in silver,
consigned to French Co. The First
National Bank OF Tacoma sent 81, 800 to
The Dalles National Bank. 1t seemed
the silver proved too heavy for the rob-
bers, and they abandoned the idea of try
ing to get away with the entire swag.
The County Fair has been in progress
.l..,
number of gamblers and toughs to this
city.
Mr.. Beckwith, agent at Portland, is
here, and he and Detective Simmons OF
Portland were working on several clews,
but up to a late hour no arrests had been
made. +. G. Gentsch, the General Super
1ntendent OF the Pacific Express Com
pany at Salt Lake, has been notified of
the robbery, and is now on the way here.
lie is expected to arrive at The Dalles to-
morrow.
City Messenger Charles Tibbetts, whose
duty 1t Is TO meet the night trains and
Keep watch IN the office at night, was at
tending ball, and +. \. Hill, the COM
pany's agent, met the eastbound train
from Portland. He then, in company
with City Watchman Gibbons, drove TO
the office, deposited the box inside the
rear door, and about 1880 p. NJ. left for
the PoSton1ce TO deliver the mail which
came in on the same train, City Marshal
Blakeny rode back to the express office
with the agent, and there met w. A.
Moody, Cashier of The Dalles National
Bank, waiting to receive his money and
place it in the banks vault. The men
entered the office, and, seeing that sonle-
thing was wrong with the box, immedi-
ately began an investigation, which re-
suited IN tlndlng only 81, 200 i'll silver in
the treasure box. The lid of the box had
been broken open with an instrument
made from a steel drill, with one end
crooked and sharpened, which they
found on the floor near by. The robber
had tried to pry the staple from its posi-
ton, but failing, had broken the lever off
the paddock.
Aside from this tool and few tracks in
the street, there is no clew whatever
that can be traced so far as is known at
present. That only one or two men par
tlclpated in the robbery is evident from
the fact that the bulky silver was thrown
aside and the gold stolen, weighing con-
siderably over 100 pounds.