The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-10-02
HELD UP A TRAIN.
Merry Work of Bandits Near Phoe-
nix, ArizOna.


Tucson, Ariz., Oct. 1.-Notwithstand-
ing the fact that a territorial law is
in force which makes train robbery
capital offense, a gang of desperate
characters have renewed a line of
business which it was believed would
never again darken the criminal his
tory of Arizona, by holding up, at 1
o'clock this morning, Sc miles west of
Tucson, the east bound overland. The
robbery was not a success. 1t was
planned all right; it was carried out
all right, but the work from a financial
standpoint was failure. The robbers
secured less than $500, scared number
of people so badly that their complex
ion will not be natural in color for
several days, and paved well the way
for their departing this world in the
near future by the rope route.
The officers are now on the trail of
the bandits and are confident of eff
fecting the capture of the entire party
in a day or two.
One of the robbers now lies in the
jail at Phoenix, suffering intense pain
from five wounds inflicted by Sheriff
Murphy, of Maricopa county.
AS the overland was leaving Mari
copa, brakeman discovered three men
riding on the blind baggage" and or
dered them to get off. They refused,
and before the brakeman knew what
was going on, he was looking down
the barrels of three big siX-shooters.
He ceased arguing at once, and eXtin-
guished the light in his lantern, as di-
rected by one of the men, who at the
same time discharged his pistol in the
air.
Engineer Holiday and Fireman
Smyth, hearing the pistol shot, came
to the conclusion that something was
wrong, and Holiday began slowing
up. About this time, voice came from
the tender saying: Hands up, you
| When the men in the cab turned
about they saw man, a giant in sta
ture. his face masked, armed with a
Winchester. He covered Holiday with
Winchester, who, at the time of in
Interruption, was busily eating his
lunch The train proceeded to about
a mile east of Maricopa, where it came
to a standstill, the robber so ordering
Two men emerged from a clump of
mesquite trees by the road and joined
the other robbers, who, by this time,
seemed to be everywhere at once.
] CONDUCTOR hdIlin etllSIIItu W dSceT-
| tain the trouble, and Immediately two
bullets whistled uncomfortably near
his head, and he heard these words:
Get back on the train, you little =
= or we will fill you full of Lead
Martin obeyed the order with alac-
trity. Two of the robbers boarded the
engine and the man who had covered
Engineer Holiday with rifle all the
way from Maricopa disappeared for a
time. The bandits on the engine held
a six-shooter in each hand, and one of
them was masked. They ordered
lSmyth and Holiday off the engine and
when they all alighted told Smyth to
fetch the coal pick. They covered him
all the While he was getting it, and
when he again Joined them they or
dered him to knock in the door of the
express car, which Messenger George
Mitchell had closed and locked
upon hearing the noise outside
Smyth struck the door and
cried to the messenger not to
shoot as it was the engineer.
| Holiday explained, as best he could,
the situation and the messenger threw
iopen the door. The robber entered the
door and took everything of value in
sight. They tried the safe, and finding
! it locked, demanded the keys of the
messenger. He explained that the big
| iron box could be opened only at the
principal places along the road and
that he could do nothing for them
The robbers took Mitchell's gold watch
and then left the car, one of the rob-
bers carrying the gunny sack in which
| the valuables had been placed. They
hurried to the MESQUITE bushes, where
their horses were fastened, and a little
later they were dashing across the
country. It is believed that they did
not get away with more than s165 ir
cash and the messengers watch.
The train was backed up to Maricopa
and dispatches were sent to this city
and Phoenix. The tracks Of the rob
bers' horses led toward Mexico, and il
is believed the bandits, knowing theil
capture meant DEATH and they are
sure to be apprehended sooner or later
if they remained in the territory, start
ed f6f the sister republic Immediately
after the robbery. But Information re-
ceived by United States Marshal Meade
late this afternoon from one of the
posse in pursuit makes it appear as il
the robbers had made for the Sail
river valley.
Sheriff Murphy has brought into
Phoenix one of the robbers, named