The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-24
A MASKED ROBBER
Boldly Stops Two Castro
Street Cars.
THE PASSENGERS STAMPEDE.
He Secured Only a Watch and
Few Dollars.
FINALLY ESCAPED BY RUNNING.
A Third Car Would Probably Have
Been Tackled but for Police
Officers Presence.
FINALLY ESCAPED BY RUNNING.

A daring highwayman played star en-
gagement in the holding-up line on Castro
street last evening.
Not only did he go through two cars OF
the Castro-street line, one after the other,
but he would have performed the same
operation on third car had it not been
for timely warning given him by a con-
ductOr.
Ate o'clock, just as car 105. going south,
had got between Tweuty-sec ond and Al
varado streets on Castro, a tall, slen-
derby built man. wearing a black SLOUGH
hat and with his face half covered with
handkerchief, sprang upon the dummy, and
presenting pistol at GriDman Joseph
Mears ordered him to stop the car.
MeaTs did not stop to argue the matter,
but Immediately obeyed the order.
Now. give me what stuff you have.
.. commanded the man with the pistol.
MeaTs said he had no money and Just then
the conductor. w. J. TrubbOld. came for
ward to see what the stoppage was for.
The masked man covered him, too, with
the weapon and called upon him for
money.
"Pve only got Is CENTS" he asserted.
Hand it over anyway" commanded the
robber and Trubbold did so.
Now. for the passengers" remarked
the highwayman, who did not seem 10
consider it anything strange that the con-
'ductor did not have any more money.
There were four passengers aboard, but
realizing that the car was being held up
they dashed out the back door and es-
ca ped in the darkness.
The hlghwayman swore vigorously
when he perceived what had happened
and with a flourish of the pistol he ordered
the gTipman TO 90 on with his car.
He then walked down Castro street, with
mis- nj n o.
was approaching. he did not appear to
be in any. special hurry, and conducted
himself very cOolly.
Two of the passengers from car 105 had
in running down the street come up with
the approaching car and at once notified
those on board that hlghwayman was
abroad in the neighborhoO0. There were
at least dozen passengers on the car and
they Immediately Inaugurated a stampede.
IN the midst of it the highwayman saun-
tered up, still holding his pistol In his
hand.
He swung himself on the dummy and
covered the gTipmaD, W. Hamilton. The
latter is an old soldier and does not get
ratified" very easily. He had prepared
himself for the rObber by grasping
heavy iron wrench. He stated afterward
that it had been his intention togeta blow
In on the robber as soon as be should get
on the dummy.
The man who was after other peoples
money observed his action. though, and
cooking his pistol with an ominous click
be ordered him TO drop the wrench. Con-
ductor GretheTs in the meantime had
turned his money from his pockets into
box under one OF the car-seats and then
dashed off down the road, his intention
being, be said, TO save the next car that
was coming up the hill from being stood
up. He did not know whether there was
one obber or two or three.
- lynnF aT1er IN rVrTR al
hghwayman told two or three of the pas
sengers to hand over their valuables. One
man gave him a purse containing So 20,
and another young man passed him a
silver watch and several silver dollars.
The other passengers slipped away be-
fore the robber could get around
to the rear platform, and all be
secured came from the two dummy
passengers. The griDman escaped being
robbed by saying that he had
nothing. The approach of car going
toward town also frightened the robber
on He sprang of to one side of the road
and FASTENED down the grade toward
Twentieth street. The third car was
stopped by the conductor of N. 121 and
the situation of affairs was explained.
While the conductor was making his ex-
plantations the highwayman. pistol in
hand, hove in sight, and the conductor
cried out, There he is, now."
There happened to be a police officer on
this car. and he started toward the an
preaching man. Whether it had been the
robbers intention to stand up the third
ear or not was not known. When he saw
the tall form of the officer bearing down
on him he changed his course and ran off
at rapid rate, going in the direction of
town. The officer followed but lost track
of him In the darkness. Notice was at
once sent to police headquarters and in a
very short while there were five or six
MI rv1N In. Cf h. e.
began to scOur the vicinity for traces Of
the bold robbers, but they were unable to
learn anything.
II never saw such a nervy fello W, !" said
GTipman Hamilton. HE ordered me 10
stop the car. and then seeing that | had
the iron wrench he said to put 1t down or
he would kill me. He was a man, Judge
40 years of age and of ford cOuntenance
although l could not see the lower part of
his face on account of his having a dirty
white handkerchief tied around it.
asked him what he wanted to rob a poor
man who was working for a living for.
90 Got to do it, he replied. L need the
money mighty bad. didn't have any for
him, and then he looked after the dummy
passengers. l don't know how much be
got, although it could not have been over
$40. besides the watch. If l could have
got show l would have banged him with
that wrench. He wore dark blue clothes
as near as L could Judge, and his eyes were
shaded by a wide-brimmed black sloncb
hat. My conductor threw all his money
under the seat before he ran back to the
other car. The fellow was moi f1nsterad
the least bit, and l suppose he was going
after the third car. From all can learn
he did not make much of a haul on the
first two cars"
On account of the manner in which thew
stamDeded 1t is impossible to give anv of
the names Of the passengers VINO were on
the cars. Even those who gave up money
and watch refused TO divulge their
identity.