The morning call., 1894-10-16
is ALL THE RAGE.
Robbers Make a Raid at
The DalIes.
LOOT AN EXPRESS OFFICE.
Fourteen Thousand Dollars in
Gold Taken.
LOOT AN EXPRESS OFFICE.
HEAVY SILVER IS LEFT BEHIND.
AS Usual the Detectives Cannot Find
Cfew to the Daring
Thieves.

The DALLEs, Or, Oct. 15.-The Pacific
Express Office here was robbed of $l4 600
early yesterday morning. The money was
shipped from Portland nD the regular
Oregon Railway and Navigation overland
train, which arrives here at IL P. NJ For
some time the banks here nave been
obliged TO obtain large amounts of silver
from Portland to pay the fishermen and
farmhands. The robbers evidently knew
this fact, and made their plans accord
ingly.
Agent F. n. Hill, after hauling the
srone box from the train to the Office,
went home and did not return until
shortly after midnight. When he re-
turned he found the contents of the box
gone, with the exception of $1,000 in silver.
The authorities were notified at once, and
the matter kept secret. Detectives are
here from Portland watching every
avenue of escape.
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
doors or locks were forced open. They
must have known also that the express
messenger who sleeps in the Office was
away attending to the horse in a stable
near by.
The robbers. being unable to carry all
the silver. left $1,000 or the silver consign-
ment to French & Co. in the box
Ladd & Tilton of Portland shipped
$4,000 $500 in gold and $500 in silver,
consigned to French & Co. The First Ma
tional Bank of Portland sent $4,000 in gold
consigned to The Dalles National Bank
1t seemed the silver proved too heavy for
the 70 bbers and they abandoned the idea
Of trying to get away with the entire
"swag."
The County Fair has been in session for
week past and attracted a large num-
Der of gamblers and toughs to this city.
Mr.. Beckwith, agent at Portland, is here,
and this afternoon stated that ne and De-
tective Simmons of Portland were working
on several clews, but up to late hour no
arrests had been made.
+. c. Gentscn. The general superintend-
ent of the Pacific Express Company at Salt
Lake. has been notified OF the robbery and
is OH the way here. He is expected to
arrive at The Dalles tomorrow.
City Messenger Charles Tibbets, whose
duty 1t is to meet the night trains and
keep watch in the Office at Dght, was at
tending ball. and F. n. Hill, the COM
pany's agent, met the eastbound train No.
2 from Portland and received the treasure
box. He then, in company with City
Watchman Gibbons, drove to the office,
deposited the box inside the rear door and
about IL 80 P. NJ left for the postoffice to
deliver the mail which came in on the
same train. City Marshal Bakeney rode
back to the express office with the agent,
where they met NJ A. Moody, cashier of
The Dalles National Bank, waiting to re-
reive his money and place il in the banks
vaults.
The three men entered the office, and
seeing that something was wrong with the
box. Immediately began an Investigation,
which resulted in finding only $1,000 in
silver in the treasure box. The lid of the
box had been broken open with an instru-
ment made from a steel drill. with one end
crooked and sharpened. which they found
on the floor near by. The robbers had
tried TO pry the staple from it's position,
but failing, had taken the lever off the
paddock. Aside from this tool and few
tracks in the street there lis no clew what
ever that can be traced so far as is known
at present That only one or two men
participated 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.