The morning call., 1894-02-17
LOOTED THE EXPREss-cAR.
Wrecked the Train and Exploded
Dynamite Bombs.
MUCH TREASURE CARRIED AWAY
Fireman Masters and Tramp Killed
During Hold Up'' of the
Southern Overland.

Los ANGELES. Feb. 16.-The boldest
train-robbery that ever occurred in South
ern California. or for that matter in the
State. took place at little after midnight
at Roscoe, small station thirteen miles
north of this city. The train was the
Southern Pacific overland No. 90, bound
north. and was scheduled to leave the
Arcade depot at 10;40 o'clock, but was
slightly delayed. Owing to the delay most
of the passengers settled themselves COM
fortably for the night and many of them
were fast asleep before Burbank was
reached. The exprass messengers, postal
clerks and trainmen were busily engaged
arranging matters for the night.
Ever since the train robbery and wreck
ing at Roscoe few weeks ago the train
hands on the overland train have had ser-
Gus apprehensions and dread of the place
and appeared to expect repetitiono of that
outrage. Engineer Thomas gave long
blast of the whistle as the train ap-
preached the switch this side of Roscoe.
His face blanched as he discovered a man
standing beside the switch with a faring
torch and his face assumed a more liyid
hue when he discovered that the switch
had been left open. He tried to put ON
all the brakes and whistled down
brakes" but it was of no avail. The train
was going at an unusual rate and the mo-
mentum it had acquired preclGded possi-:
bility of Immediately bringing it to a
standstill to avert the Disaster. :-.. ..: j.
About the same time that the engineer
noticed the man with the torcf1@he heard
the sharp cracking of revolver and many
bullets whistled past him, breaking the
windows of the cab. Almost simultane-
ously the engine crashed over into the
ditch. at this point there is a I'LL on
which the switch runs, nearly fifteen feet
high. Knowing the character of the
place. Engineer Thomas jumped and ran
and mirsculously escaped injury. -. =.
Fireman Masters was not so lucky, how
ever. He was pinioned in between the
cab and the tender and was horribly
mutilated and crushed. At the moment Of
the overturning of the train two,men wear
ing slouch hats and black masks Ieaped
from the heavy bushes alongside the
ira k. There are some differences OF
opinion among those who were on the
train as to the number of men who COM
posed the robbers gang. at all events,
two men took positions on either side Of
the train and commenced a furious fusil-
lade from their reyolyers. After this wild
and seemingly purposeless firing, one of
the men went to the express-car. pounded
on the door and demanded that it be
opened. -. =-<.=.. {.
On the refusal of the messenger, Harry
Edgar. TO comply. the robber placed three
or four dynamite bombs on the sill. Then
ensued terrific explosion. Nearly the
whole side.of the car was torn into splinr-
ers. Edgar. who expected this procedure,
got into the farther corner of the car and
even then narrowly escaped death or seri-
Gus injury from the flying splinters of
W ood. Everything in the car was shaken
up The detonation was most terrific, and
CONSERVATION prevailed among those on
board the train. -. -:
Men and women jumped from their