The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-02-01
rHE TRAIN IN LOS ANGELES.
Graphic Account of the Robbery by
Postal Clerk Albright.

Postal Cierk Albright.
It was IL o'clock last night before the
Southern Pacific overland, which was held up
at Wilcox, Arizona, pulled in at the Arcade
depot
The tired passengers did not linger long to
describe how it felt to be in train robbery.
The ruined express car did not have any
attractions for them,
1t presented collapsed appearance, very
much as if three vigorous cyclones had spent
an hour trying to see how many different ways
they could twist it and still leave it on the
trucks. The top of the was blown all to
pieces, and portions of the roof only were left
The sides were bulged out and the'doors were
shattered Inside the scene was Undesirable.
The floor was gouged out in places, and the
contents were decidedly mixed.
The ruins were soon the center of a curios
crowd. and Mr.. Pridham, Wells Fargos super
intendent, climbed into the car with the ex-
press officials, and had the robbery explained
to them by Express Messenger Mitchell, whose
run is from FL Paso to Los Angeles
Mr.. Mitchell was not really in the robbery,
as he dropped out OF his car before the robbers
uncoupled it and the mail car from the train
and ran it three miles. Neither was Engineer
Zeigler wko was in the robbery, to be found,
because his run is only from Tucson to Lords
burg
THE STORY OF AN EYEWITNESS
A HERALD reporter however, found r. f.
Albright, postal c.erk from FL Paso to Los An
gees, who gave very graphic account of the
hold-up and his thrilling experience.
''rhe train arrived at Wilcox" said Mr..
Albright, "about 8 o'clock Wednesday night
When it pulled out again and was going ahead
slowly, heard the brakemen tell some fellows
to get off. There were two OF them and heard
one of them offer him dollar to ride to the
summit lie refused them and then there was
shot. ! realized that it was hold-up and
threw what money L had in tie sack, my
watch way over in a corner, and hid what val
liable mail matter / had as well us could. The
train had slowed up by this time. man
climbed over the tender to the engine and coy
cred Engineer Zeigler with Winchester. /
started to look out, but got back in Il hurry
when was told to "close up and stay closed"
My lights were burning still, but put them
ont ard waited.
at was only few minutes before the engine,
mail and baggage car were uncoup ed from
the train which was at this time little dis
lance this way from Wilcox, and it was left
standing there, while the engineer was COM
PEELED to pull us a bout three miles west from
Wilcox to a culvert which the robbers evil
IDENTIFY had staked out, for fire was burning
there, and here l saw two other men. There
were four robbers in all that saw.
81 did not know at this time that Messenger
Mitchell was not in his car, and what felt the
Lord only knows. When they reached the
culvert the engineer brought the car to
stand. and he was forced to go ahead of the
men to the express car. The messenger was
called upon to open the door, but there was no
response to the demand or to threats that he
would be blown up. The robbers then took
big hammer and broke in one door. When it
was pushed in they forced the engineer to
al
was there.
81 was watching all the proceedings from the
grating in my combination car, and from
Zeigler obtained description OF what oc-
currsd in the car.
"The messenger had taken his local sack
with him when he dropped off and the robbers
did not find anything in the two local safes,
which they blew open with dynamite sticks.
| could see them coming and gong from the
car during the explosions ana wasn't exactly
comfortable.
"Finally they tackled the big through safe.
They had great deal OF trouble in getting it
open and had exploded several dynamite
sticks under it before succeeding
"DoBE" DOLLARS IN THE AIR.
ain the car were a number of sacks of Next
can dollars, and the robbers did not seem to
fancy them. l do rot know how much was
there but it must have been Il number OF thou
sands OF dollars. They took the sacks and laid
them OIL the dynamite to hold it down before
lighting the fuse and could hear the "dobes"
raining down after the explosions, an / hitting
against the telegraph wire. They were blown
out with the roof OF the car, and there must
be thousands OF them lying on the ground
around the scene OF the hold-up
"They put all the dynamite they had in tie
last charge and it opened the safe best es
taking me off my legs. | do not know how
much the fellows secured, but hear tnat they
did OF get less than $500 in gold and cur
rency from the through safe
AFTER putting their plumber in sacks thy
started off in a southerly direction, and Zeig-
Ter sent us back in hurry to Wilcox, where
we found the train and Messenger Mitchell.
our journey.
"Ihe robbers were not masked and talked