The herald., 1895-04-01
A Merchant in San Jose Uses a
Knife With Effect
A FIGHT WITH ROBBERS
One of the Highwaymen Found Dead in
Vacant Lot
William Dowdigan Tells How He Was "Heid
Up by Three Men and Robbed, After
Stabbing One of Them

SAN JOSE, Cal. March 3t.-Three foot
pads held up William Dowdigan, a Santa
Clara street notion dealer, late last night,
and one of them is now lying on slat
at the morgue, while the others are at
large.
Mr.. Dowdigan was attacked while on
the way home and desperate struggle
ensued, during which one OF the robbers
was stabbed by the man assailed. Dowd-
igan's pocket, containing ABOUT Sl5 was
cut away and the three men fed.
About IL o'clock this morning the
corpse of one of them was found in a
vacant lot a short distance away by Mrs.
Dowdigan and a girl who had followed
the trail of blood The dead man is a
Swede about 35 years old, who has been
seen about town for some time and has
been under suspicion.
In an interview with reporter of the
Mercury, Mr.. Dowdigan gave the follow
ing account of his desperate encounter
AS usual, | closed my store at 10
o clock Saturday night and Immediately
started east along Santa Clara street for
north Eleventh street. where | live. |
accompanied Miss Ba5ham, who is en-
ployed in the store, to Ninth street,
where she lives. Just after she crossed
the street and went into her gate re-
sumed my walk home. About this time
man passed me, going quite fast, al
most on a run, and besides he looked Il;
me rather sharply in passing.
81 kept on my way. and when | reached
Eleventh street | saw three persons COM
ing down toward Santa Clara street. on
the west side OF the street where had to
pass along. 1t was quite dark, there
being no electric lights near at hend, and
at first l thought the parties might be a
man and two ladies, but when | saw
there were three men and noticed that
nobody else was in sight | began to get
my knife ready for use in case | should
have to defend myself. We met at a
point on the pavement on the east side
OF Eleventh street, about forty-five feet
above the Santa Clara pavement. [ made
motion to get past them, but Just then
one of the men put his hands on my
shoulder and began to grip and forced
me down.
AS quick as | could I gave the man a
thrust with my knife. | am sure that
struck him only once. but it seems that
several more flesh cuts have been found
on the body After l struck l did not
realize that [ had hurt the man much as
he did not let go of me. At almost the
same instant another man grabbed me by
the neck from behind, and the two of
them forced me on my back on the
ground.
1.-The men did not say anything to me,
but, perhaps as / am somewhat deaf.
did not hear what they said. They might
have told me to throw up my hands. After
they got me down the man that I had
stabbed sat upon my stomach while the
other man kept such grip on my
throat that | was afraid he woulf choke
me to death He also wrenched my neck
SO that it hurt considerably afterwards.
| could not yell on account of the pressure
on my throat.
"As | fell down | dropped my knife in
the grass, thinking that if they saw it in
my hand they might take it from me and
cut me with it. My pocket in which [
carried the sack conaining the $l5, was
cut completely out, and they disappeared
with my money.
II suppose the wounded man ran un-
til he came to the vacant lot, when he
tainted from the loss of blood, or his
companions dragged him into the lot to
get him out of the way"
Last Friday the dead robber went to
pawnshop and sold a lot of carpenter
tools he had stolen. He signed the reg
lister with the name of W Cadnemyer,