The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-10
The Bandits Fled From the
Scene of the HOld-Up
in a Cart.
THEY MAY 60 TO SACRAMENTO.
A Farmer Tells Of Two Men Who
Stole Horses and Who May Be
the Men Wanted.

CACHAAENIO, MdICu 1-ou peIlIlSuuell1
J. B. Wright of the Southern Pacific Rail
road has received word from the officers
who have been engaged all day in the pur-
suit OF the men who attempted to rob the
overland train last night, that the robbers
are heading for Sacramento, with indica-
tions that they will arrive in the city before
morning.
At daylight this morning those of the
officers who had gathered at Castle Switch,
the locality where the robbers first made
their appearance to the trainhands last
night, began a systematic search along
both sides of the railroad in the direction
of Lodi
Within mile of the latter place they
discovered where a horse and cart had
been left standing for evidently several
hours. Following the trail of the cart,
which was plainly discernable in the heavy
dust, they found that it crossed the rail-
road track at an old disused crossing at
Armstrong; and ran along an abandoned
road leading in the direction of this city.
The trail was followed for several miles,
but eventually was lost by the tracks lead
ing into a more frequently travelled
thoroughfare. 1t was very evident to the
pursuers that the robbers were totally un-
acquainted with the country they were
travelling through, as the road for miles
follows the section boundaries, and in turn
ing the short corners they must have be-
come confused as to direction.
Another thing that proved their ignor-
ance of the locality was the fact that they
followed several roads leading through the
eighboring,felds into the various ranch
houses and were compelled to double on
their tracks
The officers have reached the conclusion,
after a thorough search of the country and
inquiries among the residents along the
road, that the men have been hiding in
sOIne one OF the inn umerable brush-covered
sloughs that line the road in the local
ity where the trail was lost, and that
during the night if deemed necessary they
will abandon the horse and cart and strike
across the country for Sacramento. In the
meantime all the approaches to the city
are patrolled by armed men, and it is ex-
pected that the men will be secured before
morning.
1t is the supposition of the officials that
the cart was driven to the depot, where the
trail was first discovered, by the third
man, who, after tying the animal to a
neighboring fence, walked down the
track, met the train and signaled the rob-
bers on board as to the locality of the We
hicle, which was evidently intended to
convey any treasure that might be OBJ
tained to their headquarters in this place
That the identity OF the men concerned
in the attempt is more than suspected by
the officials is evident, but they are ex-
tremely non-committal on this point. 1t
is also believed that the men are the same
parties who attempted to rob the train last
Saturday night and one of them is an ex-
railroad employe.
L. r. Hess, who resides about four miles
from Elk Grove, drove to Sacramento to-
day and informed Sheriff Johnson that
Friday noon two men in travel-stained
garments, leading a gray mare and bay
pony, stopped at his ranch and requested
dinner and feed for their animals.
The men stated that they originally
came from Texas and were cowboys in
search of employment. The gray mare
gave evidences of hard riding, being so alb
solutely fatigued that it cou scarcely
- move. The pony seemed to be compare.
lively fresh. The men had but one saddle
in their possession, and Mr.. Hess noticed
that when they led their animals into
MS DdTuI one VI IueIn pd1u pdrLlculal
attention to a saddle that was hanging
upon the wall and examined the ap
proaches to the building. After eat
ing dinner they took their horse:
and disappeared in the direction o.
the thick brush that lines the
neighboring street. This morning on
entering the barn he found that the saddle
had disappeared, and few minutes later
a neighbor named Budd Cantweu drove
up to his residence and stated that the
. barbed wire surrounding his corral had
been cut during the night, and valuable
dappled gray mare had been stolen.
Search was instituted among the neigh
boring farmers, and it was discovered thai
the exhausted horse that had been in the
possession of the two men had been aban
doned on the ranch of Frank Kennedy
who. resides two miles nearer the towr
of Elk Grove. Mr.. Hess states that one o
the men who came to his place wore
white hat, nearly new, while the other hat
worn black hat that had long outlivet
its usefulness.
A posse was gathered and the country
was secured for miles, but no trace of tht
men could be obtained. During theil
search it was discovered that no less thar
five horses had been stolen during the las
five dave