The San Francisco call., 1895-05-18
ORDERS FROM AMBUSH.
Compelled to Give Up Their
Treasure While He Stays
in Hiding.
LOOT THEIR OWN POCKETS.
The Victims Then Made to Cut Open
the Mall Sacks and Wells
Fargo's Box.

KLAMATH FALLS, Or, May 1.-THE
stage from Ager to Klamath Falls was last
night robbed by an unknown highwayman.
He stood in the brush in the dark and sue
ceeded in intimidating the driver and two
passengers, compelling them to surrender
to him the mail pouches and the Wells
Fargo box, besides their own possessions.
The robbery was as daring as it was sue
cessful. The stage had left Ager at 8 P. NJ,
with Ed Walters as driver and two passen-
gers, John Wells, well-known Klamath
County stockman and Populist County
Commissioner, and Emanuel Cora, a mer-
chant. Cora is from Pecard, Cal. About
10 o'clock, as the horses were slowly as
cending the Topsy grade, six miles long,
the command came from an ambush beside
the road for the driver to hold up and
throw out the express-box and the letter
pouches. The order was obeyed.
The driver and passengers were then
ordered to dismount. Wells was told to cut
open the letter-poucbes. While he was
slashing away at Uncle Sans property with
pocket-knife, the other passenger was di-
rected to break open the box supposed to
contain WellsFargo's money. The high
wayman objected to Coras making so
much disturbance and confusion. He
commanded Cora to desist, and ordered
the driver to take an ak from the stage
and make q neater job of it and with less
noise.
When this work was completed the pas
sengers and driver were required to take
off their coats. The robber was still out OF
sight. They left the contents of their
pockets with the other booty. Little was
obtained from them.
The two passengers and the driver were
then. permitted to get aboard the stage
again and move on. 1t is not known yet
whether anything was secered from the
express box or letters.
The robbery was within a few hundred
feet of the scene of a similar robbery hardly
a month ago, and there is little doubt that
it was executed by the same lone highway
man. 1t was carried out in almost the
same manner, the robber giving his order
from the darkness, and not being seen by
the driver and passengers, though his
presence close at hand was as firmly inn
pressed upon them as if he stood at the
horses heads and covered them with his
revolver. A more likely place for stage
robbery could hardly be selected. 1t was
at the foot of Topsy grade, and for several
miles either way there is no human habi-
tation.
To the eastward Topsy station is at the
| top of the grade, six miles away, while
westward there are few houses nearer than
Shovel Creek, almost ten miles distant
Heavy timber, rocky ravines and noun
tain wilds surround the place in every
| direction. and make it possible for the
robber to easily escape before officers could
be notified.
This route has been hazardous one fol
the Wells-Fargo Express for years, and SC
Improbable did it become that they with
drew from it altogether for some time, but
established service on it again a year o,
more ago.
Since that time robberies seem to have
been more numerous than ever. Within a
radius of fifteen miles or more there live
some uncertain and suspicious char
acters, and officers who have been trying
to intercept the perpetrator of the recent
robberies suspect that he is permanent
resident of that section. But his capture
seems almost impossible to accomplish
with so many natural advantages of the
country in his favor.