The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-09
Compelled the Train Hands
to Open the Express
Car.
THEY FAIL TO SECURE BOOTY.
After a Fusillade of Bullets the
Bandits Made Their Escape on
the Locomotive.

the European mail which comes through
this city as Special 3, was held up near
Castle Switch, about four miles from this
city, at 1920 o'clock tonight The rob-
bers, of whom there were three, got moth
ing.
The first news of the hold-up was brought
to Stockton by F. L. Sedgeley, brakeman
on the train. He came on the Oregon Ex-
press, which passed through Stockton
shortly after the European mail and
backed into Stockton from the scene of the
robbery. Sedgeley said:
at was 1920 o'clock and in the neighbor-
hood of Castle Switch that the train came
TO stop. l was in one of the rear cars
and thinking twas hold-up got off i'm
mediately. When I reached the
ground 1 heard several shots ahead
and instantly started back to flag
the Oregon express, which | knew would
be coming along soon. 1 met the express
short distance from the city limits and
came back aboard it. l don't know
whether the robbers got any money or not.
The express was held until a posse of
officers could be found. Sheriff Cunning
ham was in Sacramento, and Deputy Rob
inson assumed charge. He was accom-
panied by Police Officers Carroll and Burn
ham and Deputy Sheriff Black
The train pulled out a short time after
midnight with the officers, who intended
TO get off in the neighborhood of the rob-
berry and scour the country for the robbers.
Word had already been received by the
telegraph operator that the robbers after
making their attempt had detached the
engine and started toward Lodi on it, and
ho6 oh
town.
Full particulars Of the robbery were re-
ceived from Lodi by telephone after the
express train had left here. The engine of
the European mail rolled into Lodi at IL .05
O'Clock, going very slowly, with no one
aboard and registering but forty pounds of
steam.
George Andrews, the engineer of freight
train that was lying there waiting for the
overland to pass, got aboard and stopped
her. A stick of dynamite YVES found on
the seat in the cab and it was apparent
that there had been hold-up.
Lodi officers took the engine of the
freight train and went after the train that
belonged to the unnamed engine. They
got back to Lodi with the train at 12:15,
and it proceeded north with its own en-
gine.
The story of the hold-up, as told by En-
gineer Ingles of the mail train, is as
follows:
GA short distance south of Castle Switch
myself and Fireman House were startled
by a man who crawled over the tender
and, pointing pistol at our heads, ordered
us to stop the train. He was masked. |
stopped the engine, and the fellow then
81,
''Two other masked men were standing
on the ground waiting to receive US. They
ordered US to walk back to the express
car, which we did, After we had reached
the express-car the men told me to instruct
the messenger to open the door, as they
had dynamite and would blow up the car
If the door was not opened
~ told the messenger this, and he
opened the door and then shut it again,
after which he fired two shots at the rob-
bers. A passenger stuck his head out of
one of the windows and one of the robbers
fired shot at him.
'The men threatened again to blow the
car to pieces with dynamite if it was not
opened, and the express messenger then
complied with their demands. The men
got inside, taking us with them, and ran
sacked the car.
"All the money was in the big safe and
they did not try to open it. They got
nothing whatever.
AFTER satisfying themselves that there
was nothing of value outside of the safe
and that had been securely locked,
they jumped out of the car and went
ahead to the engine again, taking US with
them.
Reaching the engine the men un-
coupled it from the train, and firing some
shots in the direction of the passenger
cars, to scare their occupants, suppose.
pulled the throttle and started toward
Lodi
"a brakeman was sent back to Stockton
by the conductor to flag the Oregon
express, which was soon to come along,
and we waited until the engine came from
Lodi"
A tramp, who was stealing ride on the
blind baggage, is the only person who can
give a description other than general
of anv of the robbers. He stated at
Lodi that when the train stopped he saw
one of the robbers without his mask on
The fellow spoke to the tramp and told
him that if he opened his head he would
lose it.
The tramp wisely kept still, but he noted
that the robber who had issued the warn
ing, was about 5 feet 10 inches in height
and that he wore black coat, woolen
shirt and blue necktie.
The tramp was made to walk TO the ex-
press-car with the engineer and fireman.
He heard one of the robbers say that they
had a buggy in which they could ride off
after leaving the engine.
TIE ENGINEERS STORT.