Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-10-03
TRAIN ROBBERS FRUSTRATED
Six Men Held Up An A. & P. Express
Train at Rio PuercO Last
Night.
DEPUTY MARSHAL LOOMS BRAVE DEED
Happening to Be on the Train, LOOMS
Seized His Shotgun and Stood Ban
dts Off-Killed Their Leader
Others Fled


night near Rio Puerco station, thirty four
miles west of Albuquerque. Chief Deputy
U. s. Marshal H. w. Loomis, of Santa Fe,
happened to be on the train at the time.
Single-handed and alone he stood off the
desperadoes, killed the leader, Cole Young,
and set to flight the whole party.
WIRE FROM LOOMS.
Rumors of the affair reached Santa Fe
during the night. At an early hour this
morning U. s. Marshal Hall received the
following telegram:
held up last night at Puerco bridge.
Killed Cole Young with my shotgun. The
rest of the party left southwark. A special
train brought four men and horses from
Albuquerque under Sheriff Hubbell while
l waited there. I will go to Magdalena
and start posse to intercept hold-ups.
(Signed) II. W. LOOMS,
Deputy
HOW IT OCCURRED.
AsA l. P. east bound train No. was
crossing the Rio Puerco bridge at 1870
last evening two men sprang up on the
engine steps with six-shooters in hand,
and, covering the engineer and fireman.
ordered that the train be brought to
stop. There was nothing to do but to
obey. While this was going on the
brakeman appeared with his lantern. A
shot from one of the attacking party
took off one of his fingers and second
shot knocked the top of his lantern.
Evidently the desperadoes were shooting
to put out the light in the lantern.
The firing of tine shots apparently
PARALYzED THE PASSENGERS.
They intuitively felt that they knew
what was going on, but nobody made a
move, save ''the man from Santa Fe."
Deputy Loomis had his shotgun beside
him in the car seat. When the second
shot came echoing back from the canon
and adjacent foothills he was on his feet,
gun in hand. His cartridge belt and va
lise were at the other end of the coach
where the "butcher boy" keeps his wares.
"Just hand me that cartridge belt" said
Loomis, quietly, to the frightened and
blanched-faced pea-nutter. The follow
went after it on tip-toe. Receiving the
belt, Mr.. Loomis slipped out of the coach,
dropped silently down off the platform
and fred.
GOT HIS MAN.
The leader of the gang, Cole Young, alias
Cole Estes, one of the most daring of
southwestern desperadoos, bit the
dust as result of that shot. The other
five desperadoes who heard the shot raj
lied to the scene and said as they passed
on the run, "Come on Cole" but Cole
never came. Cole staggered off a few
yards in the scraggy brush and fell dead.
His companions disappeared, Loomis fol-
lowing. The train was held for an hour
awaiting the deputy marshal's return.
Finally the passengers recovered from
their paralytio state and ventured out in
search of Loomis. In the brush they
came upon the desperado's body. Loomis
returned shortly afterward and the train
pulled in to Albuquerque bearing the re-
mains of the leader of the gang.
In the meantime a special train had
come out from Albuquerque bringing
Sheriff Hubbell, three men and horses who
were soon on the trail of the robbers.
Taking note of the fact that they had
gone south Mr.. Loomis boarded the first
train for Socorro and thence went this
morning to Magdalena to try and cut off
the retreat of the desperadoes. But for
his splendid courage no doubt the ex-
press car, mail and every passenger on
the train would have been robbed by this
gang.
WHO THEY ARE.
II must have given Deputy Loomis ex-
treme pleasure to have encountered so
unex pectedly this crowd of desperadoes.
He has been after them for four weeks.
Cole Young and his party are the same
who recently held up and robbed the
postofice and country store at Separ,
Grant county. Several men were in the
store at the time. These the robbers
persuaded, at the muzzle of their six
shooters, to lay their heads on the count
er, and, while one covered them with
gun, the others went through the prem
ises. They got some provisions but
only $15 in currency out of the post.
Office.
Best des the dead man, Young, there
we're in the Separ robbery, Jesse Miller,
alias Jesse Williams, alias JEFF Davis, and
fellow known as "Black jack" They
have been operating along the Mexico
and Arizona line for the past year, and
the above named and several other mem.
bers of the gang we're indicted at the
recent term of the U. 3. grand jury in
Grant county for the part they took in