The herald., 1896-10-21
IN ATTEMPTED AOLD-UP
Street Car Conductor Shot by
Highwaymen
THE DESPERADOES ESCAPE
Ordered Hands Up and Instantly Used a
Gun
John r. Reyes the victim-The Out
rage Occurs at the Main Entrance
Of Agricultural Park.

Out in front Of the main entrance to
Agricultural park at $3.50 last night John
r. Reyes, street car driver for the
Main Street and Agricultural Park
Railway company, was shot in the arm
and face by desperate highwaymen who
attempted to hold him up, but who
baked their own game by an untimely
and uncalled-for shot. The perpetrators
of the outrage were negroes and were
probably among the gang of race track
hangers on who have been at the park
all week. Although the police were
quickly notified and were on the scene
as soon as possible no trace has as yet
been found of the murderous despera-
does.
The small, one-horse cars of the Main
Street company are run by one man each
who fills the double duty Of driver and
conductor, and it was while on board
his car that Reyes was held up and shot.
He was outward bound and had no pas
sengers aboard. While his horse was
jogging onward toward the barn at the
terminus Reyes fastened the lines to the
dashboard and swung around the front
oSoS pol lAlO tuG CdE WHeIt hS
mounted astride the two seats and TAX
ing out the lamp which is fastened in
the upper right hand corner began to
clean the globe.
The car had just reached the crossing
OF the railroad in front Of the main
driveway of thc park when suddenly two
negroes jumped aboard. Reyes had his
back to them and did not at first see
them. The first intimation of anything
nm 1x~ L. -
negroes say Throw up your hands,
you - -" At this he turned his
head and stepped down to the floor of
the car. Before he had an opportunity
to comply with the emphatic command
or to realize that the negroes meant bus
mess the revolver held in the highway
mans hand was discharged and Reyes
staggered back stunned and LAeding.
The second negro had taken non part
In the affair, but Immediately upon
shooting both rascals took to their heels
and ran away. It was bright moonlight
and Reyes distinctly saw them run off
down q street which branches off from
the railroad track and scale a fence,
disappearing into a lumber yard. The
sound of the shot had attracted atten-
ton and as the car pulled up alongside
the barns, which are situated just out
side of the park fence, assistance came
dLu tHt WOulOGu IA-iA was d5SlSlGu
si2s. the office.
Blood streamed from bullet hole just
under the left eye at the point of the
cheek bone, yet Reyes did not for a min
ute lose consciousness and was both able
to walk and talk. He was taken to his
home on Thirty-sixth street between
Figueroa street and Wesley avenue, a
few blocks away, and a physician was
summoned Meanwhile telephone mes
H., 4 - tn, haa lrsrI
ters and officers were dispatched to the
scene.
Captain Roberts and Detective Bra
dish were among the first on the ground
and seeing that Reyes was badly wound
ed advised his removal to the receiving
hospital for treatment This advice was
followed and he was taken down town
after his wounds had been temporarily
bandaged. Then the hunt for the des
peradoes began. Reyes was able to give
no description of the men save that the
one who shot MIN was black fellow,
but thought he could tell him by his
voice If he heard it again. The second
man he did not see very we'll, but he was
of the impression that he was a coffee
colored mulatto.
One of the stable boys at the race
track reported to the officers that just
before o'clock two fellows had skulked
of stables, and had then scaled the
wall, dropping inside and being lost in
the park. The informant was in sta
BILE when the two fellows came over the
fence, but he distinctly heard them drop
to the ground and through crack saw
them pass by. With this to indicate
that that the men wanted were prob
ably in the grounds the officers spread
out and commenced search. By this
time their numbers had been augment.
ed by the arrival of Mounted Officers
Arguello, Ditewig and Houston, Detect
ives Steele and Goodman.
Securing lanterns an exhaustive
search of the grounds andstables was
made. Everystall was examined, each
clump OF bushes looked over, every hay
NOV poked into, and in fact every place
that man could conceal himself was
ransacked. During this time the
mounted officers patrolled the outside of
the renee to see that no one made his
exit from the grounds.
Nothing was developed, and 1t became
evident that the desperadoes had made
at least temporary escape. The lum-
ber yard was examined with like re-
suit and then the hunt for the night
was called off, it being long after IL
o'clock. With the meager description
given by Reyes 1t would seem to be
hard matter to locate the culprits
On his arrival at the receiving hospi-
tai he was attended by DR.. Alnsworth,
who probed his wound. 1t was found
that the ball had passed through the
f1eshy portion of the left forearm, where
Reyes had instinctively thrown up his
hand to protect himself and entering the
left cheek had ranged back and down
ward. The bullet was finally located
lodged in the bones of the skull below
the brain. No effort was made to re-
move it and a simple dressing was
placed on the wound.
While not fatal the injury Is serious
one and if complications set in may
cause death. Reyes bore the operation
of probing heroically ana talked between
times.
He said that one day last week he had
occasion to put two negroes off his car
and had an idea that pcsslly they
were the ones who shot him. He had no
time to comply with the demand of
"hands up" before stream of fire shot
int ohis face as he instinctively threw
up his left hand to protect hllself. No
demand was made for money, nor did
the desperadoes try to rob him after
firing the shot, but got away from the
scene as rapidly spassoble. They were
seen by several parties while making
their escape, but not near enough to
identify them.
Wban ~ was dpcided not IN ofto,,o,+