The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1896-04-08
REMARKABLE STORY
Conspiracy to Hold Up the Vanderbilt
SpecialTain.
ANARCHISTS I'm THE PLOT.
Vanderbilt was to Have Been Kidnaped'
livery One Elise In the Party
Was go Have Been Killed
by tho Dosperadoes.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 6.-rGeorge H..
Gard, late chief of the Southern Pacific
detective service, gave publicity to one
of the most remarkable stories of an an
nrchist plot that was ever heard in san
Francisco Tho plot, according to Mr..
Gard, was nothing less than con.
spiraoy to hold up the Vanderbilt special
train and abduct Cornelius Vanderbilt,
and it has TRANSFERRED that the officials of
the Southern Pacific company, who
were informed by Mr.. Gard before the
Vanderbilt party reached El Paso. had
taken all possible precautions to prevent
the carrying out of the plot.
Shortly before the Vanderbilt party
reached El Paso," said Mr.. Gard, 81 re-
ceived a letter which detailed in some
degree the plans of a gang of extremists
for making money out of the kidnapping
of Cornelius Vanderbilt. AS to my in
formant, do not think it is necessary
to say any more than that he is in San
francisco. The letter was written here,
and tho men who were working out the
plot so it was given us, We're making
San Francisco their base of operations.
"The letter went on to say the men
had been conspiring for some time, but
had not been able to agree on any plan
for making n haul until the announce
mcnt appeared IN the papers that van
dcrbilt and Depew were on their Way
to California. They immediately Plcked
ont Vanderbilt for shining mark and
proceeded to lay plans for lloldup. My
informant was one of the gang and IN
his letter to me he said that he would
continue to act in tho role of consplrn-
tor and keep me informed of their move
ments and any further developments i'll
their plans The letter was the most
startling epistle / ever received, but
was convinced Immediately of it's gem
uineness, for / knew the person that
wrote it, as we'll as his history and asso-
Citations. lost no time i'll going to j.
a Muir, SUPERINTENDENT of the South
ern Pacific company at Los Angeles,
and laying the whole case before him.
"Irom what could judge by the let
ter, the conspirators had at that time
perfected no plans further than to agree
among themselves to holdup the
Vanderbilt special train ut some point
in the San Joaquin valley and make the
best haul possible. If no money was
to be had any other way Cornelius Van
derbilt was to be kidnapped and every
one else in the party was to BIO killed II
necessary i'll the accomplSnnehCo VI Vno
end in view.
Gust what steps were taken by the
railroad company to prevent the hoIdup
after being warned by telegraph from Los
Angeles have not been fully advised.
1t was suggested that pilot engine be
as far as 1 know this was not done.
The anarchists, if they may be called
such, had laid their plans to holdup the
train at some convenient point in the
San Joaquin valley and it therefore is
unnecessarily to fear any violence below
Bakersfield This side of Bakersfield
the special train was run only during
the daytime and it is barely possible
that this precaution upset the plans of
the cOnspirators
AS every ono WHO kept track of the
Vanderbilt party will remember, the
visitors remained over night in their
train at Bakersfield, after visiting Santa
Barbara, and came up through the San
Joaquin valley by daylight on Tuesday
last. This or somc other cause upset
tho plans of tho robbers. The train was
not held mp and Cornelius Vanderbilt
was not abducted. / am rather inclined
to think to think that the men who con-
coctcd the plot became frightened into
an abandonment of their plans"
Neither Mr.. Vanderbilt, Mr.. Depew,
nor any of tho members of the visiting
party We're informed of the anticipated
holdup, and left the city last evening on
their way east without learning they
had been made the objects of conspiracy
byn gang of desperados.