The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-18

u
were stealing a ride, having boarded
the train at Granger.
Mark Leech, one of the tramps, re-
lated how he heard the rObber say as
he raped on the express door. open
UP there or I'll blow hell out of you"
Then he told how they heard drilling
above. Leech wanted to get out of the
hole. After several shots had been
fired but was prevented by his fellow
hobo, Frank A. Stenton, who drew a
revolver upon him and threatened to
kill him if he stirred. Both of them
were scared speechless. Stenton's tes-
timony, after they climbed from the
box went to show the complete demon
alization OF the train force.
MFARLAND OBSERVED HIM
CLOSELY.
The most succinct narrative of the
hold up is told by Fireman Mcfarland,
the man who resisted the robber long
enough to study his man and then
identify him. In its crude phraseology
his story is a graphic one of the occur
renee. He says:
When we whistled into Devils Gate.
half way between the whistling post
and the last bridge, the first thing I
heard was voice calling out hi there
and 1 looked around and found myself
covered with a revolver. The man hold
ing the revolver told me to throw up
my hands. Both the engineer and my
self threw up our hands, the engineer
threw up his left and set the air brake
with his right. 1 hesitated in getting
my hands up and the man repeated the
command, cursing. He then said to
the engineer: Do you calculate to stop
at DEVILS Gate. Engineer Rowland
said: Not that I am aware Of The
train was very nearly stopped by this
time and we had just gotten over the
bridge. The man then said: Don't
stop till I tell you to and then stop
damned quick The engineer then
went.
About the time I judged we had
reached the west bridge, the man took
two white muslin caps or bags about
Sx12 inches square, and handed one OF
them to me and told me to put 1t on
my head. After some hesitation / did
so, covering my head and face with it.
BY this time the fire was low and the
steam also. I suggested that had
better put in some more fire and after
some words with the robber / was al
lowed to do so, he keeping me COW
cred with his gun all of the time. When
1 had put in the fire, he made me put
the bag over my head again.
Then I told him that there had TO be
some water put in the boiler and AFTER
some objection on the part of the rob-
Der. he allowed me to use the injection
and run the water into the boiler, after
which he again made me cover my
head with the bag. l then sat still I'M
Ill we whistled into Uintah- Then L
heard him ask the engineer If we were
mast Devils Gate. The engineer SAID
we were. The robber asked him how
far and Rowland said: About two or
then
stop her and stop her quick. We ran
nrobably u car lengths before we got
the train stopped. Then he SAID TO me:
Pull off your sack and get down mere.
The engineer and myself then took of
our masks and got down.
GOT DOWN QUICKLY.
7 started to get down on my side of
the engine, bur the robber made me
get off on the engineers side. the en-
e5ineer first. then the robber and then
myself. AS l was getting down he
fred off his revolver close TO my mead
Then we started back towards the rear
end OF the train and when we got 10
the mail car. he asked me If this was
the express car. I said it was not and
then he told us to go on back further
When we got as far as the express
car 7 heard him call out for US TO stop
b1,t 7 supposed the engineer didn't hear
him for he went on. Then he touched
off some explosive that he mad with
him. I was then standing in front OF
the door of the car and the light OF the
caT. sbone on me. He was standing in
the dark and had me covered with ms
sg11n and then he called out for someone
To omen the door of the express car
Then he looked around and saw tnat
Engineer Rowland was gone. de nad
run away in the meantime. de asked
me where the other man had gone; l
said that 1 didn't know unless he mad
.S,cl,ad his nut He then told me TO
omen the door 1 said 1 could not.
thought when Rowland had gone he
had started for Uintah, possibly for
helm and I put the fellow of as long
as | could. He told me TWO or three
times to open the door but l sald
couldn't open it and he said oldn
seem to want to do anything He then
tapped on the door ana comnal1o tsS
that il be opened. He then touched on
another explosive and then one
whom took to be the ex-
press messenger opened the door about
10 or u inches so that he could get
his head out I was still standing in
front of the door, and the robner was
standing four or five feet TO one side
in the dark. He told the man IN the
car to throw up his hands. The man
in the car said that he didn't have
ANYTHING. and the robber repeated the
command for him TO throw uD his
hands which was obeyed- noticed
that the man in the car had on a
pair of gloves, and while he had his
hands up he pulled the gloves OF ana
he dropped them either in the car or
out of the door. He then got out of
the car on TO the ground. The rob
Der then told US to get back to the
rear end of the car. We went back
and he followed, keeping us covered.
CUT THE CONNECTIONS.
He then ordered US to get in and cut
the safety chains and hose. / argued
with him some time, telling him that
I knew nothing about that kind of
business. and finally 1 went in and
loosened the safety chains and cut the
air hose and the whistle signal hose.
Then happened to think that if ! cut
the steam hose l might be scalded, so
I told him that / would not cut the
steam hose for that reason. After one
or two refusals he ran back to the
engine and cut off the steam. He then
told me again TO cut the steam hose,
but l would not because there was
still a great pressure in the hose. While
he was in the engine cutting of the
steam l hid my watch in my shoe so
he might not ind it. Also. while he
was in the engine. the express Mes
senger said to me: I've a notion to
take a shot at that fellow when he
comes back" I told him not to do it
or he might kill US both.