The record-union., 1897-10-01
All at the Same Place and Within a Few
Moments Of Each Other.
On One of the Drivers Failing to
Stop When Ordered, the Ban
dts Open Fire, Wounding Two
Passengers and Killing Two of
the Stage Horses-Little Booty
Was Secured.

MILTON (CaI), Sept. 3O.-The down
stages from Angels Camp to Milton
were held up to-day by two carefully
disguised highwaymen.
Heavy travel lately has required the
use of two double vehicles in addition
to the regular stage coach.
The first Of the three vehicles was
climbing Palafos Hill, the scene of sew
eraI former stage robberies, when two
masked men advanced into the road
from the shelter of a rock and ordered
the stage to stop.
The men wore long, dark busters,
their feet being covered with gunny-
sacks. The passengers were told 10
alight, and while one highwayman COW
cred them with a shotgun, the other
relieved them of their coin. He exam
ined the watch of each passenger, but
took none Of the time pieces.
The bandits then ordered driver Lew
IS to proceed into an adjoining ravine,
so that his carriage could be concealed
before the arrival of the second coach,
due to arrive twenty minutes later.
The second coach was driven by
Louis Raggio, brother of the proprietor
of the stage line. He was halted, and
the passengers forced to aHght, after
which Raggio was ordered to join the
first vehicle in the ravine, where Driver
Lewis and his passengers were waiting
an much trepidation. Driver Raggio
and his passengers were then forced
to relinquish all their money.
The robbers then returned to the
shelter of the large rock OF await the
arrival of the stage coach proper. the
passengers of the advance vehicles,
meanwhile, being herded in the ra-
vine When the coach numbered up the
bandits repeated the command to halt,
given twice before, but the order to
stop was unheeded by Al Schwoerer,
who afterwards said he did not hear
the command. One of the robbers, who
was armed with a revolver, then poured
a volley of bullets into the bodies of
the stage horses. One of the leaders
was shot three times in the left should
er. and a wheeler also receivd a bullet.
The robber fired two shots through the
curtains of the coach to complete the
terrorizing of the passengers.
After running seventy-five yards far
ther the wounded horses fell, and the
driver and passengers sprang from the
coach and ran up the road to the house
of a Mexican named Palafos. 1t was
then learned that c. NJ Ackerman.
jeweler of Angels Camp, had been
wounded in the right side, and Abra-
ham MaIoof, an Assyrian peddler of
San Francisco had been shot through
the left wrist
AS soon as the coach stopped the rob
bers cut open the wooden express box,
but obtained little except the contents
of a package Of moderate value.
The robbers then returned to the ra-
vine. and directed Drivers Raggio and
Lewis to take their vehicles and drive
on. The robbers then disappeared
with the express booty and the money
taken from the passengers.
After the departure of the bandits
Driver SchwOever returned to his coach,
found two of his horses dead, and with
two wheeiers he drove slowly into Mil
ton. where the wounded men received
medical attention. The injuries were
pronounced serious, but both the
wounded men were able to depart by
this afternoons train.
The total amount obtained by the
robbers probably did not exceed $500.
All of the local officers are in pursuit
of the highwaymen, but the scene of
the hold-up is wild and rugged, max
ing pursuit difficult.
ACKERMAN MAY DIE
ANGELS CAMP, Sept. 30.-C. NJ.
Aclxerman, one of the victims Of the
Milton stage hold-up. is still alive, but
his physicians say there is small chance
of life The officers have not discov-
cred a single clew as TO the perpetTa
tors Of the crime.