The herald., 1897-10-01
Hide Their Faces and Load
Their Guns
THREE STAGES ALL IN A ROW
YIELD BOOTY TO THE DARING
RASCALS
Angels Camp Stages Held Up and Two
Passengers Wounded, One of
Them Fatally

Associated Press Special Wire.
MILTON, Cal, Sept. S0-The down
stages from Angels Camp to Milton
were held up today by two carefully dis
guised highwaymen. Heavy travel late
ly 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
Of several former stage robberies. when
two masked men advanced into the
road from the shelter OF rock and or
dered the stage to stop. The men wore
long dark ulsters, their feet being COW
cred with gunnysacks. The passengers
were told to alight, and while one high
wayman covered them with a shotgun
the other relieved them Of their coin-
He examined the watch Of each passen-
ger, but took none of the time pieces.
The bandits then ordered Driver Lewis
to proceed into an adjoining ravine, so
that his carriage could be concealed be-
fore the arrival of the second coach, due
to arrive twenty minutes later. The
second coach was driven by Louis Rag
gio, brother Of the proprietor Of the
stage line. He was halted, and the pas
sengers forced to alight, after which
Raggio was ordered to join the first ve-
hicle in the ravine, where Driver Lewis
and his passengers were waiting in 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
to await the arrival Of the stage coach
proper, the passengers Of the advanced
vehicles, meanwhile, being herded in
the ravine. When the third coach lum-
bered up the bandits repeated the COM
mand 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 rob-
bers, who was armed with a revolver,
them poured q volley Of bullets into the
stage horses. One of the leaders was
shot three times in the left shoulder and
wheeler also received a bullet. The
robber fired two shots through the cur
tainS Of the coach to complete the ter
rorizing Of the passengers After run
ming seventy yards further the
wounded horses fell, and the driver and
passengers sprang from the coach and
ra= up the road to the house Of Mex
lean named Palafos. 1t was then learn
ed that c. M. Ackerman, jeweler Of
Angels Camp. had been wounded in the
right side, and Abraham Maloof, an
Assyrian peddler Of San Francisco, had
been shot through the left wrist As
soon as the coach stopped the robbers
cut open the wooden express box, but
obtained little except the contents of
moderate value. The robbers then re-
turned to the ravine and directed Rag
gio 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 Schwoe-
rer returned to his coach, and with
his uninjured horses drove slowly to
Milton. The injured men were not Sc
riously hurt. and they We're able
to depart by this afternoons train The
total amount secured by the robbers
probably did not exceed 5000. All of
the local officers are in pursuit of the
highwaymen, but the scene Of the hold
up is wild and rugged, making pursuit
difficult.
BADLY HURT
ANGELS CAMP, Sept. SO.-C. M.
Ackerman, 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 single clew as to the perpetrators
of the crime.
STILL AT LARGE
UKIAH, CAL, Sept. S0.-After long
pursuit of the two stage robbers who
held UP the stage last Saturday and
killed j. Barnett, passenger, Sheriff
Johnson and his posse returned this
evening, having lost the trai, on the
main road to Cloverdale the rain having
obllterated the tracks. The blood
hounds followed the trail Of the out
laws through miles Of dense under
growth, deep gorges and over mountain
streams. So far as known, the robbers
have not been seen since Tuesday night,
when they were met by George Roder,
rancher. All the roads are carefully
guarded, and If the outlaws are in the
mountains they will eventually be cap
tured.