The San Francisco call., 1897-01-30
FLAMES CHECK A BANDIT RAID

witted fireman, on seeing the masked rob-
Der making his way into the cab, dropped
down in the shadow OF the tender and
thence crawled TO the track. Working his
av to the head of the engine the fireman
started on a run to Roseburg, the two
miles being covered in less than fifteen
minutes. There he informed the people
at the station of what was going Oh at the
scene of the hold-up.
Superintendent Field fortunately hap
pened to be in Rose burg. Hurriedly gath
ering a posse of armed men he took an
engine from the roundhouse and FASTENED
back TO the point where the overland was
held. AS the relief engine pulled ont from
Roseburg several heavy detonations were
heard and as it approached the scene q
bright glare was seen in the sky. This
proved to have come from the express
car, the stove of which had been shat
tered by successive shots OF dynamite, the
Goals setting fire to the car. Trainhands
were vigorously fighting the flames when
Fields engine arrived, but their efforts
awaited naught, the car being ompletely
destroyed.
Following Fireman Hendricks escape
to kick" the train back. This done the
mail and express cars were cut off and
hauled ahead some fifty yards, chased by
Conductor Veatch and Brakeman Lohe,
who shouted to the engineer lnquiring
what the trouble was. Their answer was
a fusillade of shots and the command to
get back to the train. Neither seeming to
obey quickly enough another volley was
fired at them from the engine. The
whistling of the bullets left no mistake as
to the intent of e people handling the
weapons and Veatch and his brakeman
beat retreat TO the train.
The express-car was the first object of
assault by the robbers, after they had
hauled that and the mailcar ahead of the
train. Receiving no reply to their second
mand to Messenger Butler to come out
side Che having slipped through the oppo-
site door a charge of dynamite was
placed under the car and fired. The effect
was ruinous. Doors were blown apart and
the heavy floor tim bers shivered into
splinters. The car was at once entered
and the two small safes of the express
company attacked with giant powder.
Both of these were blown open-in fact de-
molished, so heavy were the charges used.
The last load of dynamite, however, went
beyond its intended usefulness, the force
in some manner being exerted toward the
car stove and sending the burning Goals
flying in every direction. These, aight-
ing among the paper-wrapped packages,
at once set the Int terror of the car ablaZe,
The robbers, finding their work becoming
too hot made for the mailcar and entered
it. Little damage was done there, they
evidently being fearful of occupying too
much time. inasmuch as the dynamite ex-
pIosion and flames from the burning ex-
press car must have been seen and heard
in Roseburg. A few rifed mail pouches.
an evidently ignorant attempt at reach
ing the registered packages and the rob-
bers prepared to leave the scene.
They Gid not propose being followed.
A rash movement Of Engineer Morris in
thrhsting his head through the cab win
dow earned for him a bullet-graze across
the cheek a snarling growl from Express
Messenger Buffers big mastiff, at one of
the robbers, brought bullet through the
faithful animals brain. Numerous other
hairbreadth escapes resulted from the first
fusillade OF pistol OTIS, which sent bull
leLS WDIStiluS uOWH the SUES VI IHG tram
just as the startled passengers were pre-
pairing to alight to learn the cause of the
sudden stop. Fortunately none received
serious wounds or injuries.
On arriving at the scene of the hold-up,
the first movement of Superintendent
Fields was to tumble the burning express
car from the track. Ere this had been
accom- pllshed the eud of the mailcar had
been somewhat charred, but not badly
damaged. The cars stood near a small
slough, and from this the trainmen had
carried water and done valiant service in
protecting the mails. The express-car
was beyond saving.
Immediately Sheriff's posse started in
search of the robbers, taking its course
from the report OF a farmer named Lidd-
say, who states that five men, carrying
lanterns, passed his place shortly after the
dynamite explosions were heard. The
men were not masked, but were evidently
anxious to avoid observation, they strk-
ing off into the fields on Lindsay's ap-
proach. The robbers, if such they were,
were making in the direction of Rose
burg.
The only lucid interviews from men who
were on the train were given by John J.
Wedtner and William T. Lewis, San Fran
cisco drummers who lost their sample