El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-11


Gang Consisted of -Four Men And Their
Work Appeared to be That of Ex-
perienced Hands.
One Of the %cleverest and most daring
train robberies hat was ever schemed
and carried out in the history of the
southwest occurred on the Southern
Pacific at the station of Cochise, Ari-
zona, half an hour before midnight
Saturday night. The hold-up WAS
s%killfully planned and the manner in
which it was carried out indicated the
work OF 'famillar hands at the business.
From q conservative source an
estimate is given that the outlaws
secured at least 81, 900 while those in q
position to know assert that In the
neighborhood of SIC, 900 was taken by
the robbers.
The trainmen say the robbers were
heavily loaded with booty rs they rode
away, but could not tell how much was
secured.
The train was passenger No. 10,
which left Ell Psso Saturday afternoon
in charge of Conductor Parker and En-
gineer Rich.
Cochise is a lonely little station, ten
miles west of Wilcox and two hundred
and thirty-three miles distant from Ell
Psso and has q telegraph operator.
Liz WSSG UOuuu UEdlh H ou0 on
Cochise st lilo p. ~. and a half hour
before it's arrival there Saturday night,
tour heavily armed men who had been
seen camping in the vicinity for a few
days previous, passing themselves OF
as ~hey-cutters, walked into the little sta
ton and placed the agent under cover
of their fire arms. The other Two loot
ed. the safe taking everything Of value.
AS the train slowed up OD its sp-
nroonh RI tho station the mar hnardPd
it q short distance from the depot, two
of them climbing on the front end of
the mail q and crawling over the
tender and covering the engineer and
fireman with their guns. The other
two %uncoupled the train between the
express car and the first coach.
Messenger Dare was in charge OF
to q stop he threw pen the door of
his car in the customary manner. He
was met with premptory orders at the
muzzle of guns to leave his car which
he did.
Their the conductor and his two
brakeman came running lam
terms in hand, but ERE ordered back
to the coaches. They went back, coz
sidering argument useless under the
circumstances.
Part of the train consisting
Of the engine, and mail and express
cars was then run to q point one mile
beyond Cochise. The ~enginemeu act
ed under instructions from the banoits
who held weapons near their heads.
Here the outlaws had their saddle ami
mails conveniently placed.
Dynamite was used In gaining access
to the safe. The engineer stating that
three charges were necessary before 1t
was broken open. The express car was
not much damaged, but suffered some
from the shock of the explosions.
After the robbery the men left in an
easterly direction and we're observed
to be we'll mounted. After their de-
parture the engineer backed the cars
into Cochise again where b train was
At the station the bandits overlooked
an important point. They neglected
to cut the telegraph wires q while
they YER prosecuting their
work a mile distant the operator at the
little station kept the wires hot send
ing out the alarm in both directions to
the nearby towns, with the result that
and were soon in pursuit of the rob- !
bers.
Three posses arrived at Cochise as
fast as horses could travel, a posse ar
from Benson first. It took q
we'll defined trail from the scene of the
hold up. It was successfully followed
a distance OF eight miles, owhen q
shower arose and 1t became
Obscured by the rain and was ipally
entirely lost track of by the drenched
half q mile from Wilcox. The
trail appeared TO maintain an easterly
but the posse WIS not able
to follow it and rode into Wilcox tired
and worn out.
Superintendent Martin when seer
the hold up expressed the
opinion that the outlaws are a remnant
ated very successfully in Arizona a few
years ago.
Express Messenger Dare has been in
hold-ups before and his friends freely
express the opinion that had he had
the slightest warning of the impend-
ing robbery he would have made it
hard for the outlaws. 1t will be re-
that he showed remarkable
and nerve in the STEMS Pass
affair a year ago. when he killed one
If the robbers.
About ten days g the officials of
The Southern Pacific deemed it
prudent to provide an armed guard for
Ill their trains, as it WAS learned that
Lrmed men were seen camping along
line of the railroad, but as nothing
developed the guard in a few days was
AIKEN off.
THE AMOUNT SECURED.
The amount of money secured by the
'obbers is believed to be far in excess of
What has beengiven out. The agent here
questioned tried to assume an in
Inference in the matter but his gen
,ral demesnor rather betrayed the fact
hat the express company has been a
,eavy loser. It Is known in certain
that a large mount of money
vas sent out from this city Saturday
,inL& and ono oSfipaafo of the a-o,.n4