The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-08
STAGE DRIVERS
BRAVERY FOLS
TWO OUTLAWS
Though Seriously WouDded He
Escapes With Wells
Fdrqo's Treasure.

right hand I had no thought Of STOP
ping the stage, and did not even look
to see where or who the robbers We're
! but put the whip to the horses and
came down the grade as hard as
the team could run. When we got
down the grade 1 asked Frank
Goss, one of the passengers, to drive
for me for while 1 bound up my wound
ed hand. AS Goss did not think he
could drive six horses with safety two
animals were taken out of the team
and we came on down with four. Joe
Ratio, the other passenger, brought the
two extra horses to town.
Il heard no command to halt before ]
was shot, and don't know whether any
such command was given. Mcconnell
tried to use his gun on the bandits, but
found that his left arm was useless, so
he rested his gun on the iron railing on
top of the stage and shot with the use
of his right arm only. I don't know
whether McConnell's shot hit either
robber or not-didn't have time to look
at anything but my team"
Messenger Mcconnell said: IT didn't
see or hear anything of the bandits
until the shooting commenced. I was
struck in the left forearm by the first
discharge of shot. The bandits fired
two shots close together. 1 tried to
shoot back, but couldn't use my left
iron railing on top of the stage and shot
at the robbers, my shot being the third
one fired. After this one robber fired
another shot, but by that time the stage
was far past where the robbers were
left standing"
Frank Goss says the short robber fell
on his face on top of his gun when
Messenger Mcconnell shot. Mr.. Parker,
who drove a rig down from Jackson
just behind the stage, says that only
one of the bandits started away from
the scene of the shooting.
Messenger Mcconnell was taken to
his home at Stockton this morning. II
is not known just how much treasure
there was aboard the stage, but the
amount is believed to have been about
$4,000. The monthly shipment of bullion
from the Argonaut mine, the largest
gold producer of the county, was made
last Sunday. 1t has been the practice
lately to send treasure from the mines
on special days and not on regular ship
ment days. The regular days for ship
ping treasure by express from here are
Tuesdays and Fridays. Evidently the
robbers knew this and calculated that
to-day being the first regular day after
the deposit of Argonaut bullion, they
would find the treasure in progress of
shipment to lone by express. If the
highwaymen had succeeded in captur-
ing the express box they would have
been sadly disappointed in the value
of it's contents.
The Sheriff's office was at once mott
fed and Sheriff Gregory left Jackson
Immediately with his bloodhounds to
track the, bandits. Many others also
went out to join in the search.
The manhunt proved successful and
tonight Sheriff Gregory returned to
Jackson with the captured bandits.
Neither man will talk. the short rob-
Der is shot in the face and through the
hat. He gives his name as Smith Both
are of the hobo fraternity. They were
discharged from the County Jail a few
days ago after serving a sentence of
five days for vagrancy. 1t is known
that both were at Martells Station last
night when the stage reached that place