Amador ledger., 1902-04-18
A MOST DARING HOLD-UP
Lone Robber Holds Up Pic
cardo's Saloon.
Gets Only $25 in Cash-A Couple of
Shots Fired at Intruder, Who
is Certainly Wounded.

place Friday evening of last week al
Piccardo's saloon, on the road to Jack
son Gate. 1t was in the early part o.
the evening" shortly after o'clock
The saloon was filed with people; al
least 8 persons were congregated there
At the hour named medium sized
man stepped into the room at brisk
walk, having black cloth masking
his face, and wearing long liner
duster. He walked into the middle o.
the saloon, holding an ugly looking
pistol in his hand, and having a spare
gun sticking out from a belt thai
girdled his waist. 1t was evident that
he was a road agent that meant busi.
ness. He covered A. Piccardo with his
gun, and kept his eye on Louis Pic.
cardo, and commanded them in EN-.
phatic language to throw up their
hands, which of course they all did.
He then commanded all except Piccardo
and his son, to get into the cellar, or
room behind the saloon. One of the
company was a new conner from Sunny
Italy, and was not sufficiently posted
in English to understand his command.
He therefore, unwittingly hesitated,
when the intruder gave him a kick,
which had the effect of hurrying his
exit. The stranger next ordered Pic
cardo and Louie in the Office, and when
there he told them to ''open the safe,
and be quick about it." The safe
thrown open, but the inside portion
was locked, and Piccardo was in no
hurry to find the keys. The robber
was nervous at the delay. He ordered
Piccardo to hand over the cash he had
about him, also the contents of the till;
altogether he corralled about S25, and
thereupon turned to leave the place.
Now Louie Piccardo kept a shotgun
in the corner of the Office. 1t was not
in view of the robber as he stood at the
Office door, and he was evidently
ignorant of its presence there. 1t was
not loaded, but there were number of
loaded shells close by, loaded with No.
6 bird shot. Louie seized the gun as
soon as the mans back was turned
and slipped couple OF shells in, and as
the robber had just got to the front
door. about 40 feet away, fired both
barrels in quick succession. The free
booter fell just as he got through the
door. He got up instantly, however,
and made his escape. A pistol-be-
lieved to be the one he carried in his
belt-was picked up where he fell
Also an old black felt hat, with the
lining all torn out, was found about one
hundred feet from the front door, on
the road toward Jackson Gate. A
man who lives just beyond Piccardo's,
and who keeps an electric light in
front of his premises, says he saw a
man examining himself by means of
the light. 1t was no doubt the robber,
Trying 10 size up MS damage.
The shots shattered the lower pane
OF glass in each door. Shot marks are
visible from below the glass to the top
of the doors. How the shot came to
scatter so widely in so short distance,
is explained by some on the theory that
some of the shot struck the pistol the
man held in his hand, and DETECTED,
some upward and some downward, ac-
cording to the upper or lower part of
the barrel struck. From this it is in
ferred that the bandit did not escape
without carrying some small shot with
him. Indeed, it was utterly impossible
for him to have escaped being hit if he
was in the doorway when the shots
were fired. No blood, however, could
be found anywhere. If struck at all.
it was in the lower part of the body,
and might not interfere with his flight.
The officers were promptly notified,
and started out to hunt up clews.
The search was continued through
the night, all day Saturday, and Sat-
urday night, but nothing of Importance
was found. On Sunday linen duster,
ragged and torn, with hole shot
through the left side of it, made by the
discharge OF a shotgun, belt and pis-
tol holster, also riddled by fine shot,
and large pistol were found hidden in
the skip at the Bellwether mine. Con-
siderable blood stains were found on
the duster, indicating that the robber
was pretty badly wounded. The
search was continued with renewed
vigor, but up to this time nothing OF
Importance has been found. The man
seems to have disappeared as mysteri-
ously as he came.
Job Couldn't Have Stood 1t