The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-03-27

trio line, running between Los Angeles
and Santa Monica, about a mile west
of the city limits last night, and after
a pistol duel between C. w. Hender-
son, one Of the passengers, and n
of the robbers, the other two highway
men began shooting right and left
through the crowded ear. One passen.
ger was killed and three wounded.
The dead:
) H. A. GRISWOLD of Manson, Iowa.
The wounded: j. G. Cunningham of
Los Angeles, a prominent trunk a
ufacturer; shot through the left thigh;
thigh bone broken; wound considered
very serious. Ellis Pearson of Saw
telle, the soldiers home station on
the electric line; shot through left
leg, a flesh wound. DR.. G. H. Bowles
of Los Angeles, shot through left
hand; several bones in his hand brok-
en-. M
1t is believed that n of the robbers
was badly wounded, because he was
heard to cry out and was seen to half
fall off the car Immediately after Hen
derson began shooting at him.
Mr.. Griswold was a wealthy citizen
of Manson. Iowa. He came here sew
eral months ago for the benefit of his
mothers health, and had been living
at the Hotel Corona. He also had a
cottage on the beach at Santa Monica,
and was en- route thither when he met
his death. His body was brought to
this city.
The hold-up occurred at the heaE of
a. deep cut near the junction of the
Ocean park electric line. The robbers
had placed a steel rail, a large bench
and a cement barrel on the track at a
point neal where it runs through a
large vineyard.
Charles Currin, the motorman, saw
the obstruction when the car was sew
eral hundred yards from it, because
the car was equipped with a powerful
s%earchlight. He at once turned off
the current and ran slowly to the
place. The car struck the obstruction
at greatly reduced speed.
The moment the car struck, three
men wearing white masks or handker-
chiefs over their faces sprang from the
weeds alongside the track. One of
them boarded the front end of the car,
and the other two the ear end. The
nan who boarded the front end COM
manded the passengers who were &C.
cupying the open seats at the end to
put up their hands, and when M Of
them did not comply he fired a shot.
Henderson was seated within six
feet of the point where the robber
boarded the car, and having seen the
obstruction he drew his revolver. The
instant the robber fired at the other
man Henderson opened fire on him,
shooting as fast as he could pull he
trigger. The robber then turned his
gun upon Henderson, but as he did so
he was seen to bend over and then
cried out as if in pain. Then, straight
ening up, he began shooting at the
bunch of passengers who were hud-
died in the front seat. One of the
bullets struck Ellis Pearson in the left
leg. Henderson continued firing and
the robber a. seen to fall.
While this vas going on on the out
side OF the car, a tragedy was being
enacted in the inside. The two rob-
bers who had entered the rear door
commanded the passengers to raise
their hands, and most of them did so.
Before any attempt could be made by
the robbers to search the passengers
for their valuables the shooting began
on the outside of the car. Then the
other two robbers began shooting
right and left into the crowd of pas
sengers.
Griswold was seated about the mid
die of the car with his back turned
toward the robbers. At the command,
Hands up" he tried to secrete his
watch under his legs and one of the
robbers, thinking he was about to
draw a gun, fired point blank at him.
The bullet struck hin in the back of
the neck and he fell over into the lap
of his aged mother, who vas seated at
his side.
DR.. C. H. Bowles was near the front
door and at the command of the rob-
bers he raised his hands. When he
had them in the air one of the bullets
from a robbers revolver struck is
left hand and shattered the bones.
After emptying their revolvers the
robbers backed out of the rear door