Bisbee daily review., 1905-04-22
DANGEROUS CRIMINALS
 REMOVED BY DEATH
 NLORDSBURGFIGHT
HISTORY OF TWO MEN WHO HELD UP SALOON RE
 GENTLY.
Bodies Were Exhumed and Identified oy Southern Pacific Detective. When Killed Robbers Were in Pos
 session Of Photographs of Two Girls.


 Detective William Thacker, who has
 been in the service of Wells. Fargo & Co. for the last twenty years. made the blessing discovery the other day at Lordsburg that his worK nad been made easier by the removal from this world Of two of the worst California outlaws. The story of the discovery
 was brought to Phoenix by Editor
 Leonard of the Copper Era, of Clifton,
 and who was in the city as a witness
 in the Hobbs case. says the Phoenix Republican. This incident is tne se-
 quel of hold-up at Lordsburg not
 long ago. followed by the violent
 deaths of the robbers.
 One night two strange men entered a saloon at Lordsburg and command ed all there to throw up their hands.
 There were nineteen men in the room. and they entered into a spirited con test with one another to see who could comply with the demands of the outlaws the quickest. The robbers secured a large sum of money and left town.
 They went directly to Separ and went to bed In the meantime a search had been organized and news of the robbery reached Separ. from where word was sent back to Lords burg that two strangers had come there. Constable Herb McGrath, ac- companied by another officer. hur- ried to Separ and learned that the men were in bed asleep. f;e went to the door of their room. opened it and commanded them to throw up their hands. The noise of the officers en- trance had thoroughly awakened the men, who, instead of eleyating their hands, thrust them under the bed clothes. Both officers then fired. The head of one of the men was blown off and the other was killed instantly.
 Why the bandits had reached under the bed clothing was made plain. for there were found concealed there eight rcvolvers. The bodies were taken back to Lordsburg, and after failure to identify them they were buried there.
 As soon as Detective Thacker heard of the affair it occurred to him that the dead outlaws might be the notorl. ous Gates brothers, said to be the most dangerous outlaws on the coast. Last fali they held up a Southern Pacific train in Ventura county and robbed the express car of a large sum. In a fight attending the robbery one of the bandits received a load of buck-shot in his side. and the other was similarly wounded on the outer side of the right leg. The detective went to Lords l burg and had the bodies of the out 1 avs exhumed. He found the marks | ,f the buckshot on each as he had an- he would. There had been l ound in the possession of one of the 1 'obbers a couple of photographs of wo girls said to be sisters of the dead | nen. These beside their guns and | he proceeds of the robbery of the sa- oon were the only articles in their | possession. They had taken every | 'recaution against identification. Even i he trademarks on the sweatbands of | heir hats had been defaced.
 The detective said that the men had | ,onle of good family living in the | northern part of California, but had ! been engaged in the business of hold | ng up trains and saloons for a long | ime. They were believed to be the | authors of a robbery which occurred i n the Gloreitta mountains in New | dexico last fall.