Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-08
Strike Conductor a
Crushing Blow
on Head
Unmasked Thugs Com.
nit Bold Assault
and Theft
Desperate Men Take Watch and Try
to Get Money from Employe on
Crowded Euclid Avenue
Electric

In one the most desperate and dar-
ing holdups in the history Of Los An
geles, two unmasked men last night at
Euclid avenue car at the approach of
East First street bridge at o'clock, and
in the presence of about seventy pas
sengers on the car struck him on the
head with blackjack slug and robbed
him of his watch and chain.
That the men escaped after the as
sault was due to their cleverly planned
scheme, for they held the conductor on
the bottom step of the rapidly moving
car and thus ept him between them
and the passengers until they could
make good their escape to the river bed.
The car was No. 1923 of the Euclid
avenue line. and the crew, motorman
whose number was 735, and the con-
ductor No. 734, had boarded the car at
Second street and Broadway for their
first run OF the evening. That the rob-
bers failed to secure considerable money
from the. conductor was probably due
to the fact that he had only collected
about dozen fares most of them being
given each conductor to start his route
with remained in its paper covering in
his coat pocket.
4.a Ring Fare Register
The car filled up rapidly on its east
Ebound RIM, and by the time. lit had
reached the railroad crossing at First
and Alameda streets passengers were
| hanging to every availa BILE foot of space
inside the car and in the vestibules.
At the railroad crossing two men
leaped on the car just as it started to
| cross the tracks, and one of them
promptly rang the. bell several times
The conductor forced his way to the
rear platform as rapidly ais possible, for
the men had yanked thee bell cord at
t&ched to the fare register.
Neither man made any attempt to
conceal his features. The aggressive
one was above medium height and ap-
peared to be about rs years of age. His
hair and eyes were brown and his fea-
lures regular. He wore light suit
and light soft hat. The other man
appeared younger and wore a black
suit and blacl. slouch hat, pulled dowE
we'll over his face. He did not take an
active part in the proceedings but stood
on the bottom step as though to prevent
any interference, while his hand rested
on his hip and heavy leather belt was
suggestive of an arsenal strapped about
his waist
Strike Cruel Blow
At the sound oftthe bell the conductor
dashed to where the man was standing
and demanded to know what he was
doing with the bell cord. That seemed
to be the cue, for both men got in close
and jostled the conductor while they
cursed him and attempted to draw him
into a fight. Feeling a hand attempt
ing to get in his pocket. the conductor
broke away and called for the assist
ance of the motorman who stopped the
car and came back with the heavy
brass controller In his hand, The men,
at the sight of reinforcements, made a
hasty dash from the car, and the
motorman returned to his post and the
car started. The car at that time was
at the west entrance to the First street
bridge. It is the custom among the
motormen to start their cars UP the in
cline to the bridge at rapid rate In
order that the top of the arch might
be reached without using the full power.
That fact was evidently well known tc
the robbers, also the fact that once the
car started on the bridge motorman
will not stop until he reaches the other
side unless on emergency signal.
. The car had hardly started before the
men made their appearance from behind
the car The conductor had swung into
the bottom step, and in second the
men leaped for him. The conductor
gained the upper step, and as he turned
to face the men one of them struck
him on the head. His cap saved him
from the force Of the blow, but the top
and visor We're crushed and broken.
Passengers to the Rescue
Before he could recover one of the
men reached for the spot where the
conductors money belt and cash regis
ter should have been, but failing to
find 1t there he seized the conductors
watch chain and hanging to 1t leaped
from the car The conductor In the
meantime had struck one &c the men
and had knocked his hat off. AS the
tall man. who held to the watch chain,
leaped from the rapidly moving car
the watch chain snapped and the rob-