Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-25
FORCE CREW
TO STOP JUST
OUTSIDE CITY
JOB CAREFULLY PLANNED BY
PROFESSIONAL "YEGGS"
ENGINEER, FIREMAN AND HEAD
BRAKEMAN ROBBED
EIighwayman Shoots When One Vic
tim NervousIy Moves His Hand
ard Bullet Makes Ugly
Wound

The Cotton local freight train on the
Southern Pacific railroad which leaves
this city each evening at 8:45 o'clock was
held up five milese east of the city ut
9:2O o'clock last night and the engineer,
fireman and head brakeman were robbed
and the fireman shot and wounded.
Two suspects were arrested early this
morning by. Patrolman Connolly. They
alighted from freight train half way
between Pasadena and Los Angeles
The conductor, becoming suspicious,
pointed them out to the officer on Ala
media street. near Aliso.
The men give the names of Louis
Schwand and Thomas Doran. The former
says he is a railway brakeman and Doran
claims to be lneman They declare
they have beaten their way from Doug
las, Ariz.
The holdup was by three men supposed
to be professional yeggmen who had
carefully planned the job. The robberies
were committed at the point Of revolvers
and the engineer was compelled to stop
his train and allow the robbers to escape.
Engineer Ward Haines was robbed of a
gold watch and $40 in cash. Fireman
Matt Brady was robbed of SIS in money
and was shot through the left hand
while he was holding his hands In the cir
at the command of the robber. j. w.
Woodsmauw, the head brakeman of the
train, was robbed of $35 in money and a
gold watch.
The train left Los Angeles on it's reg
ular time last night II charage of Con-
ductor f. c. Erdman and Engineer
Ward Halnes, with the following crew Of
brakemen: ]. w. Woodsmauw, William
Coey and C. C. Bartlett. Matt Brady was
the regular fireman.
Crawl Into Engine
The three men who committed the rob
berry are supposed to have boarded the
train in the local yards. The first
known of their presence was when they
crawled over the top OF the first car
and down onto the tank of the engine.
The engineer and fireman were in their
regular places in the cab and Brake
man Woodsmauw was standing in the
gangway of the engine. The leader of
the three robbers called to him and as
he turned the muzzle of a pistol was
showed into his face. Tell that -------
hoghead to slow up" said one of the
men.
Woodsmauw called to the engineer and
told him to slack up the speed of the
train
BY that time the three robbers had
crowded into the gangway of the engine
and each of them covered one of the
railroad men with revolver. The man
who held up the fireman was armed with
two guns, one in each hand.
"Throw up your hands," was the cry
and each of the men elevated his hands
sgearched their pockets and took what
money they had and their watches. Two
men did the searching while the man
with two revolvers kept them covered.
While Brady was being searched his
left hand wavered for an instant and
dropped an inch or two
Shoots Brakeman
Keep your hands up there, you
yelled the robber and at the
same time fired a shot, the bullet striking
Brady in the palm of the hand and COM
ing out near the base of the little finger
shattering the bones of the hand in its
passage and ieaVlns particles OIL ieao iii
the wound.
When me search by the robbers had
been completed Engineer Haines was
ordered to stop his engine. He shut
off the power and as the big machine
slowed down the three men jumped from
the engine and disappeared in the dark
ness.
Conductor Erdman came forward to
learn why the train had pulled UP and
tound out that the robbery had been
committed He and the two rear and
middle brakeman had not heard The
sound of the shot and knew nothing Of
the holdup.
The train was run rapidly to Dolgeville,
where the engine and caboose were de-
tached and run back to this city with
the wounded fireman
He was taken to the receiving hospital
where his wound was dressed by Doctors
Garrett and Wiley
a description of the robbers was
furnished the police and the entire force
Of detectives and a number of patrolmen
were assigned to the case.