The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-06-02
TWO CARS ARE
HELD Up BY
MASKED THUGS
Highwaymen at Guns Point
Force Crews to Give Up
Nearly $40
TroIleys Robbed at Terminus OF
Kearny Street Line at Bay
and Powell
Footpads Escape With Loot
and Police Are Left With
out CIew

One after the other, in quick sue
eession, two streetcars of the Kearny
street line were held up at their ter
minus at Bay and Powell streets just
after midnight this morning by two
daring and heavily armed men in black
masks, who compelled the car crews,
at the points of revolvers, to turn over
to them nearly $40.
The holdup was the most skillfully
planned and carried out that has oc-
CURED in the city in many day, and
both men worked with an easy daring
and lack of nervousness that charac-
terized them as old hands. Conductor
A. S. Birch and Motorman Frank John
son of car 1905 were the first victims,
and, after they had been allowed to go
on their way. Conductor II. r. Cocker
han and Motorman Con Crowley of car
1886 were relieved of $50 in fares.
-Four blocks from the end of the line
two men boarded car 1906. Both wore
dark coats with the collars turned up
over their faces and one got on at
each platform. They aroused the Curl
osity of the conductor by refusing to
look at him when they paid their fares.
handing the niekels over their shouI-
ders and peering through the windows
to the street, but Birch thought little
of it. At the end of the line he changed
the trolley and the moterman had just
started forward with his controller.
when each saddenly found himself
looking into the muzzle OF a big re-
volver. behind which two desperately.
cool men with black masks We're say
ing. Hands up. please, We're in q
hurry and won't keep you waiting very
long, but don't try anything on us if
you don't want trouble
The man who was covering the con-
ductor took his cash holder and went
through his pockets for about s3S in.
gold and silver, and took a small sum
from the motorman. They also took
the watches OF both. Then taking the
controller bar from the motorman's
hand one of the men threw it into the
street and told him to find it. They
disappeared in twinkling.
When the crew finally started on
their way back at the switch block
down they met car 1885 waiting for
them. The crew was warned and Con-
ductor Cockerhan was just hiding $50
in his pockets when the trolley was sud
denly pulled off and he and his motor
man ordered to throw up their hands.
The operations of the holdup men were
almost Identical as in the first case,
except that they threatened TO shoot
the motorman when he attempted re-
sistance. They also made him search
in the street for his controller.
AS soon as the crew of car 1906 got
to a telephone the police were notified
and at the head of riot squad of 10
men Sergeants Layne and Dowd hur
ried to Bay and Powell streets. But the
robbers had long since gone. and
though they secured the neighborhood
no trace of them was found.
No passengers were in either car.
The descriptions given of the men by
all four carmen are nearly identical.
Both are said to have been about five
feet seven, of medium build, with light
revolyers, dark clothes and slouch hats
and quite we'll dressed. They knew
their business to the most minute de-
tail The police are guarding all roads
af