The San Francisco call., 1909-12-27
YEGGMfN CREATE
REIGy OF TERROR
Second Crime in Five Days Puts
interior Countryside in
State of Alarm
Continued from Page 4

iO yiifC oHlCeIS llltl otAuii -
the railroad station, and Barnet ac-
costed him. Telling the suspect to come
into the Office the sheriff started 70
search him for weapons. Quickly the
stranger drew revolver from the
front of his clothes, and leveled the
weapon at his captor
Barnet barely was able to dodge
the shot, and the yeggman broke INTO
run, firing four more shots at the
posse. Barnet emptied an automatic
pistol at the yeggman and Deputy
Brown fired one shot. None could aim
well, for the yeggman ran fast and the
day had not dawned.
Even as he ran, the yeggman staggered,
then recovered his strength and drew
on his overcoat, which he cast away.
He was pursued into an orchard. where
his trail was lost. When Barnet picked
up the garment he found two bullet
there was blood on the yeggman's
tracks. In the coat picket was ticket
tor Oakland from Irvington.
Barnet sent a telegram to his dep
uties and to the police here, which
read:
Watch hospitals, etc, for a man
wounded in shoulder and left thigh
Barnet maintained his guard at Niles,
securing the country roundabout for
Late in the afternoon Marshal Ram
age and Deputy Soares arrested a sus-
pect at Hayward, who was taken to
the county jail for inVesti cation to-
night The man was found in box
car, and his rather nattY attire brought
suspicion upon him. He wore an over
coat and carried good umbrella.
When Ramage asked the man what he
was doing in the boxcar, the suspect
answered that he had come from San
Jose in that manner
At the county Jail the prisoner gave
his name as Oscar O'Connor and said
he had just finished sentence at San
Jose in the county jail. which was the
reason why he had "beaten' his way
out of that city. He gave his age as
~, several years younger than the
estimate Deputy Sheriff Mattos made of
the man he trailed to Hayward. Mat
tos said also that the yeggman had a
scar on the left side of his face, but
no such mark was noticeable on O'Con-
nors visage.
The attempt to blow the railroad safe
at Alvarado was made after midni ght
this morning. Evidently experienced
men in their work. the yeggmen had
chosen the hour least likely to disturb
ance
A train which they had not expected
pulled into the station and the cracks
men took alarm. They ran out of the
building and We're seen by the train
crew, who gave the alarm which
brought on the thrilling man hunt
through the length of Alameda county.
When the railroadmen went into the
station they found the burglars had
everything prepared to break open the
strong box. The lock had been drilled
and the blast of nftroglycerin was ready
for ignition. The unexpected train had
arrived just in time to save the railroad
company from loss at the robbers
hands.
Coming only FIVE days after. the
cracking and robbing of the postoff1ce
at Niles, last nights episode has thrown
the lower end of the county into state
of terror.
In Niles especially is the countryside
alarmed, for Sheriff Barnet's close at
hand duel with one of the yeggmen was
fought right in the town and the fusil-
lade of shots at SIS o'clock in the
morning awakened the inhabitants Re-
ports spread rapidly through the county
that Sheriff Barnet had been wounded.
The Southern Pacific detective force
put forth vigorous efforts promptly to
run the cracksmen to bay. Trains leav-
ing Niles at o'clock, soon after the
sheriff's duel, were met at all sta tions
by railroad officers. In pairs these
guards patrolled the whole trackage
from Hayward to Decoto, thence to
Niles.
The skill shown by the yeggmen in
their two jobs within FIVE days
has convinced the officers that
much wanted crooks are operat-
ing in the way stations and in
terror towns of this county. Several
weeks ago Oakland was rendezvous
for the advance men of the gang. These
H. ,-fx0
gars, and the sudden appearance of sew
eral of the latter class in Oakland
alarmed the local detectives. The
mendicants were forced to leave town
before any attempts were made here
on safes.
Nothing more was heard of the or
ganized gang until last Tuesday. when
the Niles postofiice was robbed The
yeggmen got $500 out of the place, and
the authorities believe it was the same
trio which operated last night.
Nobody heard the dynamite explosion
which wrecked the Niles postoffice.
The cracksmen had piled mail bags
over the safe, so that the detonation
would be deadened. In the morning
Mrs. M f. Chalmers, the postmistress,
discovered the crime and warned the
sheriff and the postoffice inspectors.
She lives about 100 feet from the of
fee, and under the hedge of her home
were found the torn envelopes from
which registered mail had been taken.
Until the attempt at Alvarado last
night the detectives and deputies had
absolutely no trace of the culprits.
Sheriff Barnet returned to Oakland
tonight after being on the trail all
day He left Deputy Wales and Con-
stables Vandervoort and Joe Roderick
at Niles to scour the creek and sur
rounding country for the wounded
yeggman.
The man was wounded so badly"
said the sheriff. that two doctors told
me he could not have gone far. He
got through Mrs. Chalmers garden into
the creek, for he was fleet runner.
before we could get up with him, and.
though we hunted all through the
creek, we could not find him. There
are so many places he could hide that
further search may not bring results.
But the fellow must either die or seek
a doctor, and we will get him even
tually.
The yeggman was good looking,
we'll dressed and young. When / first
stopped him he said he was from San
Jose and had been on a spree. | had
found him in the tation at Niles buy
ing a ticket to Oakland. While was
talking to him he jumped away from
me and pulled his revolver out of his
breast and shot. was looking out for