Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-19
SHERIFF PRESSING
BANDITS CLOSELY
Southern Pacific Train Robbers
TraiIed to Redwood Can
yon by Posse
PITCHED BATTLE is EXPECTED
Woman Living on Road to Fast
ness Gives Latest CIeW
to HighWaymen
PITCHED BATTLE is EXPECTED
fAssociated Press1


MARTINEZ, Cal. April 1s.-After
two days of searching by armed posses
and tracking by detectives, the two
daring bandits who held up the China
Japan fast mail on the Southern Pa
cific near Benicia late Saturday night
and looted the mail car of nine regis
tered mail pouches, are still at large
and every clew indicates they are still
within twenty miles Of the scene of
the crime.
From the information gathered today
1t is virtually certain they are hiding
tonight In Redwood canyon, fifteen
miles west of here, between this city
and Oaklond. The canyon is a rugged,
narrow gorge, covered In all directions
with thick, low growing trees that Of
fer a splendid screen to the move
ments of the fugitives. The steep walls
are gashed at intervals with outcrop-
ping rocks that yield natural bullet
proof defenses. Should the deputies
locate the men whose trail they are
following in the canyon, a desperate
battle seems certain.
At daybreak today Sheriff Veale Of
this county led his deputies into the
hills again. They covered four roads
between this place and Oakland, but 1t
was late in the day before they found
a trace of the men who had been seen
last. twenty-four hours before, scarce
ly eight miles from this city, from
which the spot where the Overland
mail was robbed can be seen.
At Walnut Creek, a hamlet on the
Redwood canyon road, two strangers,
laden with heavy bag and grimed
with the dust of hard travel, stopped
at the crossroads store of the Crackers
Tobacco company. They had hardly
left the place before a rancher report
ed his horse was missing and the chase
for the bandits was given new start.
> ASK WOMAN FOR OvERALLS
Later it was learned that a woman
living in Deadman's gulch, also on the
Redwood canyon road, had been visited
by two men early today, VINO asked
for old overals. They tailed closely
with the description of the suspected
bandits.
Tonight Sheriff Veale is gathering
his forces closer and closer about Red
wood canyon. His deputies are NOV
ing toward the gorge from several di-
rections. The alarm has spread to
every farmhouse In the isolated valleys
of the section, and the countryside Is
on the alert. Unless the unforeseen oc-
ours and the suspects slip through the
ilIto III biiO
light should find them at bay In the
canyon with no hope Of ultimate escape.
Closer search of the cabin In which
the suspects lived for three weeks and
which lies within a mile of town, re-
yealed today the hiding place OF a
dozen coils of dynamite fuse. two boxes
of giant powder caps and secreted
store of food.
Finger prints were found, also, on a
china cup, used as a shaving mug, and
these will be examined by Frank De-
pue, expert for the state prisons In
reading finger prints.
It was also discovered today that the
men bought ammunition In this city
more than a week ago. Some or the
cartridges fit the revolvers found yes
terday by the side of the boat in which
the robbers reached this shore with
their loot rowing across Suisun bay.
While the man hunters have trailed
the suspects on this side of the bay,
the railroad detectives and postal SER
vice men have devoted their attention
to the Benicia side, going over the
ground at the scene of the holdup In
search of the missing pouches.
1t is expected the pouches were not
carried far, and yet the only trace OF
them was found In the abandoned boat
yesterday-a handful of letters ano
two registry return cards. Nor has any
definite clew to the problematical third
man in the holdup been found, despite
the closest questioning and search.