Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-28
TRAIN ROBBERS
BAFFLE PURSUERS
Bandits Who Held UP Oregon
Short Line Coaches EVade
Many Posses
EXPRESS co. LOSS IS SLIGHT
Officials Unable to Ascertain the
Amounts SeCured-Men Evil
IDENTITY Old Hands at Game
ASSOCIATED Pressl

OGDEN, Utah, June 27.-The three
bandits who held up and robbed the
Oregon Short Line passenger train
within the city limits of Ogden early
this morning are still at large, with
posses headed by the sheriffs of three
counties and the special officers of all
the Hartman lines following what is
believed to be their trail.
All the information that the officers
possess at present is that the bandits
are headed toward Nevada, along the
line of the Southern Pacific, west of
ogden. All,roads, trails and the rail-
road are guarded by possemen. Rail-
road telegraphers at the stations on
the line of the Southern Pacific and
the Oregon Short Line have been in
structed to keep close watch for the
robbers and advise division officials
at this point If they are seen.
The officials of the American EX-
press company announced today that
the robbers secured less than $500.
The express officials are of the opinion
that the robbers had intended to hold
up the first section, which carried
many valuable packages.
The robbers drove to the scene of
the holdup in a rubber tired vehicle
with which they made their escape to
the west. A farmer in a field near
Statewide, fifteen miles west of Og-
den, saw the three men driving furi-
ously toward the cutoff of the South
ern Pacific company across Great Salt
Lake at 4 o'clock this morning. The
officers are following this clew at
present.
AMOUNT NOT KNOWN
The exact amount the robbers OBJ
tanned has not been ascertained.
When the train stopped the head
brakeman went forward to ascertain
the cause Of the delay and was struck
over the head with a revolver by
one of the robbers. He was then forced
at the point Of gun to the express
car and compelled to call to the mes
senger to open the door. AS soon as
the door was opened one robber went
in and commanded the messenger to
open the safe. After rif1ing the safe
the robbers turned their attention to
the coaches. AS they started for the
coaches the rear brakeman, N. B.
Franklin, was met as he was on his
way forward. The bandits commanded
him to halt, but he continued and
two shots were fired at him.
With daring equal to any robbery
ever pulled off by the famous Jesse
James gang, the robbers went through
each coach with a deliberation and
calmness that showed they were not
novices at the game.
BRAKEMAN CALLS DEPUTY
After one of the men had struck
Brakeman Franklin to the ground
the railroad man rolled into a ditch
where he feigned unconsciousness. At
ter seeing that he was not watched he
jumped up and ran three blocks to the
home of Deputy Sheriff John Hutch
ins, whom he aroused and informed
of the robbery. The deputy hurried tC
the scene, arriving there just as the
train pulled out for the north.
Conductor H. L. Williams was one
of the first to leave the train. He
was covered by one of the robbers and
ordered back into the coach. While
one of the desperadoes stood guard
over Engineer Kirkwood, the day
coach, sleeper and two chair cars were
entered by the two other robbers with
revolvers drawn and each passenger
ordered to hand over his valuables
One woman, Mrs. J. H. Ball, was re-
lieved of pair of diamond earrings
which were ruthlessly torn from hel
ears by the robbers.
Brakeman Franklin and a foreigner
whose name was not learned were the
only ones assaulted. The foreigner
| did not understand what was going or
| and was brutally beaten with the butt
of q revolver.
After the train had been robbed the
desperadoes assembled and firing a fu-
| sillade of shots in the air to terror,
ize the passengers, got into their buggy
and drove furiously away