The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-19
SENSATIONAL HoLD-UP
Masked Men Rob a Train in
California.

Benicia, Cal, April 1.-the China
Japan mail train. which left San
Francisco over the Southern Pacific
Railroad for the East at 8 o'clock
Saturday night, was held up by two
masked men at Sprig, two miles east
of here and robbed OF nine pouches
OF registered mail.
Four of the pouches have been re.
covered, but the robbres rifed the
others and are now hiding In the
hills between Martinez and Oakland.
sherlffs' posses rom two counties,
detectives and Post Office Inspectors
on horses and In automobiles are
engaged in the man hunt. The rob
bers we're well armed, and a battle ia
expected.
The passengers on the train were
not disturbed. and several of them
did not learn of the robbery until
morning.
After getting the mail sacks the
robbers cut the engine loose from the
train and sent It wild throttle open,
down the main track to the east. In
the direct path OF the engine was
section OF passenger train No. .,
westbound, heavily loaded. But for
the presence of mind of a telegraph
operator at Suison a collision would
have taken place The engine was
thrown into a ditch in the nick OF
time
The train robbery is the first in
California in several years. II was
plotted and executed In spectacular
fashion. Before the fast mail arriv-
ed at Benicia, two men who had left
Oakland on another train two hours
earlier and had left their train on the
Porto Costa Ferry. climbed on the
rear end OF the fast ma locomotive
The train had gone les than ten
miles from Benicia when til stowa.
ways crawled over the oil tax OF
tender and pointed revolvers at the
heads OF the engineer and fireman
ordering them to stop the engine and
get of.
1--WE are not going to hurt YOU,
one Of the robbers said" All We want
is the treasure box"
The engineer and fireman quickly
complied. Then the robbers com
PEELED the engineer and fireman &c
get into the mail car. which was IL
charge Of Herbert ]. Black and his
assistant. Thomas A. Clancy.
Throw out the registered mai
pouches" the robbers ordered
Black started to toss out the news
paper sacks. but the robbers detected
the ruse at once. They threatened
10 kill the clerk unless he gave then
the registered mail. Black complied
The engine crew was then forced e
carry the nine sacks to the engine
The engine and mail car was un
coupled from the coaches filled will
sleeping passengers and run dow
the track two miles. Here the mai
pouches were thrown out. the engin'
uncoupled. and It's throttle was push
ed wide open. The engine dashe'
forward on is wild Journey toward
passenger train coming westward &
Tolenas. sixteen miles east, passinl
the first section on a siding at cyI
nus.
As the engine passed the station a
sulsun the operator saw Il was run
ming wild.He Immediately reported I
the dispaicher's Office az Oakland
and received instructions TO call tt
lenas and instruct them to derail tn
oncoming engine. Second section q
Train s. westbound. has Just arrive
= at Tolenas. under orders to wal
there for the ChinaJapan mail. Tn
b switch was thrown and the runawa
. engine. by this time pretty well n
, lieved Of steam, ran on a siding an
. smashed into a string Of box cars.
! In the meantime the robbers wer
making their escape across San Pal
, 10 Bay. into which the Sacrament
River empties. The news Of the rol
berry had gone up and down the lint