Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-04-18
CHINA-JAPAN NAIL
HELD UP AND ROBBED

Benicia. Cal. April 1.-THE China
Japan mail No TO- which left San
Francisco for the east az 2 o'clock
Saturday night. was held up by two
masked men at Eprig. two miles east
OF here at 1890 O'Clock this morning
and robbed Of nine pouches OF regis
tered mail. The train carried no eX-
press whatever -Four OF these pouches
have been recovered, but the robbers
rined the others and now are hiding
with their loot In the hills and canyons
between Martinez and Oakland. Sher-
IFS posses from two counties. detec-
tives and postodce inspectors on hors-
rs and automobiles are engaged I'm the
man-hunt. The robbers are well armed
and n battle with them Is expected
The passengers on the train were not
disturbed and several Of them did not
learn Of the hold-up until this morning.
After getting the mail sacks, the rob
beers cut the engine loose from the
train and sent % wild, throttle open,
down the main track 10 the eastward.
OPERATOR PREVENTS COLLISION.
In the direct path OF the engine was
a section OF passenger train No 3.
westbound. heavily laden with passen-
gers But FOR the presence Of mind OF
% telegraph operator at suisun. a seri-
Gus collision would have taken place
The engine was thrown into "a switch
ga the nick Of time
The train robbery Is the first that
has occurred in California for several
years NJ was plotted and executed in
a daring. spectacular fashion. Before
the fast mail had arrived az Benicia.
two men who had left Oakland on am
other train two hours earlier and had
Ieft their train on the Port Costa ferry
boat climbed unobserved on the near
end Of No los locomotive The China
Japan mail had gone less than five
miles from the Bencia landing when
the stowawavs crawled over the oil
tank in the tender and presented re-
.Noivers az the heady of the engineer
aud fireman and ordered them 20 stop
the train and get on the engine.
The engineer and the fireman COM
piled quickly. having nothing TO de-
fend themselves with, except jack
knives Then the robbers. taking tho
engine crew with them went back and
compelled the engineer and fireman
20 get into the mail car, which was IN
charge Of Herbert J. Black. and his
assistant. Thomas clancy.
Throw out the registered mail
pouches" ordered the robbers
Black started 20 toss out newspaper
sacks but the robbers showed their IA
miliarity with the situation by detect
ing NMh NNNN NA NWNfs ANfN threatened
IN kin the clerk unless he gave them
the registered mail az once. Black com
piled The engine GROW then was
forced 10 carry the nine sacks TO the
engine
The engine and mail car were un-
coupled from the coaches filled with
sleeping passengers and run down the
track two miles Here the mail pouches
were thrown out upon the ground. tho
engine was uncoupled, IT'S wild Journey
toward n passenger train coming
westward at Tolentas, 16 miles east,
passing the first 81 this train on a
siding at Cygnus
As the engine passed tho station M
Suisun the operator on duty there mo-
ticed that % was running wild with
no one IN the cab He Immediately re-
norted this fact to tho dlspatcher's Of
fec az Oakland and received instruc-
lions 90 can IN Tolcnas by wire ana
order the men there TO derall the on
coming engine.
Second section train No. 3. west
Mound. had iust arrived at Holenas un-
A0- arrdara - usait thAra har thu China.