Arizona republican., 1910-04-04
HOBO SHOT
 CONDUCTOR 5. 5. StoWeN in Sisters Hos pita| in Critical Condition II HAPPENED AT MESA Shot Followed Ordering of Assailant Off Train. Sup posed Relation Between Incident and Kelvin Sta tion Robbery
II HAPPENED AT MESA

= = StONtll. one oI the pest khONh conductors of the Phoenix and East
 ern. was shot at Mesa yesterday by
 reported to be hobo. The wound
 ed conductor was brought to the
 Sisters hospital and last night was
 in a precarius condition. though hope
 of his recovery was entertained.
 It was al first thought that the
 bullet had not entered the skull but after striking him in the forehead,
 had glanced. making only a flesh
 wound. That theory was based on
 the fact that the hat of the cOndJc- tor. which was taken to the office of the sheriff by Deputy Woclf. who came to town on the train bearing the wounded conductor. had two holes in the front of the brim. about five inches apart.
 But an examination at the hospital showed that the bullet had entered at least an inch. One of the holes in the hat brim can be explained only on the thory that the bullet split, one part glancing
 The conductor retained conscious ness until he arrived at Tempe when he fell into d faint. He was con scious at the hospital last night un- til he fell asleep under the influence of an opate.
 Conductor Stowell was in charge ofs an inbound freight The man who did the shooting got on the train at Webster this side of Florence. He was carrying a bundle. When the train reached Mesa it ran upon a switch to allow the incoming motor car to pass. When it came to a stop the conductor noticed the man in coal ear and ordered him to leave the train. Just then the motor passed and the conductor heard shot and saw Conductor StowelI fall | toward town. pursued by the train l men and several baseball players in | the vicinity. He was brought to i | stop and disarmcd. \ little further l down was the bridge gang, some of | whose members were awaiting him | with revolvers. The weapon with l which the shooting was done was of | thirty eight calbre.
 After his arrest. the man said that | the conductor had struck him. He ! said that when he got on the train | he paid brakeman to let him ride | to Phoenix. and when the conductor | ordered him to leave the train and | he replied that his way was paid. the | conductor struck him. staggering | him.
 That story is denied by the train men. who said that the shot was fired as soon as the conductor ap- preached the car and ordered the man to leave.
 There is a suspicion that the man | is more than a hobo. and that he | may have had something to do with | the robbery of the station at Kelvin | on Saturday night. About si0u was secured. of which $40 was the per sonal cash of II. NJ. Record. the | agent The safe was opened by | knocking of the knob with sledge | hammer. after which the intricacies of the combination were solved with l a chisel.
 There were found in the bundle | carried by the man who shot the con ductor couple of hammers and a tapeline. The fact that he fired with out provocation leads the officers to | believe that he feared that he was , suspected of the robbery.
 It was also stated that there is not another conductor on the line who | is less pugnacious than Conductor Stowell. and that the consideration he shows hoboes is regarded as his one weakness. Conductor Stowell Is about A years of age, married. and has two children.