The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-04-18
Nine Pouches of Registered Mail are Secured
by Bandits Who Make Escape.
PASSENGERS ARE NOT M0LtS1tO IN ANY WAY
Robbers Force Engine Grew Stop Train Enter Mail Car
and Throw Out the Desired Sacks-Engine Is Then
Uncoupled and Thieves Flee, Abandoning
1t to Run Wild---Wreck Averted.

Benicia. Cal. April i7.-The China
Japan mail which left San Francisco
for the east at o'clock Saturday
night, was held up by two masked men
at Sprig, two miles east of here, at
1890 O'Clock this morning and robbed
Of nine pouches of registered mail.
The train carried no express matter.
Four of these pouches have been re-
covered. but the robbers rlfled the
others and are now hiding with their
loot In the hills and canyons between
Martinez and Oakland. Sheriff's
posses from two counties. detectives
and postoffice inspectors on horses and
In automobiles are engaged In the
man-hunt. The robbers are well armed
ana battle is anticipated.
The passengers on the train NNere
not disturbed and several of them did
not learn Of the holdup until this
morning. After getting the mail sacks
the robbers cut the engine loose from
the train and sent II wild. throttle
open. down the main track to the
east.
In the direct path Of the engine was
n section of passenger train No. s.
westbound. heavii, loaded with passen-
gers. But for the presence of mind of
q telegraph operator at Suisun seri-
Gus collision would have taken place.
The engine was thrown into switch
in the nick OF time.
The train robbery Is the first that
has occurred In California for several
years 1t was plotted and executed In
n daring, spectacular fashion. Before
the fast mail had arrived at Benicia,
two men who had left Oakland on an
other train twe hours earlier and had
left their train on the Port Costa
ferry boat, climbed unobserved on the
rear end of No. 1913 locomotive. The
China Japan mail had gone less than
five miles from the Beneca landing
when the stowaways crawed over the
oil tank In the tender and presented
rcvolvers at the heads of the engineer
and fireman and ordered them to stop
the train and get off the engine.
I'VE are not going To hurt you.
said one of the robbers, all we want
Is the treasure box
Comply Quickly.
The engineer and fireman complied
quickly, having nothing 10 defend
themselves with except jack knives.
Then the robbers. taking the engine
crew with them, went back and com
PEELED the engineer and fireman 10
get into the mail car, which was IN
charge of Herbert ]. Black. and his
assistant Thomas clancy. "Throw out
the registered mail pouches" ordered
the robbers. Black started to toss out
newspaper sacks. but the robbers
showed their familiarity with the sit
uation by detecting the ruse at once.
They threatened to kill the clerk un-
less he gave them the registered man
Mt once. Black complied. The engine
crew then was forced to carry the
nine sacks to the engine.
The engine and mail car then were
uncoupied from the coaches filled Win
sleeping passengers and run down the
track two miles. Here the mail pouch-
cs were thrown out upon the srouhu'
the engine was uncoupled. Its throttie
pushed wide open and 1t began us
wild journey toward passenger traih
coming west at Tolenas. 16 miles east
passing the first of this train on a
siding at Sygnus.
Averts Wreck.
AS the engine passed the station at
Suisun the operator on duty there no.
ticed that 1t was running wild, with
no one in the cab He Immediately
4 hn Il tGN fnl a =
office at Oakland and received IN
struetions to call up Tolenas by WIRE
and order them to derail the on-com-
ing engine. Second section of train
No. & westbound had just arrived at
Tolenas under orders to await there
for the a-Japan mail. The switch
was thrown and the runaway engine,
which by this time was pretty wen
relieved of steam, ran Eon "a siding and
smashed into string of box cars. Tl/
operator at Suisun had aperted what
would have been n serious wreck.
In the meantime the robbers were
making their escape across San Pablo
bay, where the Sacramento river
empties into It, The flash of the rob
berry had gone up and down the line
and posses were forming. Just be-
fore fleeing with the sacks of mail
the robbers fired four shots, with the
purpose of frightening off any imme-
date pursuit. Even this did not
waken the passengers, The porter
heard the shots and locked all the
doors to the sleeping cars. The China
Japan mail lay engineless for some
time while an engine was being Sc
cured from sacramento. 1t then was
hurried into Sacramento, arriving at 9
o'clock this morning
A fairly good description of the
bandits was furnished by man on
the Porto Costa ferry boat, who had