The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1912-03-22
TWO TRAIN ROBBERS
SLAIN BY MESSENGER
DAVID A. TROUSDALE is HERO OF
SOUTHERN PACIFIC TRAIN
HOLDUP NEAR SANDERSON.
BRAINS ONE AND SHOOTS OTHER
He Catches Bandit Off His Guard in
Express Car and Uses Ma7et.
Gets Robbers Gun and
Kills the Other.

San Amino, TeX.-Aftcr having
knocked out the brains of one train
robber with an ice mallct. David a.
TrOusdale, an express messenger, kill
ed the mans accomplice with the dead
mans gun, and in this manner pre-
vented the l0Oting Of the Southern
Pacific express car and the holdup
of all the passengers on the train.
The attempted holdup occurred be
tween Dryden and Sanderson, in
West Texas, shortly after midnight
Wednesday, and the two dead rob-
bers, both of whom were Americans,
were taken to Sanderson in the eX-
press car they attempted to rob,
Robbers Eoard Engine.
The two train robbers boarded the
engine at Dryden, and when about
two miles out forced the engineer to
stop the train They then uncOupled
the baggage and express car and haul
ed it to a distance Of nearly two
miles. One of the robbers then en-
tered the express car and covered EX-
press Messenger Trousdale with his
revolver, while the other kept the en-
gineer and fireman covered. While
Trousdale was turning the comblna-
ton of the safe he caught the rObber
who had him covered off his guard
and Drained him with an ice mallet.
| The blow killed him almost instantly.
Picking up the dead mans rifle he
awaited developments. The robber
who had the engineer covered be-
came uneasy over the long delay OF
his partner in returning and left the
engine to go to the express car to
investigate.
Takes Off Top Of Head.
When the robber thrust his head
through the door Trousdaie fired, the
bullet taking off the top of the rob
bers head and killing him instantly
Both of the dead men were Ameri
cans. Trousdale is a San Antonio
man and unmarried.
Shortly after the train had left Dry
den Wednesday morning the TIVE
masked men appeared in the engin'
cab and covered the engineer and fire
man with revolvers The enginee
was ordered to run the train over
bridge which was being approached
and then to stop. When the trail
stopped without signal, Conductor +
Erkel of San Antonio sent r. B. Rot
inson, the porter, up to the engine t
find out what was wrong. Roblnso
was covered by the bandits and hel
with the engineer and fireman. Fine
ing that the porter did not return, Ell
KEEL made his way to the front Of tn
|, train and was Immediately taken int
custody with the other three. In tn
meantime one of the robbers had III
coupled the engine and express an
baggage cars from the rest OF tn
train, and at the point of his weapo
had driven the baggage man and e
press messenger up with the other
Train Is Divided.
!, Engineer Grosh was compelled
= run the engine around a curve ava
!, from the rest Of the train. Viii
= one robber held the train crew, Il
other ordered Express Messeng
Trousdale back to the express car
open the safe and deliver all val
- ables.
When Trousdale, in attempting
u jolly the bandit, told him he was n
o getting fighting wages and offered
II assist him in searching the expire
u car, the bandit said: you boys a
. going to have to help us carry tn
= stuff across the river" meaning t
Rio Grande. TrOusdale thereupon
. dicated a small package with his fot
" telling the bandit it was worth mo
Il than all the Stuff he had. Off h
~ guard for an instant, the robber stoc
"A ed to pick up this package, and qul
u as a flash Trousdale felled him.
At Sanderson Sal in cash was fou
U on the body of one of the bandi
'n also three gold rings. This robb
4 wore a gold ring with the initial
" on his left hand. Both men were ar
ed with Mauser rifles. The sp
where the robbery occurred is MOI
famous and unsettled, and abe
n twenty miles from the Mexican b.