Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-05-12
BABIES S|CKEN|NG
|. FROM KEEN HUNGER
DRIVES MAN TO ROB
James 5. Hogue, Former Rail-
road Man, Stops S.P.
Train in Tunnel
SHOT TWICE in HEAD
AND ONCE IN HAND
Blinded by Blood, He Sent Fl
nal Bullet Crashing Into
His Own Jaw

San Francisco, May 49," Inability
to secure employment and the knowl
edge that my wife and babies were
siekening from hunger drove me to this
thing
This was the declaration here today
Of James s. Hogue, former railroad nah,
who is recovering from a bulletshat-
tered jaw, self inflicted, after failing in
bold attempt last night to rob the
passengers of the Southern Pacific s
"coaster" train at the mouth of tun-
mel near South San Francisco.
Hogue halted the train by manipulat-
ing the block signal system in use on
the Southern Pacific line and the man
ner in which he brought the train to a
standstill just inside the tunnel con
vinced local railroad officials that the
injured man is o practical railroad man,
Hogue climbed aboard the observation
car and had robbed several passengers
before two railroad detectives, Willis
Garbe and G.. Cotourri, were aware of
his presence. They Immediately began
shooting and after Hogue had been
twice wounded-once with bullet
through his head and twice by bullets
through his hand--he was knocked down
by an ice pick welded by Albert Rem
dree, a cook. The highwayman, dazed
and blinded by blood, raised himself on
one arm and sent the last remaining
bullet in his revolver crashing into his
jaw.
Sorry He Did Not Die.
"I am sorry, said Hogue today,
''that the bullet failed to reach vital
spot. My wife and babies will be worse
off than ever now. They are destitute
and necessity drove me to this crime.
"My wife had been worrying over
our plight for days and when we had
spent our last nickle made up my mind
it was time for me to be up and doing.
have tramped all over San Francisco
in an effort to get work. Then | de-
cded to turn bandit and get the neees.
stiles of life for my family. ! fell
down on the job and | hope | die"
Mrs. Hogue was stunned when the
news of her husbands plight was brok-
en- to her by a newspaper man.
"Why, it cannot be true,' she said.
"Jim was the best husband in tine
world. He couldn u leave my two little
children and me to starve. We are des.
titute and he would not do anything
like this when he knows we depend on
him wholly.
Will Stick TO Husband.
eff jim has gotten in trouble it is
not wholly his fault. He could not bear
to see us in want and when he kissed
us goodbye yesterday morning he said
he would come back with enough money
to put us ON our feet. Jim may be
guilty but I'm going to stick by him
to the last because / know that If he did
attempt to hold up that train, it was
done to get money for the babies and
myself
Hogue was formerly employed by the
Santa Fee railroad and at one time was
coroner and justice of the peace at Ash
Forks, Arizona.
Later in the day Hogue explained
that he was discharged by the Santa
Fe because he had reached the age
1 limit.
II am too old to work for rail
road auy mLre," he said. "I am AZ
years old and man s use to railroad
is over when he is As. All my life
/ have been railroad man and l am
not fitted fer any other kind of work.
The old saying that you cannot teach
an old dog new tricks is true. / start
ed to work in 1884, when l was 1s
years old, and 1 have been working
ever since. But now the railroad says
am too old to work.