Arizona republican., 1921-12-07
FIRST ROBBERY AND FIRST ESCAPE OF
 ROY GARDNER TOLD

Hon. Lucius R. Barrow, postmaster l st san Diego. a position which he has held for nearly five years, but | which he relinquishes today. ar | rived in the city yesterday as a wit 1 seSs for the defense in the case of l Roy Gardner
 IL was in April. 1920, that Gardner | held up a mail wagon one morning l almost in the shadow of the post ! office building at San Diego, and it l was for that offense that he was i convicted and sentenced to 25 years in federal penitentiary. And 1t was while he was being taken there that he made the first of the series of spectacular escapes in which his fame as a criminal rests. It was the be- lief of Mir Barrow at the time of his trial that Gardner was unbal- znced-
 Mir. Barrow was formerly engaged in the printing trade and was at one time foreman of The Republicans composing room. He also served term in the territorial legislature as a member of the assembly from Yav- apsi county
 He left here 13 years ago and went te San Diego. where he was foreman ur the Union and the Tribune He took an active part in Democratic politics and received his reward when the Democratic administration came in in 1913.
 Mir. Barrow has now accepted a position with the Missouri State Life Insurance society, with headquar- tcrs in san Diego. at a salary of SS-o2e a year and office expenses.
 Speaking of the mail robbery at san Diego, he said that his attention had been called to a man who had for some days been hanging about the lobby of the postoffice. standing at one of the writing desks or roam ing about He reached the conclu- sion that the stranger was a nut" But that was Gardner. who was watching the deposit of registered mail.
 His preparations for the coup were elaborate, more so than seemed nee essay. He rented three rooms in the vicinity of the postoffice, in a dis trict inhabited mostly be negroes. He bought si.50 worth of burnt cork and grease with which he disguised himself He had carefully studied the movements of the mail wagons and the geography of that vicinity.
 Early one morning Gardner held up the driver and compelled him to drive the wagon a short distance away, where the bandit leisurely went through the sacks, selected what he wanted and put the other matter into a suitcase. Later he deposited that case bearing his name within 80 yards of the police station.
 The driver believed the robbers to he a negro and that belief was strengthened by the fact that the last the driver saw of him he was going in the direction of the negro settle ment- The officers a few minutes later. while searching in that vicin- ity. passed a room which was lighted, and that fact made them pass it, it being inconceivable that the robber would be found in a lighted room. But Gardner was there trying to wash the grease paint off. He was arrested at Delmar a short time af- terward on a suspicion that he was insane.
 The robbery netted him very little. Most of the loot consisted of non- negotiable paper. At that time Gard ner had $500 in one of the San Diego banks. and the Union Iron works of Los Angeles owed him s2700. Mrs. Gardner came down from San Fran cisco. The money in the bank was turned over to her, and out of it she performed an act of charity.
 Among the registered mail se- cured by Gardner was a letter con- taining S200 which poor woman of san Diego was sending to her sick husband at Calexico. This was re- covered. but it could not be returned 10 the sender until after it had been released by the court Mrs. Gardner made the amount good out of the funds of her husband which had been turned over to her.
 It was the general impression, said MT. Barrow, that Gardner was in sane. and a commission was named for investigation, but Gardner re fused 10 be examined and the matter was not pressed.
 The story of his escape was alsc told by MT. Barrow. He said thai before leaving Los Angeles, Gardner asked Deputy L. s. Marshal Cava' Raugh to telegraph his wife to mee him at Sacramento. The office promised to do so. When Mrs. Gard ner did not come, Cavanaugh rathe cold -bloodedly told Gardner that h. had not sent the telegram
 From that time Gardner was sul len and planned his escape. He, witt other prisoners, guarded by two dep uties, were travelling in stateroon Gardner snatched a gun from one o the guards and held both of then up The guards were bound, Gard ner attended to the binding of Cava naugh himself. He tied him to
 radiator with his arms behind hin He thrust the muzzle of the revolve into his mouth. threatening to let go off. He beat him about the hea and stomach. knocked out several c his teeth. He derived so much sat isfaction from this performance tha he kept it up for more than an houl
 And at last, as he was climbin out of the window. he stopped Ion enough to deliver Cavanaugh a part ing kick in the face.