Imperial Valley press., 1937-04-04

IN THAT cold afternoon Dan Weiner went
~ out alone to make the kill. Merrills sez-
ure had not been allowed to leak. Down Front
street the detectives eye fell upon the athletic
Tracy in his black macknaw. The trademark
of the tall" highwayman described by fright
ened street-car men.
The police detective acted quickly Heading
south on Front he walked SO the bandit must
overtake him from the
Happen to have a match?" he asked
Tracy caught up.
The outlaw quickly looked Wener with
suspicion His hand crept to the macknaw's
side pocket. But it was the match, not the
murder gun, that came out.
Lighting his smoke Weiner fell into step with
Tracy He changed his tone.
Harry" he whispered, I've got message
from the boys. Merrill's pinched, see? Watch
your STEP"
Yeah? What happened?'
Raid see? The bulls got him. Under bed
in the old lady's house. Locked up"
The men swung west on Market. They passed
the home of Mother Merrill
Gold, amt it?" said Weiner
Yeah Awful" the bandit agreed.
Ahead of them on Fourth street the railroad
tracks crossed Market. A Southern Pacific
land was slogging heavily up the Fourth street
grade.
so long, SAID Tracy suddenly, starting OIL
It take this train!'
II guess not!' shouted Weiner. stick 'em
up, Tracy-high!'
Pullman passengers saw an amazing sight
To men, walking together suddenly leaped wide
apart. Two guns blazed bullets whined.
miracle happened Two deadly marksmen, firing
at arms length, missed each other completely.
1t was the first round.
Tracy raced for the locomotive. couple of
Jumps to the cab and the bandit smacked his
gun muzzle into the ribs of the engineer. Be-
lieving it robbery, the old engineman closed
down his throttle.
Don't stop!' Tracy roared in his ear Keep
her a-going-fast!"
The engineer of the southbound limited gun
ned his drivers and the big locomotive began to
pick up speed.
But while the bandit was in the engine cab
things behind were moving fast. When Tracy,
with terrific head start, had jumped onto the
locomotive, Weiner in hot pursuit broke for the
of the long train. Cline, the conductor,
on the back platform of that rear car, knew
nothing of the episode in the engine cab
He glimpsed a gunman, waving his rod
and racing after his train along the track. He
did nothing; except stare classify.
stop her-stop her-STOP Herr roared
Wener
But couple of frightened passengers farther
front took action. They baed out to the station
platform. Then they changed their minds and
scrambled desperately for the rear end of their
Pullman But instead of reaching safety they
took a nose dive and sprawled helplessy on
the ground
Meanwhile the crowd at the depot, seeing two
men fall from a train that was being pursued
by "desperado' waving gun, believed his
bullets had laid them low.
Panic broke out the Southern Pacifc's
train and in it's depot Calls for police were
flashed to headquarters Everyone concerned in
tbotf of he wa IN
except the fierce little Jew who was speeding
after the southern express and making history
that day.
stop that -train-police-offic he yelled.
Suddenly Conductor Cline the light He
yanked the emergency overhead. The driving
wheels of the locomotive far to the front were
swiftly being pulled down to stop. The engi-
neer with a gun in his ribs and fear in his
heart, quickly caught on to what had happened.
He explained to his guest that he had lost con-
troll of his locomotive to an unseen hand far
in the
Tracy snarled out curse, leaped for the pave
nent and sped up the nearest street toward the
center of town Weiner, Portland police detec-
tive now dropped off the train and the heart
breaking race was turned into Harrison street
"A /HEN slowly moving train suddenly
Wv looms up at the very feet Of fleeing
criminal pursued by police 1t sounds like page
from Mother Goose. But yet stranger thing
was Just going to happen up Harrison street
It seems that the day before, Tracy, strolling