Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1894 — BATTLE WITH BANDITS. [ARTICLE]

BATTLE WITH BANDITS.

Three Men Hold Up a Southern Pacific Express In Arizona. The boldest express robbery- ever known in Arizona was committed near Maricopa Monday night. The train held up was the enstbound Southern Pacific, and the desperadoes are believed to have secured $20,050 in gold. The robbers were pursued and in a desperate fight with the Sheriff s posse one robber was shot and another " captured. Two of the bandits who attacked the train were masked and the third, who was a more boy, was not. Tho robber who pre j viously climbed upon the train captured the head-brakeman and compelled him to turn on the air brakes and stop the train. The other bandit covered the engineer, who with the brakeman was compelled to go back to the express car and induce the messenger to open the door. The boy was then shoved into tho car. While he was searching for express treasures the two bandits guarded each side of the train. When the bay came from the car the trainmen, who were under the bandits’ guns, were compelled to march, with the bandits a short distance into the bushes. There the robbers released their prisoners, and, mounting the horses, rode away. Penalty Im De <th. The penalty for robbing trains in Arizona is death. The pos-se, led by Sheriff Murphy of Maricopa found the trail of the robbers at the point where they had crossed the Gila River, seven miles oast of Pho nix. Soon afterward they came upon a camp which the robbers had hastily abandoned. There they found three Winchesters and three horses. Kot long after this they overhauled one of the bandits, whom they called upon to throw up his hands. Instead he turned upon the officers and fired, but a charge of buckshot from the sheriff s gun brought him to the ground. Another was afterward captured, but the third e caped. 1 In the year B. C. 436 there wai a drouth extending all over Eurone. All the crops failed, and whole districts were depopulated. At Rome thousands of people drowned themselves in the Tiber, and a pestilence ensued from the oead holies in the river and on the banks.