The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 15, 1896, Page 1

( VOLUE MLXXX._NO. 137. SR LIVES LOST Havoc of Tornadoes on the | Western Coast of Mexico. | FLOODS FOLLOW HIGH WIND. Altata and Neighboring Towns | Destroyed by Gale and Torrent. FOUR VESSELS KNOWN TO HAVE | GONE DOWN. o Bodies of Many Unfortunates Re. | covered From the Ruins of Their Homes. ENSENADA, Lower Caurrorsia, Oct. | 14.—The steamer Orizaba, Captain von Helms, arrived at this port this afternoon from the southern coast a day late. It | was delayed at Mazatlan waiting bul- lion and treasure from the San Jose de Gracia, San Dimas and other mines, which generally ship by wayof Altata. | The Orizaba brings a few particulars of the | terrible calamity that visited Altata and | the neighboring coast on September 17 | and 18. | On the mo; g of the 17th the wind- storm of the Gulf of California, known as the **Cordonazo de San Francisco,’” began | to blow. It increased rapidly in force | during rhe day and tremendous down- pours of rain accompanied the wind. | Back in the mountains the rain fell in tor- | rents, in some es assuming the shape | of a cloudburst. On the coast the wind | had reached the violence of & hurricane by nightfall. | All night long the storm continued, and, after a slight cessation the next morning, began again, sweeping the coast | with fearful intensity until midnight of the 18th, while every creek and riverin the region overflowed its banks and wrought havoc. The Orizaba brings the crew of the Anierican schooner Rebecca, which was wrecked at Redos Island, near Altata. Tihe Mexican schooner Cometa, owned by Pablo Hidalgo, was wrecked at Altata and is a total loss. Captain Gordiviola and two sailors were drowned and the rest were saved by boats from the Rebecca. The schooner Elena, owned by the Altata Rail- road Company, was broken into halves. The great storm swept back from the coast at Altata, destroying the town of Altata, leaving only the jail and the Aranzubia buildings, The customehouse safe, containing $18,000in siiver, was re- covered. The number of lives lost cannot be ascertained, butitis very large. Where the town stood is now a channel with six fathoms of water. The town of Elota is a compiete wreck, | and nineteen lives were lost. Quila and | Tecullo villages were swept away. Eight bodies have been recovered. The railroad between Altata and Culiacan is washed out so that communication is shut off be- tween the capital and the coast. $100,000. GROVE R, T cueveELAND GIVING UNCLE SAM POINTS. LITTLE WILLIE BRYAN—Hello, Uncle Sam. I know}a friend of yours—Mer. Bull—who owns silver mines in Colorado, Montana and Mexico, and he wants you to put your stamp on his bullion. He has a whole lot of it, and says he will buy all your wool at 4 cents a pound if you will stamp his cloth in free. UNCLE SAM—See here, Willie. I've got a sight of silver of my own already stamped. You tell him to stamp his own money and I will take it for what it is worth—same as Mexican dollars. I'm busy now getting ready to start up my mills, and after November will have no wool to give him. The boys in my mintsneed a rest. You go out now and teach your grandmother how to suck eggs. THROUGH ENY | FORCED iDLE NES ©F il Il AL | i il i iy mmmfl g munication was shut off between San Dimas, San Ignacio and Limon, and the San Ignacioand Santa Polonia rivers were running at flood through these towns. The famous Guadalupe de Los Reyes silver mine of Echeguren is under water. Immense damage has been done to ruining property. The mining town of Nuestra Senora was completely wrecked and eight lives were lost. The San Vicente Mining Company’s losses are $50,000. The Escobosa and Dan M. Burns & Co. at S8an Antonio, Pilar and Contra have lost The flume at Zapotito was ‘When the Orizaba left Mazatlan all com- [Continued on Third Page,) ALEXANDER W. TERRELL, United States Minister to Turkey, Who Wil Be Aboard the Bancroft When It Goldea Horn, Sails Into the WILL NOT FORCE * THE DIRDMELLES The Bancroft Goes to the Turkish Capital as'a Dispatch-Boat. President Cleveland Denies That a Warlike Demonstration " Is in Prospect. MAY INVITE AN OPEN INSULT. This Government Determined to Col- lect Damages for the Recent Outrages. WASHINGTON, D. C., Oct. 14.—The little dispatch-boat Bancroft of the United States navy, now about due at Smyrna, heas not been ordered to force the passaze through the Dardanelles with or without foreign aid. This can be ‘stated on 'the direct authority of the President of the TUnited States. There is no doubt that the Bancroft is going to Constantinople just as fast as her steam can carry her, or just as socn as Minister Terrell makes a request upon Admiral Seliridge for her services asa guardboat or dispatch-boat in the same capacity as similar light-draught and light-armored dispatch-boats are placed at the service of other friendly nations. This fact was stated with explicit details in the United Associated Presses’ dispatch from this city on the morning of August 28 last. The Bancroft left Gibraltar in company with the Cincinnati a week ago last Sun- day and should have reached Smyrnaand probably did reach that point yesterda; steaming at the rate of 200 miles per day. 1f the Navy Department has been advised of the arrival at Smyrna it has seen fit to withhold the information. The Bancroft assuredly started for Constantinople. Orders were given to the proper bureau chiefs of the Navy Department to fit her for guard duty in the Golden Horn, and she was so equipped in August and Sep- tember under urgent ten-day orders from Assistant Secretary of the Nayy McAdoo. There is abundant information to- the effect that this Government inténds to collect the Harpoot, Marash and other in- demnities before Congress meets. Na-' tional insult may be invited as a method of last resort—the Corinto incident be- tween Great Britain and Nicaragua being adopted as a precedent—in which event Admiral Selfridge might seize the customs of Smyrna until the proper amount is col- lected, and in the opinion of some promi- nent naval officers here the admiral will employ his fleet for that purpose unless apologies and indemnity are soon forth- coming. Undoubtedly the signatory powers of the treaty of Paris have been informed of the purpose of the United Btate. and have given their consent. Under such circumstances the Porte must of necessity acquiesce. In this connection it may be stated that no confirmation has been received either from Minister Terrell or from any other source of the alleged unofficial declaration of the Turkish Government that it would permit no more guardships to enter the Bosphorus, and considering that nearly ten days have elapsed since this statement was first cabled ‘‘via nofia” its authen- ticity is gravely doubred. The United States is bound to have some answer from Turksy in regard to the destruction of American missions in Har- poot and Marash before the next Presi- detial message goes to Congress. For some time past the necessity of hav- ing a guardship at Minister Terrell’s dis- posal has been a subject of earnest dis- cussion in the Cabinet and frequent con- sultations had been held between the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Navy and the President, at which the views of Minister Terrell, who was ex- ceedingly anxious that a man-of-war be- longing to our Government should be in Turkish waters pending the long dis- turbed condition of affairs in Turkey, was made thoroughly understood and more than a year ago a decision in accordance with Minister Terrell’s wishes in that direction was reached and 'all details of the important service were carefully and advisedly considered. After the declina- tion of Turkey, in January last, to-allow a naval vessel to pass the Bosphorus Min- ister Terrell promised that if the Bancroft should be sent he would find a way to get her in. BISHOP KEANE'S SUCCESSOR. A Priest to Become Rector of the Wash- ington University. NEW YORK, N. Y., Oct. 14—Accord- ing to Bishop Farley, who was seen at the residence of Archbishop Corrigan to-day, it can be semi-officially stated that the successor to Bishop Keane as rector of the Oatholic University at Washington will be a priest and not a bishop. Bishop Far- ley was positive in his assertion. He is one of the board of directors. Bishop Farley also said that at 8 meeting of the directors of the Catholic University, to be held in Washington on the 23d inst., the names of three priests’ would be selected and ‘these sent to ‘Rome, there to be acted upon. He would expressno opinion as to who Bishop Keane’s successor woula THREE ROBBERS BITE THE DUST Tragic Sequel to a Bank Raid at Meeker, Colorado. The Bandits Obtain About $1000, but Fail to Get Away With It ’ HOT FIGHT WITH OITIZERé. Three of the Latter Wounded—Over a Hundred Shots Fired During the Battle. - MEEKER, Cove., Oct. 14.—One of the most desperate battles was fought on the streets of this town to-day between the men who robbed the Bank of Meeker and the citizens, and to-night three robbers lie on cooling-boards in the morgue and three citizens are found to have been wounded by the thieves before the latter bit the dust. The dead are: George Har- r1s, Charles Jones and William Smith. Without doubt it is the mosi daring crime in the history of this section of the country, which for a long time has been the center of storms, of Indian wars and exciting events, and the battle of to-day is the most remarkable. The robbers entered the town from the north, mounted, and proceeded to the bank without any attempt at concealment of themselves. The bank is located in a general store, one of the largest of the trading houses in this section of the coun- try. They stepped quickly into the room, two of them remaining in the center of it while one of them approached the bank window, where the cashier was engaged in conversation with a depositor, and brushing the latter aside thrust a revolver in his face. The man dodged, and the sound of a pistol shot caused the cashier to raise his hands.’ Then the two men in the center of the store commanded everybody to hold upte rhandsor die. Nobody wanted to dje. . Cashier Moulton then opened the doors of the safe'at the point of the revolver, and the contents of the strong box were removed, after which tbe robbers took all ‘| the firearms in the possession of the men | frey. in.the store and left by a rear door, where they had hitched their horses. But the robbers had miscalculated. They forgot the kind of stuff the people of Meeker are made of, and as they stepped through the door it was to find that the building had been surrounded by the townspeople, who were aroused by the shots, and the alternative of surrendering or fighting it out was presented to them. They raised their revolvers and com- menced to- fire immediately. Then com- menced one of the most desperate of bat~ tles. Bullets cut the air, penetrated the buildings and hailed through the crowd. It is a wonder that more ‘men were not killed. But the robbers were surrounded; they had fired the first shot and had to accept the consequences of their folly. The first shot of fhe fusillade was fired at Deputy Sheriff William Clark. The bank officers and those in the store broke for cover. Guns were distributed among them, and the robpers, finding themselves alone, opened fire, shooting at everybody in sight. The people of the town com- menced their work, and in less time than it takes to tell it about 100 shots were fired and three men fell to the ground. The robbers fell defiant and firing Two of them died in an instant, their skulls split, their hearts and their bodies pene- trated by rifle balls. One of the men, who gave his name as Harris, lived for an hour and gave the names of his pals as stated above. The names are undoubtedly as- sumed, but the man who gavehis name as Harris died with the secret of their identity, loyal to the last to his partners in crime. Jones and Harris were literally riddled with bullets, and that Harris lived so long is remarkable. There were perhaps 100 men in the vicinity of the place at the time, but the wounds received were slight. The robbers managed to empty their re- volvers, putting up one of the gamest fights ever recorded in criminal annals. The money, less than $1000, was recov- ered. The men were not known. They were never seen in these parts before. Smith was about 20, and the others about 80. They were magnificent specimens of physical manhood. Where they came from, and what they were previous to coming, 1s a mystery. Charles Jones, the leader, was a typical specimen of a rough frontiersman, and, from his make- up, just the sort of a man who would em- bark in such a daring exploit. The robbery was well planned. The men, by their actions, showed themselves to be old hands at the business, and they would have escaped with the money which they secured had it not beeh for the fact that "they fired the first shot in the bank, thus 1ving the alarm which resulted in their geing cornered and shot to death. Several men were wounded, but so slightly as not to be of consequence. May Use the Eagle Emblem. DENVER, Covo., Oct. 14.—The Supreme Court decided this morning that the Mc- Kinley electors are entitled to the emblem of the Republican ticket, thus overruling the decision of Secretary of State McGai- ONE AN HELD UP THE TRAN Single-Handed and Alone Worked the Uintah Outlaw. Forced Engineer and Fireman to Disguise Themselves as Desperadoes. FAILED TO WRECK THE SAFE, Extent of the Loot Taken From the Through Mail Pouches Is Not Known. SALT LAKE, Uram, Oct. 14.—It ape pears that the holding up of the westbound Union Pacific train No. 3 at Uintah, eight miles east of Ogden at 3:15 o'clock this morning was the work of one man, single handed and alone, who by a clever coup cajoled the passengers and trainmen into the belief that he had ample assistancein the raid that he was making. The outlaw first made his appearance by climbing over the tender into the cab of the engine, peremptorily demanding the fireman and engineer to throw up their hands, saying that he was about 10 rob the train. The robber wasdisguised in such a way as to prevent any possibility of identification, having his head closed ih a sack, with eve holes cut. The men 1mmediately complied with the request of the robber and were forced to disguise themselves as he directed, he furnishing them with flour sacks to pull over their heads. Over their mask they were re« quired to pull down their hats in a man« ner that would indicate to the passengers and others that they, too, were robbers. At this point he compelled the now cap« tive engineer and fireman to uncouple the train, leaving the express and mail car ats tached to the engine. After this was done he personally mounted the engine, leaving the engineer and fireman upon the ground, pulled the throttle and ran part of the train half a mile down the canyon, whera he stopped and began his efforts to blow open the safe. The express messenger and mail clerk in tie meantime remained in their respect ive cars. The robber commanded Express Messenger. McCoy to maintain absolute silence, an injunction which he unwill« ingly but implicitly obeyed. After this the desperado spent an industrious but fruitless thirty minutes in an attempt to bore into and blow open the safe with dy- namite. During the operations of the rob« ber the express messenger sat quietly on _a box near by. After failing to reach the inside of the safe, and seeing that success in that direc« tion was impossible, he abandoned his work and turned his attention to the mail car. He commanded the clerk to throw out the registered packages, and four mail bags were accordingly thrown out. Tak« ing out his knife he proceeded to cut open the bags and rifle them of such matter ag suited his fancy. He secured a number of registered packages, but as to the ex« act number and how much money they contained there is no means of knowing at this time. At this point the robber fine ished his business and escaped. The di~ rection which he took from this point ig not known. The passengers were not molested but were badly frightened, and being led to believe that the track on each side was lined with robbers ready to shoot at the first head that appeared, they kept very quiet during the hour the bold robber wag getting in his work. The four mail pouches overhauled wera through pouches. Three of them were destined for San Francisco and came one from Chicago, one from Omana and the other from Hartford, Conn. The fourth was from Crkicago, going through to Sac ramento. The bandit threw aside the large packages likely to contain merchan- dise and carried off an armful of the smaller ones. He also took the receipts, which makes it more difficult to deter« mine what packages are gone. The only clew to the identity of the robe ber is tne fact that a stranger was noticed in the neighborhood yesterday riding a horse and leading two others. He re- mained around during the day and evens ing and acted in a suspicious manner. It is claimed that he showed great experte ness in handling a train, with which he seemed familiar. To-night it was found that a package containing $25,000 in greenbacks for Wells, Fargo & Co.'s bank in San Fran. cisco was overlooked by the robber, who got hold of it, tore the end open and threw it to one side without examining it sufficiently to become aware of the nature of its contents. Tynan’s Extradition Refused. LONDON, Exg., Oct. 14.—The Governs ment has been officially advised that the extradition of Tynan, the alleged dynae mite conspirator, who was arrested at Boulogne upon a British warrant, has been refused by the Government of France. ——— s NEW TO-DAY. e e i