THE SECOND PAPAGO TRAIN ROBBERY

Southern Pacific Railroad — August 10, 1887

Less than four months after a Southern Pacific passenger train was robbed near Papago Station, another westbound train entered the same railroad corridor on the night of August 10, 1887.

The westbound passenger train had left Pantano on schedule. According to contemporary reporting, the hold-up occurred about six miles east of Papago.

The robbers again used a red warning light. This time the engineer continued forward.

Torpedoes on the Track

Two railroad torpedoes placed on the track exploded as the locomotive advanced. The robbers then opened fire on the engineer and fireman.

An obstruction had also been placed on the track. The locomotive struck it and overturned, injuring both railroad men.

The immediate newspaper account is clear on the basic sequence: a red light was displayed, the train continued, two torpedoes exploded, gunfire followed, and the engine struck an obstruction and overturned.

The Express and Mail Cars

The robbers then turned to the express car.

The messenger was Charles F. Smith, the Wells, Fargo & Company messenger who had also been aboard during the April robbery near Papago.

According to the contemporary account, the robbers knocked Smith down with a six-shooter and took the valuables they could find, with the reported exception of Mexican money.

They also attacked the mail car. The newspaper reported that its door was blown open and the car robbed.

Later retellings add details to Smith’s confrontation with the robbers. Those details are not included here unless supported by the contemporary reports used for this account.

Four Men Reported

The first report put the number of robbers at four.

It also contained an unusual detail: the men reportedly asked for Conductor Gillespie. Gillespie was nearby but did not respond.

The account further stated that Gillespie and G. W. Wolf were attempting to determine whether they could recognize members of the gang.

Brakeman Zabriskie was fired upon when he attempted to get down from the train.

Despite the derailment, gunfire and robbery of the express and mail cars, the passengers were not robbed. The contemporary report stated simply that no passengers were molested.

The Robbers Head North

After leaving the train, the robbers headed north.

News of the hold-up was received at about two o’clock the following morning. Drs. Handy and Adler accompanied a posse that went out on a special train at approximately four o’clock.

The search soon moved away from the railroad and toward the country around Mountain Springs.

Following the Trail

A subsequent contemporary account described Charles Kresham and E. W. Smith returning from the pursuit after accompanying the sheriff’s posse.

Kresham had been injured when his horse fell on a mountainside near Mountain Springs. He was thrown hard enough to injure his shoulder and back and could not continue. Smith remained with the pursuing party.

The sheriff’s posse continued on the robbers’ trail. The tracks led rapidly toward Mountain Springs and eventually to a point reported to be about twelve miles from La Cienega.

A Camp in the Rocks

There, the searchers found evidence that the fugitives had recently occupied a cave.

The newspaper described the cave as roughly thirty feet above the surrounding ground, reached through an opening in a rocky bluff. Inside were blankets and cooking equipment. Coals from a recent fire remained, along with evidence that breakfast had recently been prepared.

Tracks leading away from the cave were also found.

The evidence indicated that the cave had served as at least a temporary camp or rendezvous. By the time the posse arrived, however, the men were gone.

From Stone to Stone

The rocky terrain complicated the pursuit.

According to the newspaper, the fugitives divided and traveled along opposite sides of the trail. In places they apparently moved from stone to stone, reducing the tracks available to the men following them.

The search party nevertheless continued toward Pantano. Late in the day the pursuers reached that area and stopped for the night. The search resumed the following morning.

The Search Expands

The pursuit grew beyond the original sheriff’s party.

Detective Len Harris joined the search, along with two Yuma Indian trackers. The newspaper described sheriffs, detectives, Mexican trackers and Yuma Indians as being on the trail.

United States cavalry was also reported at Mountain Springs.

Searchers concentrated on the rugged country and caves around Mountain Springs. One cave was watched because authorities believed the robbers might be hiding there. The contemporary report described it as containing numerous passages and openings and considered it well suited as a hiding place.

Despite the widening search, the robbers had not been captured when the report was published.

How Many Robbers?

Even during the pursuit, there was uncertainty over how many men had actually participated.

The first account reported four robbers. Later observations caused some members of the pursuing party to question that number.

Kresham reportedly believed only two men may have taken part in the hold-up, based partly on the tracks found during the pursuit. Other reports continued to describe a larger group.

The immediate evidence did not resolve the discrepancy, so the number of robbers is best treated as uncertain.

Six Miles East of Papago

The contemporary account gives a useful geographic reference for the second robbery: the hold-up was reported about six miles east of Papago.

Papago Station, later known as Esmond Station, was therefore a reference point rather than the actual robbery site.

This placed the attack along the Southern Pacific corridor between Papago and Pantano. After leaving the train, the robbers were reported heading north, and the pursuit subsequently moved toward Mountain Springs and the surrounding rugged country.

No Immediate Capture

For days, search parties followed tracks and other signs left by the fugitives.

They found a recently occupied camp, remains of a fire and a prepared meal. Sheriffs, detectives, trackers and cavalry were involved in the effort.

What they did not have was an immediate capture.

Whether the men responsible for the August robbery were also responsible for the April attack near Papago became part of the investigation that followed. The later identification, arrests and court proceedings are separate from what was established during the immediate pursuit.

Research Notes

The principal details in this account come from contemporary Arizona newspaper reports of the August 10, 1887 robbery and the pursuit immediately afterward.

The initial report places the robbery six miles east of Papago and records the red warning light, railroad torpedoes, obstruction, overturned locomotive, injuries to the engineer and fireman, attack on Express Messenger Charles F. Smith, robbery of the mail car, four reported robbers, gunfire directed at Brakeman Zabriskie and the fact that passengers were not molested.

A subsequent report documents the pursuit toward Mountain Springs, the cave used as a temporary camp, blankets and cooking equipment, remains of a recent fire and breakfast, efforts to avoid leaving tracks, and the participation of sheriffs, detectives, Mexican trackers, Yuma Indian trackers and United States cavalry.

Later accounts add details concerning the identities of the robbers and the specific cave associated with the pursuit. Those claims should be evaluated against contemporary records before being presented as established facts.