b'Bandits continued from page 57Two months later, October 17, 1887, well after dark, an eastbound passenger train was held up near El Paso by two men. The robbers went straight to the express car and blew the door open. Express messenger Smith (a different one, J. Ernest Smith, this time) realized what was happening and had already snuffed out the lamp. He leftEntrance to Colossal Cave in the 1920shis gun on the floor in the doorway and dropped from the car, intending to land on one ofthat robbery, he was sentenced to five years in Yuma the robbers and slug him and then turn back for hisprison. He served only five months there before gun. Instead, he found himself at gunpoint. Whenhe was transferred to the penitentiary in Ohio for the bandits wanted a light in the express car, Smiththe remainder of his sentence. We have no further volunteered to climb in and light it. He put his handsinformation about him.on the car floor, grabbed his gun, and shot one of the169 E Wickenburg Wayrobbers through the heart. The other man who was convicted was J.M. Doc Smart, subsequently pardoned on appeal by no lessWickenburg, AZ 85390The other robber picked up his dead buddy, carriedthan President Benjamin Harrison. 928-684-6123him ahead to the engine, and ordered the fireman toOpen 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. DAILYput him on board. During this confusion, messengerAs to the money, to this day, no one knows how Smith took aim and shot the second robber, whomuch was stolen or what happened to it. Wells Fargo staggered off. He was found dead the next morningwas notoriously tight-lipped about revealing how less than fifty feet away.much was ever lost in any robbery of which they were a victim, no doubt because they feared loss of It turned out that El Paso was the headquarters of aconfidence by their customers. Depending on which gang of train robbers who made their hideout in somerobbery youre talking about, figures ranging from caves near that city, probably those now known as$3,000 to $70,000 missing were published at the time.the Aztec Caves in Franklin Mountain State Park. For that robbery, he was sentenced to five years in YumaGeorge Green said he saw considerable sums being prison. Ultimately, four men were brought to trial passed around among his compadres after the April two were acquitted, two were convicted. robbery. Wells Fargo later said that the amount which messenger Charles Smith hid in the stove was Of the two convicted, George Green of El Paso was$30,000. This gives rise to the question, how much the chief witness regarding the April robbery. Hewas there to begin with? In the August robbery, testified that the two bandits who were killed tryingWells Fargo credited Smith with scattering a heavy to rob the El Paso train were part of the gang whichconsignment of gold throughout the express car, and pulled off both Pantano robberies. And althoughsaid that had mitigated how much was taken.Green (a.k.a. George Wills) said he was not involved in any but the April robbery, there were reports thatAnother tale which may have contributed ton yhe plea-bargained and testified against the othersthe Bandit Legend has to do with three TucsonoT Pin return for being tried for just the one robbery. Forgamblers, Gibson, Murphy, and Moyer, who had aehfeud with another gambler named Levy. One day in 1882, they called Levy out of the Cosmopolitan Saloon and each took2nd Hand Storea shot at him. They high tailed it into the Rincons and hid in Colossal Cave for a while before decamping to the CatalinasWe Collect & Deliver and then the Galliuros. They were capturedYour Merchandiseand put in Pima County jail. Next thing you know, they were reported to have trickedFREE LOCAL DELIVERY AVAILABLEand overpowered their jailer, leaving him662 W. Wickenburg Way tied up and gagged in their cell. They setWickenburgOpen MondaySaturdaysix other prisoners free, and all escaped.thepony2ndhandstore.comMaierhauser Collection Vail Preservation SocietyUltimately, they were recaptured and brought to trial on murder charges. Murphy928-231-2730928-232-2019and Moyer were found guilty, while GibsonWe Carry Quality 2nd Hand was acquitted on the grounds that Levy was& New Merchandisealready dead when Gibsons bullet hit him! Your Home Furniture Supplies StoreThe jailer, George Cooler, within a monthSpecializing in Appliancesof the jailbreak, pled guilty to letting theJane and Peter KibbleBoy Scouts and family prepare to explore prisoners go. George Cooler was a memberpony2ndhandstore@outlook.com Colossal Cave in 1917. of the original exploring party, the one which explored the cave in 1879. ArizonaRealCountry.com November 2021 59'