Baxter’s Curve
Clifford R. Merrill was born in 1869. He graduated from Texas A&M College earning a civil engineering degree, and then was employed by Southern Pacific Railroad from 1881 to 1925; he was Division Engineer on nearly every division on the Texas and Louisiana Lines. On November 10, 1919, he became Division Superintendent at El Paso, Texas. He was also a historian who liked collecting and compiling stories from his employees; and some of that information is being shared in this report.
“That will do, that will do, stop the train” said one of the two masked gunman as they both pointed colt revolvers at the engineer’s head. Mr. D. E. Grosh, Locomotive Engineer, did as he was told and quickly applied the brakes to stop his train.
The westbound Galveston Harrisburg San Antonio (GHSA) Railway passenger train #9 departed from San Antonio, Texas at 2:00 PM on March 12, 1912; and had an uneventful trip up to Del Rio, a distance of 170 miles away.
While at Del Rio #9’s train crew picked up a few railcars, adding to their train and then continued on their westward trip. There are numerous curves in this area, an average of one curve per mile, some being very sharp, requiring the train to considerably reduce speed. One of the curves is Baxter’s Curve, named after a locomotive engineer who was killed accidentally in the curve.
At 12:05 AM the following morning the train was near Dryden, TX, about 100 miles west of Del Rio, when they were slowly coming out of Baxter’s curve. At the same time two masked gunmen hopped onto the train forcing it to stop.
The leader of the two robbers was called Frank, a tall and slim man, maybe 6’ 2” tall and weighed about 180 pounds with long stringy red hair and beard; and appeared to be about forty-five years old.
The other robber was called Partner. He was about 5’ 4” and weighed 150 pounds, bald-headed with a black beard; and probably the same age as Frank. Both men wore masks.
Partner stayed on the engine with the engineer and fireman while Frank led Mr. Erkel, the Conductor, towards Wells Fargo’s express car where the U.S. Mail and valuables are kept.
Frank used the butt of his Winchester to knock on the express railcar’s wooden door.
David Andrew Trousdale, Express Messenger, was inside the express car when he heard the knocking and conductor Erkel call his name.
David Trousdale was 6’ tall, weighed about 170 pounds, brown hair with hazel eyes and a mustache. In his 6-year employment with Wells Fargo, this is his first experience with a train robbery.
David opened the door and noticed the masked robber that ordered him out of the car. David jumped to the ground and was quickly searched for weapons by the gunman. David was unarmed.
Frank with rifle in hand instructed Conductor Erkel to disconnect the express car from the rest of the train and to stay with the passengers. Frank, and Trousdale walked up to the engine, boarded and soon traveled west for about a mile before stopping. The two walked back and entered the messenger car.
“Open the safe,” said Frank pointing with his rifle to David. Again, David did as he was told and opened the safe.
“We are not paid fighting wages,” said David Trousdale, while handing the robber the waybills. “There is only two or three of the waybills worth anything to you,” added Trousdale, gaining the thief’s confidence. Frank immediately stopped poking and threatening David. The robber collected less than forty dollars from the safe.
While in the express railcar, Trousdale picked up an ice hammer and hide it inside his coat.
“I’ll go though Uncle Sam’s mail now and search the passengers when we get back to the railcars,” said Frank, as he ripped open a large envelope.
David Trousdale knew that if he had a chance to turn the table on the thief, he had to take it. It wasn’t long before Frank leaned his Winchester against his leg, and with his head down, searched inside a parcel.
David acted quickly; with the ice hammer in his right hand he struck Frank three hard blows to the head. The robber lay dead on the floor of the express car. David took Frank’s rifle and colt revolver. He waited in darkness a few minutes, then David fired a shot from the Winchester into the ceiling of the railcar, hoping to get Partner to come looking for Frank.
It didn’t take Partner long; he stuck his head inside the express railcar and called out to Frank. David Trousdale fired one shot striking Partner just above his left eye. David lifted Partner’s dead body into the railcar.
The engine crew backed the train, coupled to the passenger cars and headed west to Sanderson about twenty-two miles away. They arrived at Sanderson at 5:00 AM, just before sunup on Friday, March 13, 1912. Conductor Erkel notified the sheriff, while the crew unloaded the two bodies, and the guns and explosives that the two train robbers were carrying.
Partner had six sticks of dynamite and a box of blasting caps, while Frank had a pint of nitro glycerin in a side pocket.
The train robbers were, Frank Hobek and Ben Kilpatrick, both from Minnesota. While at Sanderson the two bodies were propped up in a standing position and photographed by the same movie crew that recently filmed the Aviator, Calbraith Perry Rodgers’ first transcontinental airplane flight as they were passing thru.
The passengers of train #9 were thankful and appreciative of David Andrew Trousdale’s brave action for saving their valuables, and possibly their lives. As a result, they presented him with a gold medal. Southern Pacific Railroad gave David $500, while Wells Fargo, David’s employer, gave him $1,000 for his heroic action, far and above the call of duty.
Mr. Merrill spent his last years living with his daughter, Agnes, in Louisiana, where he later died in 1951, at the age of eighty-two; and was buried there in Ruston.
Non-Fiction
William J. Thibodeaux
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