Arizona weekly miner., 1875-09-03
INCIDENTS or THE CHASE AFTER
 POSTMASTER GILES

where McCool did all the talking and intro duced himself as MT. Prichard, of San Fran cisco, and said he was hurrying home in an. swer to telegram that had announced buei- ness of importance for him there. At an- other station be told them his name was Will Hams. Giles kept his name until he crossed the Colorado river, at Stones Ferry, where he became Judge James, and McCool was MT. Wilson.
 By these names they hadintroduced them selves to Mr. and Mrs. Jennings at St. Thom- as, where they were arrested, and the officers i represent an amusing scene when the mask was pulled of and they stood forth in their real characters. Mr. Wilson had been talk ing largely of his mining interests and refer ring to Judge James for proof, until Col Ike and those about him had begun to conclude they were entertaining guests of great wealth and unusual calibre, whose presence in that secluded country was at least in- dicative of an awakening interest in South eastern Nevada affairs by men of capital. | When the officers arrived, took the pre- cious pair in charge and revealed their true names and standing was when the amuse- ment began. Giles had nothing to say, but McCool, who had drank less and had more 1 life in him, felt embarrassed and called upon to apologize for the sudden change in affairs. ! He assured the bystanders that he was en- tirely innocent that he had been overtaken on the road by Mr. Giles who was tired of riding horseback, and had taken him into the buggy without the least suspicion of any, thing wrong; in fact it was part of his na- ture to be accommodating, and he hoped the 1 people of St. Thomas would not censure him for being found in such company, but that | they would see and underst and that it was purely accidental, etc. Just then Mrs. Jen- nings came out and he almost went on his knees to her, begging her pardon for the awkward position in which he appeared be- fore her for the moment, but assuring her that he was gentleman and she would find him to be so in tho future, in fact he should make it his business to convince all present that this was simply conchatenation of un- 1 fortuitous circumstances which were suscep- tible of explanation in manner that would entirely exculpate him from any dishonora- | ble intention in the matter A noticeable feature, however, in his harrangue was that he never once alluded to his having intro- duced himself as Wilson and Giles as Judge James, and now answered to the name of Meehan and acknowledged that he knew Giles in Prescott.
 Another incident worthy of notice is that they had rightly estimated the ferryman at Stones Ferry, and confided to him some thing of the nature of their mission at any rate the officers found it necessary to put the ferryman under arres:, under the belief that he intended to convey word to the fugitives of their approach. Their suspicious were aroused by his own conversation and actions. In the first place, he claimed to know trail that would take him to St. Thomas two l hours in advance of any one who was unac- quainted with the lay of the land. He also avowed his sympathy with the weaker party in all cases, and hinted that he could make Sl00 by riding to St. Thomas that night. The officers paid but little attention to his talk, however, and spread their blan- kers for nights rest when, after they had lain down, Mr. ferryman went out and sad died up his horse as if pr"paring for nights ride. This was little too much, and they concluded to end the farce by arresting him, which they did, and putting him in the hands of an immigrant, took his saddled horse, leaving one of their own winch was tired, and rode him to St. Thomas and back. l Still another incident, was the finding, on the person of Mechan, alias McCool: a thou sand dollar greenhack, which Giles says he stole out of his pocket while they were rid ing along in the buggy. Giles says he went to sleep with the greenback and a key in his ! coat pocket, and when he awoke the key was 1 lying on the bottom of the buggy be pick ed it up and felt for the money and it was gone he communicated the fact to McCool who pretended to think it had worked out and been blown away in the wind, and to prove his interest in the loss took Giles horse, which they were leading, and rode back some miles, returning with an avowal that it was not on the road, as he could not find it. Here they met man coming to 1 Prescott, and told him of the loss, and he insisted on their coming back with him as be didn't like to be the first to go over the road where money had been lost, but McCool said that his business was so urgent in San Francisco that he couldn't spend any more time in looking for Sl 900. Giles con- ment on this episode, after they had search ed McCool and taken the identical bill from him was. that he had often heard 1t said there was honor among thieves, bSt that theory was now exploded with him.