The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-09-13
THE RIGHT

An organized baud of outlaws has
for several months past threatened the
Union Pacific railroad In the western
part of this territory. Several attempts
have been made recently to ditch pas
senger trains, and when foiled in one
Of these raids, u few days since, and
pursued by a sherifi's posse, the outlaws
decoyed the officers OF the law to the
mountains and riddled them with bull
lets. The railroad officials have EN-
ployed detectives who nave been on the
alert day and night; armed guards have
been placed on all passenger trains
while passing through the dangerous
region, and up to the present time all
accidents have been prevented through
the care and watchfulness for the rail-
road officials and employees. Reliable
reports from their detectives have,
however, reached General Superintend-
ent Clark at Omaha that q determined
effort is about to be made by a large
body Of men to capture a passenger
train, either neal Elk mountain, or at
a point a few miles east of Green
River; and IN Tuesday last MI. Clark
telegraphed to Gov Hoyt and also to
Mr.. Jay Gould, who is in Washington,
requesting these gentlemen to appeal
to the President for military and in
suppressing the criminals, and Yin pro-
tecting the U. s. malls and the prop
erty of the company.
Gov. Hoyt, with his usual energy
and promptness, at once put himself
in communication with the President,
through the war-ofice at Washington,
urgently requesting immediate action
on the part Of the government, so far
as the law conferred the power on its
executive officers. Yesterday Coy.
Hoyt received in reply the following
telegram:
WASHINGTON, Sept. II.
Hon. John W. Hoyf, Gorernor:
Yous telegram will be sent to Gen.
Sheridan with instructions to give such
protection to the mails as means at his
disposal will permit.
Z. NJ. LAwToN,
For Secretary Of War.
This is a proper beginning; but we
trust that the law officers of the govern
ment may yet Sc interpret the recent
act of congress, as to permit the use Of
the U. s. army, in the detection, cap
ture and suppression of the outlaws,
who have and at present do defy the
county, territorial and national author
tiles. Something more than the ''pro-
lection Of the mails" is needed to rid
us of these highway robbers and road
agents. Soldiers have for years trav-
eled o. the Black Hills coaches, and
soldiers may bs put aboard railroad
trims to protect the U. s. mails, but
they, liks their fellow-passengers, the
civilians, WI simply ''hold up their
hands" wnile robbers Ego through''
stage coaches and railway trains. Sol
diers have passed through this expe-
rience often while protecting U. $.
mails on the Black Hills route; but the
protection" did not protect anybody
or anything.
What Is needed, and what our off,
cials should urge upon the government,
is the making of an organized effort to
trail the robbers to their dens, and to
exterminate them from the face of the
earth. A little show Of military pro-
lection may possibly drive the road
agents from n highway or mail route
to another; but will not effectually stop
their depredations. They should be
hunted down, and this can only be done
by proper military cooperation with
the civil agents Of the government, who
a few days ago suggested u plan Of ope-
ration to the postmaster general,
and appealed to that gentleman to re-
quest the secretary of war to furnish a
company of cavalry for escort duty.
D~esperadoes like those who have
banded together for robbery along the
Union Pacific railroad and the Black
Hills stage roads, cannot be detected
and captured by kilograms, proclama-
tions or threats of protection of the
U. s. mails" A war of determination
should be waged against them until
the last robber is laid low; and the
United States army can not be employed
to a better purpose than 10 aid the civil
authorities in an offensive campaign
against the outlaws, whether they may
be found robbing the mails, stealing
horses, or robbing our settlers and
| freighters travelling along the public