The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-03-02
A THRILLING STORY TOLD az A
SECRET SERVICE DETECTIVE,

Capture of Notorious 'sshover of tho
Queer" - Caught in . Trap - Setting
Fire to the Fuse of Powder Keg.
The Last Moment.
Soon after the war our bureau was notified
that counterfeit 81 and So bills were beingex-
tensively circulated in the region about Read
ing, Pa. was detailed, together with a conf
panion named William Madden, to proceed
to Scranton and work up the case We soon
found that the money was being tloated by
gang Of six or seven, of whom the majority
were as tough cases Us Abe Buzzard, of mod
ern fame. We struck two leads at the samu
time and willie mine led to Harrisburg, his
led into tho mountainous country around
Pottsvillc, which at that time contained some
of the most lawless miners who ever handled
a pick
At Harrisburg I uncarthed an old bird
known as "GreelbacG Charley" and landed
him temporarily behind the bars In three or
four days was satisfied that he was the only
one OF the lot i'll that neighhorhood, and set
out to find Madden, from whom had not yet
heard /, word I met him in Reading, and he
also had as prisoner a man known as "Sly
Jim, but whose real name was Isaac Watson.
He had been brought from Pottsville, and he
was the head and front of the Showers" No
sooner had Madden located Jim, who was the
1stensiblc owner OF 4 saloon in town, than tho
fellow Slipped out and made his way up the
mountains, and took quarters III acabm occu-
pied by an aged woman, i widow Madden
hung to the scent until he relocated his game,
and at about i o'clock in the afternoon he
drew near the house. Forty rods away he
1 .Al... aJl Al
Jim was in the house and willing to surrender.
Madden should have stopped to reflect that
some sort Of trap was being laid for him. II
Jim was willing to surrender, why hadn't he
come out and shown himselfs What need of
go-bctwecn between him and the officer?
Tho detective thought Of nothing but secur-
ing his man at once, and he pushed on with
out even drawing his revolver The outer
door was partly open, and as he entered the
house it was shut behind him and he was
covered by a revolver in the hands of tho
countcrfciter. Sly Jim had served five years
for u previous otfense. He reasoned that the
officer had him dead to rights on the new
case, and that he would probably be 'settled"
for ten or fifteen years. This prospect had
made him desperate, and he had determined
OIL u desperate thing.
"Sit down over there!" he commanded, and
the helpless officer obeyed.
"Now the,l," continued Jim, "what do YOU
want of mc?'
ITO arrest you for uttering counterfeit
money"
"Got any proofs?"
.Plcnty"
"Well, that settles it, I'd rather die than
&c back t6pfisef, but yeu shall die with HE.
could kill you and skip, but I'll be run down
and hung. Wen go together"
On table in the room was q fifty pound
keg of powder, and leading into it was a four
minute fuse. Jim walked across to the table,
covered the officer anew and lighted the end
of tho fuse with the remark:
ain four minutes We'll be in h-ll! If you
make move FROM that chair I'll have to
send you on ahead q little sooner!"
II think I'll wait and go with you" coolly
replied Madden, "and if you've no objections
Til take out my watch and call time"
"That will be a good idea," said Jim, and
out came the watch and the detective called
out:
:Ten seconds! Fifteen! Twenty. Thirty"
and so on.
''Nobody will never know what happened
to u.s." remarked Jim as tho first minute was
nearly gone.
''But they'll mix up the scraps and prob
ably bury portion of me along with you.
That's the only thing care about"
'.Wel1, I always was fond of good COM
pany," rctorted Jim.
When two minutes had passed the detec-
tive began to softly whistle to himself.
''It will come mighty sudden when it
comes, observed Jim as he crossed his legs.
''Yes, we won't know what hurt us"
''What's the time now!"
"Oh, we'yo got over a minute yet"
"Don't you wish you hadn't Gomez"
'sNo, sir! I was bound to have you or die
with you"
"That's the sort! It's some honor to die
with such man as you. The fuse is getting
pretty short"
"We've got fifteen seconds more"
Madden leaned back in his chair, and Jim
held the revolver full on his breast Uo
hadn't been playing bluff game, and the de-
tectiye had made up his mind that there was
no escape from death. From the corner Of
his eye he watched the fire creep nearer and
nearer, but he did not move finger. Tho
spark finally touched the staves OF the kcg,
and Madden felt that his last minute of lifc
had come He dropped his eyes to his watch
and saw the seconds fly past-two-four-
fivc-ten, and he felt that there had been
some miscarriage When fifteen seconds had
passed Jim growled out:
"The durn thing has gone back on me!'
He rose up, as if to go over and cxamincit,
and the instant the muZzlc Of his revolver
was depressed Madden sprang for him and
struck him a blow between the eyes which
iel]ed him like an OK. The revolver was dis
charged. but the bullet entered the floor.
In another minute Jim was bandcufcd and
dragged out He wiltcd as soon as tho irons
were OIL him, and no trouble was expert
enced in getting him to Reading. He was
silent and suIky with Madden; but to me he
said
.Say, old man, you've got partner to be
proud of! He's got more nerve than any
other man that lives"
Excepting you," replied, and be strokcd
his long whiskcrs and seemed pleased with
the compiment.-DctroitF Free Press.