Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-03-11
TWELVE GRAVES.

each other over the bar Of the Oriental
saloon that they would follow the des-
persdoes who had insulted their town by
committing % great an outrage, and
never return until they had captured the
outlaws and wiped out the stain with
their blood.
One hotel, one livery stable, half doz-
en- barrooms, and - many gambling 81
looms, with music hall and an immense
cattle pen. made up the town Of RAwlins
Springs. Numerous fights had occurred
there. The little graveyard on the side
Of the hill contained twenty-five mounds,
and on the head boards Of all save one
were inscriptions which explained how
the occupant Of the narrow home had met
his death with his boots on. The one un-
marked grave was. occupied by man
who died natural death. and it had not
been considered necessary to record 50
uninteresting an event. Never had
train robbery been committed there be-
fore, however, and it WIS natural that the
citizens should, .fset shemselyes insulted.
1t WAS dark when the express train
stopped long enough to allow the passen-
gers to eat their suppers at the Rawlins
hotel. and on the evening Of the robbery
it was even darker than usual. because
Q great storm was gathering and the
heavy clouds shut out the light Of the
moon and the stars with an impenetrable
veil. Two miles below Rawlins, the
train halted to take on water. 1t was
Just after making this last stop that the
passengers in the sleeping cars realized
that something unusual was happening.
The train suddenly began to slow up,
and minute later the people in the car
next to the express heard sudden order
to hold up their hands. Then from each
end Of the car came a man with his face
muffled in handkerchief and big re-
volver in his hand. With perfect cool
ness every passenger was examined, and
money, watches and all other valuables
were levied on. Then one man was left
to keep the people quiet, and the other
cars were gone through until nobody in
the train was left unexamined. When
the work was done, a long whistle was
given. and suddenly as they had appeared
the robbers slipped away in the darkness.
The train was taken back to Rawlins
Springs, and there it was found that the
express car, tho, had been robbed, and
on the sf1oor in front Of his safe lay the
messenger. shot through the heart.
Thirty thousand dollars in all had been
taken. One Of the passengers claimed
that when the signal to leave had been
given he had seen four men jump from
the train. IL was to capture these four
and recover the stolen treasure that the
good citizens OF Rawlins had pledged
themselves.
Twenty Of the boldest men % Rawlins
started on the man hunt. Every one of
them had for years lived frontiersman g
life and was accustomed to risk his ex-
istence on the slightest provocation, and
it therefore seemed trivial matter for
such number Of well armed men to
capture four fugitives. no matter how
desperate they might b-.
With the daylight on the morning af-
ter the robbery. the cavalcade Of vigi-
lantes left Rawlins. and rode down to
| the water tank. Without difficulty they
found the place where sc veral horses had
been tisd.-aud it WAS easy work to see
that from that point they had been led a
| distance of a mile or more, and had then
been ridden at full speed toward the
mountains. For ten miles the track OF
the fugitive was plain and distinct, and
then as the ground became more rocky
the trail faded away until it finally dis.
|
the vigilantes rode on in the same direc-
ton, but when they found not the slight
( est trace Of the men they we're following,
they concluded that the robbers had
changed their course, and it would BE-
necessary to begin all over.
BY the orders Of the leader Of the
vigilantes. the twenty men spread them
selves over the prairie with the agree
ment that they should meet at sundowr
and report any discoveries which had
been made. When the stunted trees be
gan to cast long shadows over the
prairie, one by one the men returned te
the trysting place disheartened and tired
Finally. however. the hopes Of all were
revived by the arrival Of one Of the
party waving something over his head
AS he came galloping up. The article
he was waving proved to be a red
bandanna handkerchief with two holes
cut in the shape Of eyes piercing it.
With the handkerchief as the sole trophy
Of the hunt. the whole party returned &c
Rawlins Springs.
That evening levee was held at the
Oriental saloon. and the handkerchief
was placed on exhibition behind the bar
Suddenly . small man who had entered
the saloon unobserved caused a deer
sensation by asking 70 examine the
trophy Of the hunt. and then by an
nouncing that he knew the train robbers.
The small man was generally known
~ the keeper Of prairie store ten miles
out from Rawlins, and he told how foul
men whom he recognized as Tom Aus
tin, OF Texas: Dave Simmons, from the
sams state, with Rube Reynolds and
Long Jim Farnsw orth, from Colorado.
had ridden up to hts store on the aftes-
noon preceding the robbery and had
each purchased red handkerchief, and
he could further swear that the handker-
chief before him was one Of the number
be had sold.