The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-03-22
STORY OF TWELVE GRAVES.

The Uuion Pacific mail and ex.
press train had been held up.
d The robbery was so cunningly
planned and boldly executed that
Ithe people of R,wlins Springs felt
themselves aggrievei and band Of
ehosce spirits pledged each other over
|the bar of the Oriental saloon that
they would follow the desperation S
who had in%ulted their town by
lpmmitting so great an outrage. aud
flever return until they had captured
\ he outlaws ami wiped out the stain
with their hI00h.
/ One hotel, one livery stable, half IA
Itbz1n barr00mS and rs many gam
/ ny saloons. with a music hall and
immense cattle pen nade up the
4!S$i of RlWlius SariGgs. N-aatsas'-'
0N4 fights had occurred there, The
Ntle grave yard on the hill cURtaln-
ed twenty two mounds. and on the
hra'-hDard4 of all save one We're in
ScIlHinnS which explained how III"
occupant of the narr0W home had
net liS death with his hoQt7 on. Thr
one unmarked grave was orcupied
ny MAI who died Il ma urai dratn,
and it nd not hepn con-iupred nee.
eNSary tnr1cgri so uuintprr-tjn. an
event. A,ver had Il train rohnpry
been committed thare before. how
eyer, and ! WIS nttru II that the cili-
z"n' shouIdfpel themselves inSultpd.
1t was dak when the express train
stopped Iona enough to allow the
passenger. topat their SupperS at the
RlWIin| hotel anI on the evening Of
the robbery it vas even dAyllrr tnan
usual, brrau+eta great storm was
gathering and The heavy clouds shut
| out the lIght Of tie moon aHh' stars
with an imrPnprahle veil. Two
nlieS below RaWIinI the train halted
To take on water. 1t was Just after
making this last stop that tie piS-
spngerS in the sleeping cars realized
that something unusual was happen.
ing. The train Sudd mIy began to
slow up, and "A minute later the pen.
pie in the car next to the express
! heard Sudden order to hold al
their hands. Then from each end NI
the car came man with his face al
nnffie1 up in Il handkerchief. and 4
hg revolver in his band. With per.
iett GOODNESS every passenger was cx.
2nineu. and money. watches AMI al
,,f0sM.r yaluables 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 unrxamined. When the
work was done, Il long whistle was
given, and az suddenly rs they had
appeared, the robbers Slipped away
in the darkness.
The train was taken back to Rlwl'
iuS Springs. and there il was found
that the express car, too, had been
robbed, and one the tiDHr in front OF
his safe lay the messenger. shot
through the heart.
Thirty thousand dollars in all hal
been taken. Ole of the passengers
claimed tina. when the signal to leave
hal heea given he had seen four men
lump from the train. it was to cup
lure these four and recover the stolen
treasure that the good citizens OF
RaWins Springs had pledged them
,elypS.
Twenty of the holdest men of
2lWins started on the man hunt.
Every one of them had for several
rpars lived lronteirsman'5 life, and
was accustomed TO risk his existence
en- the slightest prOyOclti0n. anl 1t
therefore seemed a trivial matter for
such number of well-armed men to
capture four fGgatives, no matter
how desperate they might he.
With the daylight on the morning
after tine robbery, the calvactle of
visilante, left RtWIins and role
down to the water tank. Without
difficulty they found a place where
"a vprI hnrIpsS had been tied and il
WAS easy work to see that fr0m that
point they had been led a distance Of
a mile or more, and had then been
ridden at full speed towards the
ninuntaius. For ten miles the track
of.the fugaliyts was plain and dis
tlnct. an then as the ground became
more rocky the trail faded away un-
til 1t finally disappeared altogether.
For several miles the yigilante, rode
on in the same direction. but Wnen
they found not the slightest trace of
the men they were following. they
concluded that the robbers had
changed their course, aud it would
be necessary to begin all over.
BY the orders of the leader of the
vigilantes, the twenty men spread
themselves over the prairie with the
agreement that they should meet at
sundoWn and report any discoveries
whirh haI hnnn 1In1a WhnO the