The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-13
WAY BILL-"A CORPSE"

COMMISSION OI thut VuhTttfs eayo ~ Y
York World. In the little basement room
are cobwebs, tallow candles, pewter
tobies, 'alf-and-'alf and steaks of chung"
and ''high" meat in the approved English
fashion.
There, late one night last week, sat a
half dozen workmen from a big express
building near by and the interloper who
sets down this record.
The talk had sunk to the matter Of
corpses which often travel by express,
though never by invitation of the express
messenger.
"During the winter of 1885," said a burly
man with a shock of black hair, III was in
the Wells-Fargo service TIVE Kansas
City and San Francisco. The run was
made upon the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railways,
that join AT Deming. On Christmas eve,
bearing eastward, with the journey so far
lone from Frisco, the train drew out of
Yuma, facing the Arizona desert in the
midst of an astonishing storm of shetland
rain. Yuma marks the California line,
and there, as we took OF the stage COM
pany's strong box, | counted upon the
last disturbance Of the night. Until day
break the journey lay through alkali
stretches, where at every 100 miles the
train rushes shricking through a poor, un-
commercial cluster of huts and halts long
enough for the locomotive to take on
water.
"U~nscheduled stops, however, were not
infrequent at that time, and there hung
within the car a rack of repeating car
hines, charged and primed.
'In taking account of the Yuma
stronghold, weighing nearly two hundred
pounds and 'vouchered' to contain 10000
in gold, ! glanced at the carbines. l
looked again when ! remembered that
the safe contained as much more.
Joachim Murilla burned me cut OF the
car for less than that, and gave me the
bullet that lanes my back" said the
burly man, with a smile. IL had hardly a
dollar in the car the night | stood oil the
rustlers at Dodge City. reflected, what
will the company expect now with $780,
600 on my shoulders?
II assorted cxpressage, listed bills and
overhauled carbines as the train flew and
the storm beat. | knew the route so well
that i could call the towns and tanks as
the engine whistled or stopped.
"'Toltec,' | thought, as at midnight
the hoarse whistle began to sourd. We
pass here with a "howdy."' No, by
George! we're going to STOP"
IL opened the door enough to see a Ian
tern swaying at a small station and a lit
tie group on the platform surrounding a
box, aud evidently preparing To put il on
board.
"'Tumble il In, quick said.
"A little slow, partner replied "A man
ON the platform. It's a cofiin.'
"A moment later ! was alone with the
corpse i'm a prison as secure as n tomb.
while thew wheels roared bef cath and the
storm raved outside.
"Somehow was nervous n couldn't
keep my eyes of that coffin. | fancied
that il moved and was slowly rising up
on end, or that il was preparing an Gu
slaught; then that it was about to disclose
the dead.
1.-THE last Of these notions-that the oc-
cupant of the collin might liberate herself
got hold of me and | couldn't shake il
oil. The box was of unusual size and ex-
c~eptionally ill-made. The wood was
rough, warped, and filled with knots and
knot-holes. All this might have been due
to the limited facilities of "A desert town.
| don't know why, but ] could not resist
turning il face down. II seemed TO me to
roll horribly.
"Then / imagined 1 heard a noise nj the
car door n ut the same time a move
but / rolled the stage company's strong
box, with its 200 pounds of gold toward
the coffin and set IL upon the lid toward
the larger end.
.Then / lighted my pipe. | noticed af-
terward, though | didn't think of il at the
time. that most of the knot holes toward
the head of the coffin were covered and
sealed by the flat iron bottom of the
strong box.
"Several minute passed and the en-
CINE had blown its 'view-halloa! y at a way
side cattle town, when suddenly sounds
began to issue from the box. There was
no do,b about il this time. There was a
scufiing, n grooming, a kicking against
the sides.
"To say that I was Mortified doesn't ex-
press IL. The struggle in the box con-
tinued. I staggered 10 the gunrack, tore
down a carbine, cooked, aimed and fired
il through the box ten feet away.
MlaI shriaEs nnu, p,;,rlnI x,;,h Al.