, 1891-10-25
HE LEARNED TOO LATE
Repentance and Reformation that
Could Never be Tested.
How a Promising Young Man Fell
Through Evil Association.
Stage Robbery, Arrest, Conviction
and Death in the "Pen."

The office of T. jeff Carr is an inter
esting place and the ex-sherif. ex-unitet
States marshal, ex city marshal and nos
deputy United States marshal can enter
tain handsomely with stories of the Dicl
Turpins who a few years & made thu
life of a Wyoming officer one of con
tinual watchfulness and danger. Mr.
Carr has caught and handled more
thieves and murderers than any man in
Wyoming, and only one man. a tramp,
aver got away from him aud remained un
caught. To get rid of the tramp In that
way was considered fortunate. For years
MI. Carr has been known among detec-
tives and officers of the law from one end
of the United States to the otter. Con-
sequently he has received a great many
photographs and descriptions of noted
crooks and criminals and newspaper clip
pings. These and the prison records in
Mr.. Cars possession. together with the
data of criminals with whom he has come
dire,tly in contact, make an encyclopedia
of
WESTERN CRIMINAL HISTORY.
While looking through Cars rogues
gallery the attention of a LEADER re-
porter was attracted by the picture of a
rathor good looking young man. The
popularity was in the fact that on the
young mans shoulder rested the hand of
a woman. Only her hand was there to
show hat there was a time when she was
not ashamed to be seen in his company.
Time had evidently wrought a change for
a picture of the couple taken together
had been cut in two, leaving of the lady
only her hand to adorn the rogues gal
lery.
An inquiry addressed to Mr.. Carr
brought a smile to the face of that gen
tleman and another picture, copied from
the original, was shown. On the margin
was written:
CHARLIE ROSS"
Road agent and murderer on Black
Hills stage road, 1877 and 1878, cap
tured at Eureka, Nevada, Dec.
1878, by Sheriff 7. j. Carr. Committed
suicide at Lincoln, Neb., penitentiary
Feb. l6, 1885" That was the short and
terrible history OF a once likely young
man, whose parents never knew Of his
reckless career or horrible end.
1T was singular the way L happened
to catch that fellow said Carr, land
only by the greatest chance in the world
was his freedom interrupted" Inquiry
developed the following interesting story:
During the summer OF 1878, one of the
many holdups occurring on the Deadwood
Il Cheyenne road resulted in a desperate
fight in which at least two men were shot.
Charlie Ross and a man named Brown
undertook to hold up the stage near Hat
creek, but when the passengers were
ordered to throw up their hands one of
them, Dan Finn, came a shooting. F"
Ross returned the fire SO quickly as to
leave a doubt as to which really did fire
the first shot. When the fight was over
Brown rode away with blood trickling down
on his saddle and into his boots. He had
been shot clear through the body, the ball
going through his liver. Finn had a ball
in his face at the side of his nose. Mr..
Carr says a drummer was shot in the knee
by Ross and died from the wound, but he
does not remember positively whether it
occurred at this or some other fight.
This was really the beginning of Ross ca.
reer. Afterwards he took part in the
Caraboo mine robbery and the report was
circulated by his own ganR that he tried
to poison all OF them and secure the booty.
Brown, who had recovered, was arrested
the same year and brought to Cheyenne
for trial. One day
A YOUNG LADY
called at the jail and requested to see him.
Carr was thoughtful for a moment and
then granted the request. He accom-
panied her to Browns cell aud stood near
while the conversation was going on and
watched every movement. During the
conversation the young lady made some
remark about a letter from Charlie. Carr
did not know at that moment who Charlie
Ross was, or that he had been a partner
of Browns. who can Charlie be?"
he asked himself. Finally he went to
Brown and by quizzing and bulldozing
got the story. The next move was to To-
cate the desperate. The sheriff went to