The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-03-29
FEAR THE BANDITS
Western Express Are Being Fortified
Against the Outlaws.
DESPERATE DARING DEEDS
Rumors of the Presence of the DaItoo
Gang Abont Railroads Cause a
CommotIon.

SADALrA, Mo-, March 26.-In Mis-
souri,, years ago, people used to
frighten little children to sleep with
the names of the James boys. In these
days they still call fear 10 the aid of
Morpheus, but it is by mentioning the
bandits whom criminal history knows
as the Dalton gang. Fit sue cessors of
Missonrfs famous bandits, these pro-
ducts OF Kansas border life began a
reign OF terror in the nation, as the
Indian Territory was known within its
old confin,s $, that received no serious
check until the Coffeyville bank rob-
berry was planned and executed October
5, 1892. This event might be cal ed the
Waterloo of the original gang of
bandits, but enough of them were left
to continue, with the aid of kindred
spirits, career of lawlessness which
has made them feared In Kansas and
Missouri by the officers of the law as
much as by the people whom they
choose 10 visit.
AS is only natural, every deed of
crime with particular features of bold
ness which occurs In the sections fire.
quented by the desperadoes is ascribed
to them. Just now the cars of the ex-
press companies on the lines of rail
road In Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma
are being fortified after the fashion of
the arsenal. To be sure the companies
have not as yet mounted Calling guns,
but they are armed with messengers to
the teeth, doors and sides of cars
are being made bullet proof, and after
time giant powder or dynamite win
become necessary to gain an unlimited
entrance to one of the express com
panies' railway offices.
Days of the civil war are called to
mind, too, with exceeding frequency of
late in Missouri and Kansas by the
presence of guards with menacing Win
chester rifles on the car platforms.
However, the bandits always seem to
know when the railroad company's men
are to be aboard, and rare indeed are
the instances OF a train thus equipped
being stopped by them.
Opinions differ as to the leader of the
Dalton gang, which Is at present a
terror, not so much for what they are
doing as for what they may do. Some
people say Bill Dalton is the master
mind Others incline to the belief that
an entirely unknown individual Is fur
nishing the gray matter whence comes
the plans for the outlaws raids. But
howev this may be, the l)altons have
ways of their own, and to give even a
bandit his due, it must be said that
their record has none of the fendish
butcheries and brutalities with which
the careers of the James boys teemed
They rob and kill, but they do not
butcher. Now and then they seem
given to sort of grim humor, as when,
the other day, they raided a bit of a
bank in little Kansas town. and
small town in Kansas is extremely
small. They captured the bank in true
road agent style, but all they secured
was the cashier and S50-for there was
no more money in the financial
Institution. So the bandits took the $50
and the cashier. The latter was tied
upon horse and was forced to gallon
away with the raiders. They took him
eight miles out of town and then left
him, minus horse, on one of the lone
some sections of a lonesome prairie.
The cashier went back, without moles.
tation from steer or RATHER, and stated
that the walk was not so bad, but to be
a butt for joke by the Dalton gang
was little too much for human nature
to endure. Bill Dllton, whose name
has become terror since the Coffey.
vile Incident, is not one of the original
gang Report has it that the most of
his life has been spent after the manner
of territorial ranchman, but that
when the Dalton gang first became ia
nous his connection with the "boys,"
that of cousin, subjected him to con-
slant suspicion that he finally deter
mined to become worthy of his reputa-
tion, and, In truth, he has succeeded
well.
The Diltons always declared they
would never be taken alive. They not
only stated this to their friends. but so
Informed more than one United States
marshal. Too many murders were
known that they are responsible for to
admit of their ever expecting anything
but death sentence on a trial, and
they seemed to prefer death while
lighting for liberty than death after
surrender. In California alone there
was reward of $4,000 for them, and
In Missouri, Kansas and Texas, not to
speak of the offers by railroad and ex-
press Companies, big rewards were
promised for the Daltons.
Woman Dies with the Chambers.
A San Francisco drayman named
Beresford bought sick horse the other
day He bronpht tho horso hop,. ,nd