The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-11


were masters Of the situation. But in less
| time than it took the railroad company to
jump their engines from the track at one
place aud t.sr up the track at another.
the go-ahead wealers had built new track
| around the feeble distractions and rslaid
the torn up rails. With their force Of
| something over 400 men these undertsk-
| ings were but few hours OF enjoyable
recreation for the 'wealers who. whsu rid
ing. were packed in their coal cars like
sardines in a can. The army's sympathiz-
ers were hoping that the daredevil band
might run the gauntlet OF United
States Marshal Nsely's one hundred
further molestation. Once at the CAPT. al
they believed the train-stealers would be
free from care and penalty. The attitude
of Governor Lswelling gave this idea
encouragement. The executive SAID moth
ing sympathetic, when addressed on the
| subject by interested parties, bu, neither
did he say anything cOndemnatory. lie
was entirely non-commitGal and abstained
from interesting himself in the matter be-
yond replying to communications sent him
by railroad officials or petty peace officers.
To one who applied for troops the governor
sent the following:
James Hurt. Sheriff. Horace Kansas:
Telegram asking for troops to arrest 500
men who have stolen Missouri Pacific
train, received. Was the train stolen in
Kansas; Have any depredations been
committed in your county? Have WARRANTS
been issued and processes been resistedf
Are the men still in your county?
tSignedl L. d. LEwELLING,
Governor.
The railroad Company found themselves
In peculiar fix. The state authority
having decliued to help them, aud the
county authorities not caring TO do SO,
pr-ferring to let the wild train move on
to having several hundred arrested men to
feed and place on trial, 1t took legal in-
genuiry TO get the railroad in q position to
apprehend the wild men and runaway
train at all. They depended On their
general attorney. Bailey Waggener. to
drag them out OF the difficulty, and he
succeeded in pressing the United States
into service by getting the clerk of the
United States circuit court at Topeka to
issue writs of arrest for the unknown
Common wealers, AN action which Popuiist
leaders coudemu as unlawful. With
United States Marshal Nicely and force
of fifty men, each armed with rifle or
shotgun, Wag4ener started west on
special train from Topeka. The force and
firearms were increased enrouts, and
when the special reached Scott City.
Kan, 100 deputy marshais, each
with gun, were aboard. The
special made an exciting race 10 that
point, as hers it was determined to give
battle to the foe, if battle there had to be
here the liue WAS drawn beyond which
the 'wealers with all their nerve aud iu-
dustry would not he permitted to pass.
Meanwhile the 'wealers We're reported
as flying eastward, having broken camp
ut Chlvington, Colorado, where they
peacefully spent the night rolled in their
blankets, in the open air, while their tram
stood still on the main track. Formid !
able distractions were reported as being
thrown up before them at Dlstou, in the |
shape of three engines aud several box
cars, and the supply OF water for their en- |
CINE was said TO be cut off. But the first |
dispatch of their movements for the day |
showed them as having passed Sheridan |
Lake, Colorado, at lis a. M, mountain |
time, aud as crossing the state line into |
Kansas at IL o'clock. They were by the |
'ditch" and other barriers and their en- |
CINE was steaming all righC.
At different points. from there eastward. |
the 'wealers' wild cat was reported as |
moving carefully aud roaring by other /
places at 40 miles ali hour. Tue man at
the throttle, il is said, was old Mis- |
souri, Pac fic engineer, and he knew every |
sag and curve of the road.
The wild train reached Horace, Kansas,
about 2o'clock. There they found an east
had been held up by the company. Tue
'wealers commanded the crew of this train
to move, aud after an exchange of dis
patches with the superintendent the train
sped away. Regarding this train as II safe
pilot the 'wealers' special kept close in its
wake. The 'wealers had now first-class
having abandoned their rusty
old switch engine at Horace, kan, AMI
appropriated tbs best passenger engine
they could find in the round house.
Without mishap the runaways reached
Scott City, which they approached wsrlIy.
They saw fifty feet Of trsck-torn up IN
front OF the station there and one hundred
men aud one hundred rifles lined upon tue
station platform. The engineer reversed
quickly aud threw her wide OPEN Be
lore the waiting and trembling deputies
had time to think. their expected antagou-
sts had disappeared in the distance from
whence they came. Then the deputies
breathed easier and were once more cour-
ageous.
The Missouri Pacific promptly started
rain east from Leoti, kau., twenty-five
niles west OF Scott City. 20 intercept the
army.