Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-01
HUERFAAO BILL THE BANDIT
BY CY WARMAN.
Copyright, 1896, the S. s. Mcclure Coz


The roar and rumble of distant thunder
had been heard in the mills ali morning,
and along about noon big black cloud
came creeping up over the crest of the con-
tinent listed d little, when q peak of one
of the hills caught the lower corner, ripped
IL open and let the water out. 1t didn't
rain; the water simply fell out OF the cloud,
and went rushing down the side of the
mountain as it rushes off the roof of
house in hard April shower.
The little assures were filled first, then
the gorges, guilieS and rough ravineS, and
when these emptied into the countless rillS
that ran away toward the foot of the
range every riil became a rushing river.
Leaves and brush and fallen trees were
borne away on the breast of the flood that
grew in volume and increased in speed
a!armngly- When all this water came
rushing down into the main canon the song
OF the stream that rippled there was hush
ed, the bed of the creek was filled with big
boulders that had been rolled down by the
flood, and a great river went roaring down
toward The plain D through this narrow
crooked canon narrow gauge railroad
ran 10 Silver Cliff. Silver Cliff, at one time
had thirty thousand people, then thirty
hundred ard now not more than thirty
people live there. unless their business
compelS them 10 do So 1t produced some
silver, sensa tional murder, one Congress
man, and petered out.
When the flood had gone a mile in the
main canon, and picked up eight or ten
railroad bridges and all the Gead timber in
the gulf, il presented a rolling front twcn-
ty-five feet high, and reached from hill TO
hill
Great spruce trees were uprooted the
track, with the cross-ties still hanging to
the rails, was ripped up and the rails,
bending like balinS wire. wound about the
rolling debris and clogged the canon. Then
the yelling flood would fill the whole gorge
and roll on with such a mass of bridge tim
Der and fallen trees pushed in front of it
that you could see no sign of water as the
Hood bore down upon you. but only a
tangled mass of rails and ties and twisted
rteS- y couple of proSpectorS heard the
rear of it, and climbed the canon wall lust
in time TO save themselves, while the little
Durros, with their packs their backs,
went down to a watery grave. Next came
q long string of freight teams bringing
lumber down from little mountain saw
mill. The rattle and noise of the heavy
wagons made 1t impossible for the freight
erS TO hear the roar of the flood and as
they were coming down the canon they
had their backs to it, and so were over
taken in narrow place Some of the men,
leaplng from their wagons, scrambled
up the steep hill out of the way of the wa
ter. while others took to the tall trees but
Wnen the flood came, the Stoutest trees in
the Sulch went down like sunfiowers in a
cyclones path, and the luckless freighters
mingled with the horses and wagons and
were washed away.
fortunately for us, we were an hour
late leaving the junction that day and
mad rot yet reached the narrow part of
the canon The engineer had been watching
the black cloud as it came I'D over the
range, and knew We're due to run into
w&Shout at any moment. Tie very winds
that came down the canon fresh and cool
seemed to have water in them. The three
day coaches We're filled with a hetero-
geneous herd pushing to the cliff which
nhe many other camps, was then posing
as "a second Leadviile" There Were
preachers and play actors, miners and
mefchants, cowboys and confidence men,
and here and there gaunt-faced girls with
peachblow complexion and wonderfully
impossible hair. billed for the variety
Up near the engine the express mes
serSer sat on little iron safe. Upon
either hip he wore a heavy six-shooter
and across his lap lay Winchester rifle
He was as nearly contented and happy
as men may reasonably hope to be on this
earth. The refreshing breeze that came
TO MIN was sweet with the scent of sum-
mer. The hills were green and his heart
was glad But his heart was not in the
hills That very Sunday morning he had
given it into the keeping of the warden's
daughter as they walked without the walls
or the gray prison down by the junction.
Almost within hearing of the townspeopie
who passed Up and down, to and from the
mineral springs that gushed from the rocks
at entrance to the great canon, ne had told
her the secret of his heart. The color
coming TO her face the while she heard the
When they had come to the corner of the
wall. one step beyond which would bring
tkem into full view of the warden's resi-
derce, he had pressed her for an answer
She could find no voice to answer but put
out her hand as if she would say goodbye
He took it and the touch of 1t told him all
he wished to know. Now he grew so glad
thinking 1t all over, that he clasped his
hands together, as girl would do, and the
rifle. slipping from his lap. shot down into
the river that IAN beside the track. The
door at his back and next the canon wall
was closed and barred The opposite door,
overlooking the little river, was thrown
wide open, and to the messenger sitting
there came the splash of water and the
smell of pine.
He remembered that the agent, running
alongside of his car he was leaving the
junction, had pointed to the iron safe and
SAID; Keep your eye on the gum" The
little safe held $1,000 In paper and over
in one corner of the car, in an old clay
stained ore sack, were $4,000 in gold.
We were cutting across a little piece of
high ground in the bend of the river when
the awful flood burst forth from the mar
row canon just in front of us. The engi-
neer's first thought was to back down and
run away from the flood, but the recollec-
ton that double-headed freight train was
following us caused bin to change his
mind The trainman hurried the passen-
gers all out, the messenger carried the mail
ana express matter to safe place, and
every one gaZed in wonderment while the
1t, following the bed of the creek, Rugged
the opposit, hill. but none of our party was
Jealous. Broad as the valley was here, 1t
was soon filed. and the water rose high
enough to float the rear coach but the en-
CINE. being on higher ground, acted as an
anchor and held the train. In less than
hve minutes the water had swept around
and carried away the bridge which we had
just crossed. and there We were, on about
three hundred yards of track, and nothing
befo e or behind us.
The freight train. having a clear track,
backed away to the junction, told the
story of our distress, and at midnight the
company's agent came to the top Of the
canon with a white Light, and in a little
while We We're all taken out, and after
tramping over a mountain trail for half
hour, loaded into wagons and hauled back
to the junction.
Lets have drink afore we 60"
Mary drink said the dark man at the
head Of the table. and one could see at a
glance that wherever he sat would be the
head OF the table. You promised me I'D In
the gulch that day that you'd never get
7 oror1ise Won riubr por,