St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-08-07
GRIZZLY BILL.

"Thrilling?" said the major. "Well,
/ should say so. 1t was the most eXcit-
ing thing that ever occurred to me.
Why, / can't even think of it now
without shuddcring little. | was con-
siderably younger in those days than I
am now. At the time | was telegraph
operator and dispatcher for the Noun
tain Valley Railroad company in west
ern mining country. 1t was wild and
lawless country, and | was not much in
love with my place, but being poor 1
was obliged to accept the conditions
with the best possible grace.
"Goldton, where | was located, was
really nothing more than railroad sta
ton. 1t was not on the main line of the
Mountain Valley railroad, but ON a spur
which ran to the Ingot mines. Travel
was not very extensive, in fact, but one
train day passed my lonely station.
"On the fifteenth day of every month
l received by express for the superin-
tendent of the Ingot Mining company
the money with which the miners were
paid off. The amount averaged between
$4,000 and $4,000 On the 18th Of
June in that year the superintendent Of
the mines came to me and said:
"'Perkins, the pay money will be
here tomorrow, as usual, but want you
to exercise more than ordinary vigilance
in guarding it, as l understand Grizzly
Bill is operating in the mountains
again.
"Grizzly Bill was name to inspire
terror. The individual who bore that
unmusical sobriquet was an outlaw Of
great daring and resolution. He stopped
at nothing. 1t was therefore quite
natural for me to feel some little trepi-
dation. | assured the superintendent,
however, that | would do all in my
power to guard the money, and l think"
continued the major with some self sat
isfaction, that l kept my word in this
respect.
During the night which followed, a
violent rainstorm swept through the
mountains Shortly before 10 O'Clock
the next morning l received word over
the wire that the train from Pikeville
could not get to Goldton owing to a
washout below Summit Rock. 1t was
thought that the track could be made
passable by afternoon and that the train
would reach my station before O'Clock.
| communicated these facts to the mine
superintendent by means of an assistant
who was always at the station during
the day.
"At o'clock that evening I received
message saying that it would be i'm
possible for the train to get through be-
fore or 10 o'clock the next morning.
/ sent word to this effect to the mine
superintendent, who, in turn, commune
Gated it to the men. Feeling rather tired
turned in early that night. Sleep,
however, was out of the question.
"The baggage, freight, express and
telegraph offices were all under one
roof. One corner of the big warehouse
Git was hardly anything else) was parti-
toned off so us to make a private in
closure. This boxlike compartment
used for sleeping. eating and the trans.
action of the company's telegraphic and
railroad business The sender and re-
ceiver We're affixed to a table conven-
iently near my bed, and if necessary it
was possible to transmit or take mes
sage without even arising. OF course
never found it necessary to do this; l
simply mention it to illustrate the ar
rangement of the Office.
Along toward midnight the telegraph
instrument began to click. | heard my
call, opened the key and asked what
was wanted. The operator at Pikeville
wired back that the train which had
been delayed on account of the washout
had started for Goldton and would
reach there between and o'clock in
the morning. At precisely 2 AS o'clock
the train steamed into Goldton
'"The express messenger alighted and
handed me a huge and many sealed
package. 1t contained SIT, 500.
oh, that isn't all, said the mes
senger with laugh, L have box in
the car that's as heavy as lead. We've