Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-05-12
THE OBLONG BOX.

was q wild and lawless country, and l was
not much in love with my place.
"Goldton, where I was located, was
really nothing more than railroad sta
ton. 1t was not on the line of the Noun
tain Valley railroad but on spur which
ran to the Ingot mines. Travel was not
very extensive. In fact. but one train
day passed my lonely station.
"On the 18th day OF every month I re-
ceived by express for the superintendent
of the Ingot Mining company the money
with which the miners were paid off. The
amount averaged between $4,000 and
$18, 900. On June ID, that year, the super
intendent Of the mines came to me and
said:
Perkins, the pay money will be here
tomorrow, as usual but want you to ex-
ercise more than ordinary vigilance in
guarding it, as understand Grizzly Bill
is operating in the mountains again
"Grizzly Bill was name to inspire ter.
ror. The individual who bore that unmu-
steal sobriquet was an outlaw of great
daring and resolution. He stopped at moth
ing.
During the night which followed vio-
lent rainstorm swept through the noun
tains 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 washout below
Summit Rock. 1t was thought that the
track could be made passable by afternoon,
and that the train would reach my station
about O'Clock
CAT O'Clock that evening received
message saying that it would be impossi-
BILE for the train to get through before or
10 O'Clock the next morning. sent word
to this effect to the mine superintendent,
who in turn communicated it to the men.
Feeling rather tired, l turned in early that
night Sleep, however, was out of the
question.
"The baggage, freight, express and tele-
graph offices were all under one roof.
One corner of the big warehouse Git was
hardly anything else) was partitioned off
SO as to make private Enclosure. The
sender and receiver were affixed to table
conveniently near my bed, and if necessa
ry it was possible to transmit or take a
message without even arising.
"Along toward midnight the telegraph
instrument began to click. heard my
call, opened the key and asked what was
wanted. The operator at Pikeyille wired
back that the train, which had been delay
ed ON account of the washout, had started
for Goldton and would reach there between
8 and o'clock in the morning. At pre-
cisely :45 O'Clock the train steamed into
Goldton.
"The express messenger alighted and
handed me huge and many sealed pack
| age. 1t contained ST. 500.
"'Oh, that isn't all, said the messen-
ger, with laugh. / have box in the car
that's as heavy as lead We've been won
dering all the way up the mountain what
| it contained
"The box was lifted from the car and
placed on end in the freight department of
the station. 1t was fully feet long and
wide-horribly suggestive Of the rough
box in which coffin is inclosed.
81 put the pay money in the safe, turn
ed the combination lock and retired fell
| into doze, from which l was aroused
with start by what seemed to be the
| ticking of the sounder. 1t said as clear az
| if some one had spoken: Beware! Danger
| threatens.
II sat up in bed. The moon was shining
brightly through the window. / gazed in
tently at the sounder. 1t made not the
slightest motion, yet the message came
again, this time even more startlingly dis
tinct than before.
| "Upon hearing the third message my
mind instantly reverted to the huge box
in the freight corner. The partitioning Of
my little apartment did not extend as high
as the roof but merely to distance Of
about five feet above the level of my bed.
and by standing on the bed l could peer
over the top and see all parts of the int.
rior of the station.
81 rose stcalthily to an erect position
and looked over the edge of the partition.
| Tie first thing l saw was the box, stand.
ing ON end near window in the extreme
! end of the station, and as looked saw
| it's top slowly rise and a mans head pro-
| trudc itself.
cit was thick, brutalzed face with
! grizzled whiskers. Instantly it flashed
across my mind that it belonged to Griz-
Fly Bill
II got out Of bed, picked up the coal
shovel and scuttle and made as much
noise as possible. AS the night had been
an unusually cool one fire was burning,
| and as l passed the stove l grabbed my
|
pocket. Into my left pocket thrust some
nails and hammer.
''Then, whistlng as loudly as possible to
| mislead the desperate in the box, left the
little office and walked across the floor Of
the freight part of the station. When i'm
mediately in front of the box, l sprang al
it with the fury of man fighting for his
life and overturned it. 1t fell to the floor
top up, with resounding crash. Instant
ly was astride the box driving nails into
the lid as hard and fast as a man in terror
/ for his life could do.
"And all that while was yelling at the
imprisoned outlaw at the top Of my voice
telling him that if he SO much as breathet
! would instantly kill him.
4 Butmy threats did not appear to fright
en- him much. From the interior Of thu
box came a volley Of muf1led oaths thai
would have astonished % Digger Indian.
fired my pistol twice in the air to let hin
know that meant business. After awhil,
he became quiet. carefully examined thu
box and found that there was no danger O
suffocating, for at the upper end Their,
were number Of tiny perforations which
freely admitted all
~ sat astride That box until my assist
ant arrived at O'Clock. TWAS long ant
trying vigil, but the magnitude of my vic
tory buoyed me up. My assistant quickl,
went to the mines and told the superin
tendent to hasten ut once with sufiicien
guard of men to the station and take Griz
Fly Bill into custody.
ut didn't take long to do this, ant
when Bill was hauled by no gentle hand
from the box he was the angriest OUTLAW
ever captured. He fought like tiger, bu
it was of no use. He was securely bound
and later in the day taken to Pikeville
where he was subsequently sentenced to I
. long term OF Imprisonment" - Exchange.