The Topeka state journal., 1897-03-20
THE OBLONG BOX.

"Thrillingr' said the major "wel, I
should say so. 1t was the most exciting
thing that ever occurred to me. At the
time was a telegraph operator and dis
patcher for the Mountain Valley railroad
company in western mining country 1t
was wild and lawless country, and 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 q
day passed my lonely station.
Ion the 10Th 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 SIS, 600 and
$18, 600. On June IA, 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 1t, as understand Grizzly Bill
is operating in the mountains again
Grizzly Bill was a name to inspire ter
Tor. The individual who bore that unmu-
sical 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 I received word over the wire
that the train from Pikeville could not get
to Goldton owing to q -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.
stAt 0,c1Ocb that
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, 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 lit was
hardly anything else) was partitioned of
SO as to make private inclosure. The
sender and receiver were affixed to q table
conveniently near my bed, and if necessa-
ry it was possible to transmit or take
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 Pikevi1le wired
back that the train, which had been delay
for Goldton and would reach there between
and 4 o'clock in the morning. At pre-
cisely 2:46 O'Clock the train steamed into
Goldton.
fThe express messenger alighted and
handed me huge and many sealed pack
age. 1t contained $17, 500.
-" oh, that isn't all, said the messen-
ger, with a laugh. L 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.
1.-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 a coffin is inclosed.
81 put the pay money in the safe, turn
ed the combination lock and retired fell
into a doze, from which I was aroused
with a start by what seemed to be the
ticking of the sounder. 1t said as clear as
if some one had spoken: fBeWarei Danger
threatens
81 sat up in bed. The moon was shining
brightly through the window. I 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
es the roof, but merely to q distance Of
about five fest above the level of my bed,
and by standing on the bed I could peer
over the top and see all parts of the inte-
rior of the station.
81 rose stealthily to an erect position
and looked over the edge of the partition.
The first thing I saw was the box, stand
ing on end near a window in the extreme
end of the station, and as looked I saw
its top slowly rise and a mans head pro-
trude itself
at was a thick, brutalized face, with
grizzled whiskers. Instantly it flashed
across my mind that it belonged to Griz-
ely Bill
shovel and scuttle and made as much
noise possible. As the night had been
an unusually cool one fire was burning,
and I passed the stove grabbed my
revolver and thrust it into my right coat
pocket. Into Iny left pocket thrust some
nails and hammer.
'Then, whistling as loudly as possible to
mislead the desperate in the box, I 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, sprang at
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 breathed
I would instantly kill him.
tBut my threats did not appear to fright
en- him much. From the interior of the
box came vo1lcy of mufTied oaths that
would have astonished Digger Indian.
fired my pistol twice in the air to let him
know that meant business. After awhile
he became quiet. carefully examined the
box and found that there was no danger of
Suffocating. for at the upper end there
were number of tiny perforations which