Arizona republican., 1899-05-29
HIS LAST HOLD-Up.
The Lamented Colonel Tree and inc
 Letter that Spoiled His Nerve.

F'In the good old days out west, said | the judge, as the talk turned on train 1 rCbberies, there were road agents who
 were hunted down without mercy, and. there were others who were put up on
 pedestals as ehevaliers and admired
 even by their victims. Such man
 was Colonel Tree of Nevada. That wasn't his right name, of course. He
 was christened Vhomas Post, and was born in Iowa, but that fact wasnt known till after his death.
 "The co.onel made a hit at stage rob ping right from the start, and I was
 in the first coach he stepped. He was then . man about 30 years old, good figure and a handsome face, and
 more rollicking chap would have been hard to find. He was the beau ideal
 of a highway robber. He wore black
 cloak over his shoulder, black ha.
 with dropping feather, and he had
 the blackest eyes and the whitest
 teeth 1 ever saw in a mans head. Ali.
 but he was a gentleman at the busi-
 ness! He lined six of us up on the
 road and got Q poodle Of about S3000
 in cash, and only one man of the lCt
 had a kick to make. He was half @n
 hour about the job, and all the time he was smiling and laughing and mak-
 ing excuses for the delay and incoH-
 venience He had a couple of guns
 with him, but he made no theatrical display of them, nor did he indulge in
 paths and threats. On the contrary, he was so smooth and gentle and man.
 nerly about his work that l was al
 most proud to have been relieved of s700.
 That fellow captured the country from the start. A stage driver who
 IxJ Colonel Tree had a right to hold his head very high, and if any of his vie tims complained they were charged with ingratitude. The law got after him in due time, of course, and the re- wards offered aggregated a small for tune, but it seemed that no one wanted to run him down. It was an under stood thing, at least, that he should be taken prisoner instead of being shot down like dog. Some of his feats rivalled those of Claude Duval and Dick Turpin. He rode a big black horse with a white star in it's fore head. and he was here today and 100 miles away tomorrow. The weekly newspapers devoted columns to his ad- ventures. but always spoke of him with admiration. Had they pitched into him their action would have been resented on all sides. Colonel Tree ran career of two long years. He | must have had a big lot of gold coin planted somewhere at the end of that 1 tiTae but l have never heard that it was discovered.
 "I can't see how his relatives back | il Iowa got on h:S trail, but one day, | at little town tip among the moun- tains. 9 letter which had been knock | ing about for several weeks was hana- | cd him. He was just about to set off | on one Of his expeditions. The boys | who saw him read that letter said that | tears came to his eyes and he was all | knocked out. He tore 1t up and cast the pieces away, and for a time he didn't seem to know what course to | take. Then he braced up and started Off, but instead of a smile his face wore a look of sorrow and regret. As I was one of his first victims, so 1 was one of his last, although the first and the last hold-up occurred 200 miles apart. There were five Of us in the stage as 1t cTawied over the mountain road one afternoon, and as the mules were halt- ed for breath after a long pull up hill. Colonel Tree stepped out on us. He passed the time of day with the driver, who was really pleased at being stopped ordered the four of us down as cooly as I am talking to you, and it was only after we were lined up to be despoiled that we noticed anything wrong with him. His face had lost it's smile, there was no fun in his eyes, and he was no longer the debonnaire Of the week past
 Tt was plain that he was either i'll or heart sick He made a haul of about 1000 off the four of us. but he seemed reluctant to take up the poodle and make off. 1 have always believed that he was wishing he could sit down for talk with one of us and tighten his burden by sharing it. It was while he was hesitating and eff his guard