The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-07
A WOMAN TRAIN R0BbER
Story of Thrilling Capture in
Montana.
O. TRAIL OF BANDITS
AS Told by a Member Of the United
States Secret Service-She and
Her Partner Made $15,-
900 Haul,

cret service the other day. At least
that was the name by which the officer
was introduced to a Washington Post
reporter, but as all men know, these
bloodhounds of the government are al
lowed as many aliases as the men they
strive to run down.
| This is due to the difference in the
class of criminals we have to handle out
there continued the detective "Of
| course, we have the forger, the embez-
zler, the sly murderer, and all those
people who trouble the authorities in
the more populous portions of the At
| lantic coast states. But, then, we have
| cattle thieves, where herds are entered
| and large number of steers, mingled
| with mavericks, are driven off. There
are train robbers, highwaymen who
| hold up stages, and that desperate class
| that does not fear to enter bank and
| hold up the cashier in broad daylight.
Now, the method of pursuing these
| criminals is altogether another PROPOSE
| ton from tracing these 'fine-haired
| gentry who bother the good folks in the
| East There is no sitting down in the
| Office and theorizing. You don't have to
| take a shot of cocaine, la Sherlock
Holmes, and work out beautiful Anna
| Katherine Green plot.
You simply saddle your horse and
man in pursuit Of a band of Sioux. You
| don't know the name of your man. You
| haven't the slightest idea whether he is
| red-headed, wears false, teeth and talks
| with gentle brogue. You merely know
that a crime has been committed by
| some daredevil fellow that he rides
| like the wind, shoots with unerring aim,
and that if you run onto him without
| due preparation you are liable to have
| your eyes fastened on the CLEAN of a
| Winchester barrel as you look your last
| on earth. t...,
| Did / ever go out on such a chase?
| Well, rather. l remember one where
| followed a pair for 80 days without
| even getting a sight of them. 1t was
not a question of being Lecocq or .&n
old Sleuth. 1t was a plain case of
| keeping the scent like foxhound,
noting every fresh footprint in the
! sand and every overturned rock on the
mountain side. l had to. undergo hun
ger and thirst. while the. brave little
| beast l rode staggered with its tongue
| lolling from it's mouth for the lack of
| drink of water. But it was a great
| chase, and l won out.
Perhaps you don't remember the
! time the Northern Pacific train was
held up between the little station of
| Andrews and the town of Medora, some
| years ago Two men got on board the
coal tender at Medora, and when the
| train was about three miles out they
made the engineer stop Then followed
the same old story. The express, car
was cut loose from the rest of the train
| and pulled across the Little Missouri
| river. The messenger was made to open
Ethe safe, which was not one of-the time
| lock affairs they have now, and the
robbers got a little. more than $l5,0Oo
| mostly in currency. They then got
| away; how no one knew.
| mo description of the robbers could
be obtained, except that one was a
| little fellow, rather thickset, and the
| other" was big, d-shouidered
| giant I happened to be in Medora at
the time, and when the railroad officials
| arrived on the scene they asked me 10
| organize a posse and try to catch them,
| somewhat as they attempted to do in
the case of the men who dynamited the
| Union Pacific train short time ago
| A reward of $1,000 apiece was offered
| for the two bandits. and it looked like
a good thing, but l passed it up, for
| the reason that l did not think th@'e
| was any hope of success. 1t meant i
| great hue and cry, and the robbers
would be saving wood While we were
| making the noise.
The division superintendent grew
| red. in the face, and told me l was a
| fool / was indebted to the road for
many favors, and the irate official up
| braided me for displaying base ingra,l-
| tuGe, along with a most immaculate
| white feather. ! waited till he finished
| with his TRADE, and told him | would
| undertake the pursuit alone. and on no
| other condition He stared at me a
| moment and then told me to go ahead.
Il took the best horse l could find in
the town, one with plenty of bottom
| and a fair amount of speed, and, above
| all, an animal that was used to the al
| kali plains we would have to psss
| through. My outfit consisted of my
| Winchester, two siX-shooters, little
pepper and salt, and six cans of to-
matoes. 1t was three days after the
| robbery was committed that / struck
| the trail Two men had been seen TO
| cross the Little Missouri river at its
| western curve, due south of Andrews.
1t was here that the bandits made their
mistake. If they had gone little fur
| Their to the west they would not have
| needed to ford the river and they
might have escaped observation. o..
Il went down to the ford and the re-
| port was corroborated. The description
| of the robbers was the same az had
been given by the. engineer sand fire.
| man. They were at least three days in
| the lead and / started to make up the
ground. 1t would be tedious to tell you
| how | gained on them, hour by hour,
| but by the time reached Pretty Butte,
one of the landmarks of Western North
| Dakota, I found that they were only
two days ahead of me. After / passed
! Pretty Butte my troubles commenced.
! struck stretch of the alkali desert.
| There was an endless stretch of white,
binding soil, relieved occasionally by a
| struggling sagebrush. Sometimes |
| would find water, clear, cold, sparkling
pools of it. but it was poisonous as the
| brine of the ocean.
| AT last l saw that the trail led to-
ward the Little Missouri in a struggling
| westward route. / had not seen hu-
man being for 10 days, and / was never
so delighted in my life as when I came
across log shanty near the river. 1t
was occupied by a lonely little Swede,
| and l asked him if he had seen anyone
pass that way. He stared at me stu
| pidly for a moment.
Yah. Aye saw two peoples COON
baye here yesterday in de mornings
Il asked him to describe them as well
as he could, at the same time keeping
| back as well as | could the fact that l