Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-20
CHAPTER VII.

MalnWarlnB WHS moro tnan usually
grumpy" in consequence. Ray and
his men, riding like tho wind, had run
down the train robbers before they
reached the Dry Fork, and in long
stern chase had overhauled first one
man, then another, until darkness set
in and hid the leading fugitives from
sight Seven lively specimens of the
border ruiian were the captivcs of the
rorrcl troop by nightfall, and, closely
guarded, these were the men turned
over next morning to Mr.. Sheriff Con-
way when that much fatigued official
and his posse reached the spot where
Ray and his men had made camp the
night before. Ray himself, with IA dozen
troopers, had pushed on at daybreak,
following the trail of the fugitives in
hopes Of capturing the more prominent
members of the party, who as it turned
out, had most Of the i'll gotten booty,
while his lieutenant, Mr.. Scott, romain-
ed in charge Of the main body and of
the prisoners until the arrival Of tho
civil authorities, who promptly de-
manded and obtained possession. Con.
way and his posse, rejoicing, turned
homeward Mt once with their dlsheveIcd
prizes, hoping to reach Butte and re-
Ceive "a triumph by evening of the next
day. Seven train robbers were more than
had ever been caught before in tho his
tory of the territory, and great would
be the rejoicings. Securely bound, the
lDckless captiVes, each man dashed to
the stirrup of some one of the numerous
posse, trudgeG painfully along the
hOmeward trail. Silent, resolute, al
most defiant, 10 one of their number
would give the whisper Of q hint as to
the identity of the leaders or Of one an
other. All were strangers to Butte.
Neither Conway nor his deputies had
ever seen one of their faces before.
Lieutenant Scott had lost no time in
saddling and pushing on after his cap
tain, two of the posse riding with him
so as to give the possibly necessary civil
sanction to the arrest of the robbers
and to take the customary civil credit
Tor the same, naively explaining, "You
fellows III the regular army don t need
it; we do, or there no chance for Con-
ways crowd next election.
And on his. triumphant homeward
way what was more natural than that
Conway should march through Ransom
the following evening just as the ghost
like column in white stable frocks camo
swinging up to barracks through the
cleaning: AS the shortest road ran
close TO the men 5 quarters, it happened
chat the burly sheriff, with has captive
train, went Gathering by the long wood
en- porches, and such troopers as hap
pened to be excused from stables-pre-
clous few in Anterior S e2iment-came
rushing out of quarters to see them. All
the companies had had to "stand to
heel" and have their stalls inspected
before they started up the slope, but III
Ray stable were only few horses,
and the few men under charge of Ser
geant Merriweather had already gone to
barracks and were there when Conway
came through, and of this few was tho
new trooper, Hunter.
Still wearing his white stable frocl
and looking trifle tired and somber.
the recruit had stopped at the corner of
the porch and was gazing with bat
lanGuid interest at COnway's motley
Cavalcade when MerriWeather Joined
him. "A precious lot of iailbirds, " said
the sergeant as the party came Jogging
by, sheriff and deputies grinuing alta.
bly,, and many of the latter shouting
words of coincidence to the stay at
homes who hadn t been partakers with
them in the Slories Of tho chase ana
capture. Four prisoners bad trudged
YEARLY by, while Trooper Hunter re.
piled briefly but without especial civil
fty to the serSeants remark. Chen
came the fifth, whose eyes, Aaggard
and hunted looking glanced up just one
second at the man in stable fruuk at the
edge of the porch and instantly there
was flash Of recognition. Sergeant
Merriweather, turning TO his companion
in surprise, saw him gazing after No.
b with an expression of amazcmeut and
dismay upon his handsome face.
"Then you've met one Of these fell
lows before, have YOU" said Merri-
weather, with instant suspicion.
But Hunter answered never "a word,
aud, turning short, plunged into the
shadows of the great gloomy harrack.
Not for IS hours longer did Captain
Ray return, and with him camo the two
deputies and one more prisoner. The
others, so said the hoof tracks, had scat
tered during that first night over the
face Of the earth, and even the trai! soou
became indistinct on tho hard prairie
beyond tho Ska, but enough Was known
TO warrant the statement that two OF
the number had gone toward the agen-
cies away to the northeast and that their
mounts wero evidently FLOODED stock,
far swifter than Rays, for never once
had thoir leaders been III view and there
was no use in further pursuit Huddled
in the county Jail, the eight indicators
were awaiting the action of the civil
authorities and their Identification by
the railway people, while Ray and his
returned men shook off the dust Of travel
and settled down to garrison duty again.
The first thing demanded of Sergeant
Morriweather WAS an account IF hi,
stewardship ana tho progress Of the
new trooper, and Morriweathor looked