Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-03
A BLACK TRAMP"
And How He Was Found Out
by the People.
HE HELD UP EVERYBODY
And Was the Rider of a BICYCLE
Tragic Ending of the Life OF
an English Spcndthrilt
HE HELD UP EVERYBODY


/ aildlf Is becoming d publc Scdlual. oul
country police seem to be incapable of
| graphing with the difficulty, and 1 think
that you young fellows ought to COM
bine and form some plan for trapping
the rascal. This kind of thing can not
be allowed TO SO on
The public scandal to which the old
| warrior alluded was a being Familiarity
| spoken of as the BLACK Tramp In
| days gone by he would nave been called
| a ~hishWayman. The scene Of his depre-
| dations was the northwest corner of De-
| vonshire. and many a weli-to-do farmer
had been met by the tall, musuclar
tramp" mounted or a black bicycle,
and lightened of his cash and everything
! of value.
At first very little attention was paid
to the rumors of people being stopped by
a man in a mask, mounted on q bicycle.
! But gradually his presence became a
fearful public reality. The ruffian grew
| holder and bolder.
Sir Richard and Lady Deveril were
stopped on their way home from a county
ball and robbed of about 1000 worth of
| jewelry-an event which served to wake
the ~neighborhod up very effectually.
How the man acquired the name of the
BLACK Tramp is not very clear, for his
/ movements We're anything but tramp
| like. He had been known to commit two
robberies twenty miles apart, within an
| hour and a quarter. AS for his methods
l lllCS WERE Gillc Ia liz bpIloNSN olb - ~
A revolver pointed at the ~coachman's
| head brought the carriage to a standstill.
| If that failed, the BLACK Tramp who
had not yet taken a human life, unhesti-
tatingly shot one of the horses.
He appeared to be a cool-headed, des-
perate individual, who carried his pur-
pose chiefly by force of will. But he
brooked no resistance.
On one occasion the vicar of Coriska,
driving home from a meeting in a neigh
boring parish, was ordered to pay toll.
Il will not.' said the old clergyman
who has been an army chaplain, and
was as brave as q lion. Il will not hand
one penny over to you, you black-hearted
thieving rascal!'
1t requires some nerve to talk like that
when a little glittering revolver is level
ed at your head.
But the BLACK Tramp was not dis
composed.
Il recommend you not to trifle with
met he said, in a hard, even voice.
IF you are a villain enough to murder
me, do So" said the vicar. And may
i God forgive you!"
Il shall lodge a ball in your right Shout
- DER said the tramp coolly. 1T Will pre-
vent your sermon-WritinS for some time.
There was a moments silence; a shot
rang through the air, and the wear sank
back in the corner of his carriage DIS
abled.
The robber then removed everything OF
value, sprang on his machine, and, rec
ommending the coachman, who had run
away, to return to his master, disap-
peared in the darkness.
For the rest, the "BlaCk Tramp was a
mystery. Nobody had seen his face, fol
he wore a mask, and never appeared by
daylight. He seemed to have a perfect
knowledge of the surrounding country,
and. what was more strange, he always
appeared to know when people had prop
-. ,,,t than, r-n,th tokinU THE
BLACK Tramp had never been known to
stop a person whose pockets were empty
The colonel's proposal, then, for the
gentry of the county to band together
against the public evil was received VIII
reclamation.
1t was made in his own drawing-room
in the presence of half a dozen young
fellows whom he had invited for the ex.
press purpose of a consultation.
Il, for one, am ready to lend a hand,
said Charles Blackjack, the son of the
vicar who had been shot in the shoulder
"And T." "And To- echoed the others
eager, like all Englishmen, for my adven'
ture with a sopcon of danger in it to Sivt
it q relish.
BERTHE FISHERMAN, the colonel's younger
Or son, entered the roOnl, and every ont
g turned to him for his opinion.
I'll join in the hunt with pleasure
he said, with lazy good humor. ANY
thing for a chance
This was considered to settle 1t. witt
y the old colonel to form plans and BERTH
~ to carry them out, the career of thu
"Black Tramp was regarded as prac'
40 tically finished.
= The colonel produced county map
and drew up an elaborate scheme FOL
patrolling the roads for 20 miles. There
would be no difficulty in enlisting the
help of 80 good cyclists to take turns or
duty, and the colonies plan was so excel
n lent that it would be impossible for the
BLACK Tramp" to make his appearance
in the district without being seen.
VI Nov, boys" said the colonel, after ht
" had explained his arrangements, -
should like to be in it myself, but l havt
got past midnight rides. If you can once
get on his track stick to him., even if yol
m chase him all the way to London"
40 IF | meet the johnnie" drawled BERTHE
Il sha'n't bother to catch him; l shall
M blow his brains out!'
M Mind he doesn't blow yours out sale
Charlie Blackjack, with a sheer.
1T wouldn't make much difference tt
BERTHE if he did, said somebody, chatting
ly."
But it was odd that, though everybod!
treated the matter as a joke, there wa
one person there who trembled with ap
prehension at the idea of BERTHE Saster
Imam losing his life at the hands of tn,
BLACK Thamp."
1t was abel Best a slim, grave-eye'
girl who stood by his side, perhaps tn
only person in the world who really love,
him.. -.
II He was a queer character, this Berti
Easterman-a dare devil, reckless ne-er
- do we'll. Al Oxford he had s~quandered
snug little fortune left to him by hi