Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-02-09
eoge son you with a 4s-caliber lead

eoge son you with a 45-caliber lead
splitter
Just let one of 'em try it with
me, that's ALL exclaimed the little man,
fiercely, and then we changed the sub
ject.
swell, at about nine o'clock that
night we pulled up at little station
called Tyrone, to give the engine a
drink. We only halted there about
four minutes, but it was long enough.
The train hadn't got more than Ave
miles out Of Tyrone before we heard
lot of shots up forward-the smoker
was the second car from the engine
and the train came to halt. The
wheels had scarcely ceased to revolve,
when the front door Of the smoker was
thrown open with bang, and the COM
mand rang through the car like the
crack of a whip:
Everybody put 'em up! Quick!'
"A tall, raw-boned man, with stray
Cling red mustache, stood in the door
calmly waving his gun from side to
side with the characteristic movement
of an expert gun-fanner. He looked
business all over. l decided instant
ly-I'd put my hands up before I'd done
any deciding, however-that he wasn't
any amateur, and that he was going
to get all that was coming to him. /
couldn't help but notice that the dys-
peptic-looking little man in front of
me threw up his hands with the rest,
although he did bit of fumbling with
his right hand before it went up in
the air.
"'Seein' that my podner's busy
keepin' tab on TIL loco-driver,' said the
raw-boned bandit-he didn't wear any
mask, and there was certain devilish
twinkle in his eye as he spoke-Ill jes'
ask you gentlemen to spring what
you've got on with one hand at time,
as I pass along, and I'll do the rest
HE wore hickory bag, suspended
by string around his neck, in front of
him-a bag similar to those worn by
carpenters or fathers for holding nails
land he just reached out his left hand
and dropped walets, watches and
chains and loose rolls into the bag as
he passed along. None of the VIC
TINS had chance to hold out anything
on him, for he was one of the eagle-eyed
species, and he seemed to see all hands
in the car at once. He walked sideways
down the aisle so as to make sure that
he wouldn't be plunked from behind
after passing along. He was scientist
in his business, all right, was that raw
boned man, and he didn't miss trick.
Every man up forward unquestionably
passed over his belongings to be
dropped into that roomy bag. The
little man with the Bostonese accent SO
amused me, with his hands sticking up
there as rigid as poles, that 1 almost
forgot to worry about what was go
ing to lose when it came my turn. He
had gone as white as sheet, and he
looked more CHASTITY as the raw-boned
robber approached him. Finally it came
his turn. The robber looked him over
with a half grin.
| Sorry, my sawed-off FRIEND the
robber started to say, when puff! the
right hand of the dyspeptic-looking
little man opened with cat-like rapid
ity and the robber got a fist-full of red
pepper square in the eyes! He let out
a howl, and the little man dropped to
the floor like flash. So did l, for that
matter.
"The robber yelled like mad man
lowered his gun hand and gropet
around with IL, and half second late,
he was butted in the stomach with al
the force the little man from New Eng
land had in his head. That doubled
the robber up, and a minute later W,
were all on top of him at once.
"You will try to appropriate whar
doesn't belong to you, hey, dog-gont
you!' the dyspeptic-looking little MAJ
muttered, standing over the blinded
bandit, who was almost insane witt
pain. We bound him securely, did wha
we could to alleviate his pain, and pu
guard over him. The robber wh'
was holding up the engineer, hearin!
the agonized shouts of his partner
concluded that there was nothing do
ing, and, firing few bluff shots, scam
pered off the tender into the darkness
We took the raw-boned bandit to Trim
idad, where he was tried, as I after
ward learned, and got 20 years. Ant
that's one time got fooled up who'll
lot in stick-up."-Washington Star.