Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-05-09

CHAPTER vi

n e6ITltOrldl BOVeIuOr is uOG an awe
inspiring official ordinarily, but the
governor of Wyoming, relieved Of his
valuables at the point of the pistol, was
not slow in seeking redress From Butte
he wired full particulars of the robbery
to the department commander, who was
at Pawnee just back from an inspection
of the Sioux agencies, so miles to the
north. The general was waiting for the
east bound train at the depot hotel, was
aroused in an instant, and lost no time
in wiring authority to Colonel Atherton
to use any means in his power to head
off and capture the robbers without
waiting for civil process. The news of
the hold up with its attendant casu-
alties went buzzing over the post at re-
veille, and barely had the story reached
Anterior as he stood under the flagstaff
receiving the reports of the troop COM
manders when out came the telegraph
operator, racing, and the colonel read
the hulriedly penned lines and turned
to Ray. Somehow or other whenever
any swift, hard riding had to be done.
Say and Rays troop were the, first fell
lows thought of.
Let your men finish breakfast, - said
the colonel, "then-do your best !" And
he handed the dark eyed Kentuckian the
diRpaaof.
In an hour from that time Mrs. Ray,
holding her baby hoy in her arms, was
gazing from the north window of her
army home at some black specks on the
far horizon, and little Sandy, tugging at
the skirts of her pretty morning wrap
per, was ooa1ing for mother to hold him
up too. The sorFel troop were up and
away, heading for Wheelan Springs, on
the Laramie trail, and bets were even
between Stannard and Mainwaring that
Ray would nab the outfit before sun
down.
But who could that "outfit" be? Jim
Long said all were masked, and he rec
ognized none. Scut, his fireman, died
without sign. Parks, the expressman,
declared every form unfamiliar. Jarvis,
the conductor, and Ryan, a brakeman,
alone could furnish anything like a
clew. Two of the desperadoes were
dressed like two cowboys they had had
aboard the night OF the collision, a fort
night back, and the leader, vino was
tall, slender, we'll dressed, with the
voice and information of man of educa-
tion and social position, closely resem.
bled in build passenger who boarded
the sleeper that night at the junction
and left it after the accident and went
to Pawnee. The division superintendent
wired to Omaha such particulars as he
could give. The legal representative and
certain detectives of the road were or
dered to leave for the scene by first
train. The sheriff at Butte had good
sized posse in readiness by breakfast
time and then started valiantly on the
trail of Rays troop, passing through
Fort Ransom about the time that Mr..
Dana was mounting guard.
Other sheriff officials went out to
Minden with the division superintend-
ent, and others still pushed on to Paw
nee, up on the broad plateau, to inquire
for two cowboys, a tramp and swell,
all OF whom had appeared there in COM
pany just after the smash up at Alkali
Flats, none of whom were there now,
but one of whom, the tramp, SO called,
looking SO entirely different man
with trimmed hair and beard and good
clothes-as to have been unacceptable
had he not rashly given himself away
to every body by Dragging about his ex-
ploits the night Of the smash up. That
tramp had boarded No. 3 at $3.50 q. m.
at Pawnee with a ticket for Sweetwa-
ter, but, SO it transpired, had checked
his trunk only as far as Butte. All this
by rapid te ographing to and fro was
developed before the posse started on it's
way, but mt until after the despoiled
train had changed engines at Butte, and
then, according to the memorable rules
OF the railway, had gone on again. Jar
Wis remembered that a very decent,
quiet dew boarded the forward pas
seng coach at Pawnee with a ticket
for ,~eetwater, but he did not connect
! 4 with the tramp SO lavishly provid-
d for by the swell" the night of the
collision. But, now they spoke of it,
they were about the same size and build,
and, what made it significant, that fell
low seemed to have disappeared when
the robbers jumped aboard and went
through the passengers, nor did no ap-
pear again until just Of, the train pulled
out for Butte after the robbers were
gone. Wiring west after the rushing
train speedily brought this answer "No
party with ticket from Pawnee to
Sweetwater aboard. - And as he had
been seen and talked with and listened
to up to the moment of the arrival Of
No. 8 at Butte Jarvis declared the man
must be somewhere about the town at
this moment, and Butte's few police
men we're put in search.
All they discovered by noon was that
such a party had been seen talking ex-
citedly with q tall stranger in heavy
overooat and cap near the baggage room
just after tho train came in. The bag
gage man said that the man who pre-
sented check for the trunk from Pawnee
was tall, slender and dressed in rough,
heavy oqat and travelling cap. The trunk
Mas sole leather: Z bed 9 lot Of foseigp