The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-07-11
Standard Correspondent and
Artist Return Home
WERE WITH THE POSSE
Public Sentiment in Malta in Sympathv
With the Robbers-Little Hope
OF Capture.


respondent, direct from the scene of
the train robbery near Malta and the
chase of the robbers. They Went out
Immediately after the robbery with in
structions to get the news of the
chase. After following the trail of the
robbers until 1t was lost and after de-
termining that the pursuit by the
posse was not likely to result in cap
ture, they returned.
All the news that has been received
from the chase has come from these
standard men and the reports they
took and sent to Malta for transmits.
sion by telegraph to the Standard. The
railroad people and the authorities
have had to depend on them entirely
for news. No other newspaper had q
correspondent in the field or made an
attempt to secure the news from first
hands.
At the time the Standard cores
pondents left the field the posse was
working along the Missouri river, mor
than 100 miles from a telegraph wire.
and doubtless it will be several days
before any more news is heard from it
unless some members return Besides
this posse, however, men are working
up from the Yellowstone in the hope
of intercepting the fugitives, but the
latter know the country SO we'll and
doubtless made their preparations in
advance with such care that capture
In that country is hardly probable
The men who are chiefly interested in
the capture of the highwaymen are
gradually settling down to the opin.
ion that they will not be taken until
they are picked up perhaps months
hence, when they strike some city.
There are number of reasons why
the men were not taken before they
had such a long start. One is that
all difficulties were thrown in the way
OF gathering a properly equipped pos
Sc. Malta is town a large proportion
of whose population is either in sym.
pathy with the robbers or at least not
in sympathy with the chase. The
loose element, which contains some
men who ould have been admirable
material for a posse. shows it's SYM
pathy for the robbers, not openly but
by cursing the Great Northern and the
posse. Why. say these men, Il
would not be seen dead riding with
that bunch Of sheepherders that is out
with the sheriff."
On the other hand, there are more
substantial men in the vicini. y, who
own many horses, and who could
have gone themselves or who could
have sent good men, who declare
that 1t isn't their business to look af-
ter the Great Northern robbers. They
carefully abstain from lending any
assistance to the posse, yet when last
Friday night Smith & Trafton's horse
herd of 800 head were run off by high
waymen all these men rallied and put
tirst-class posse in the field. 1t was
successful in recovering every horse
that had been run off.
But when the posses to chase the
train robbers were being organized the
best horses and the best men were
not to be had. The justice of the
peace at Malta rounded up bunch of
good horses to await the coming of
the under sheriff and his men from
Glasgow, but while waiting someone
ran the herd of. The result was the
under sheriff's outfit did not get out
until midnight, and then it went poor
ly mounted.
The sheriff and his four men start
ed quicker. but also were mounted
poorly, two Of the horses being work
stock. One of the four men was sim
ply paid guide VINO had no interest in
the chase. Some owners of horses alb
solutely refused to let their animals be
taken.
All this explains why the robbers
got start. The Standard men In the
field took the pains to trace accurate
ly the route taken by the robbers, and
it develops that the three men made
remarkable time. It has been proven
that they covered about 30 miles in
little more than two hours.
After crossing the river from the