Williams news., 1903-02-21

through the country, and joined , the band at Robbers Roost." "The scheme which they hae ) planned was to hold up the trair J at Nelson, about eight miles iron Peach Springs. Parker was to have one man with him to help him ir
 the work, and as soon as they hao
 secured the booty they were to go
 into southwestern Nevada and es.
 cape. Thompson and Marvin, as
 soon as they started on the expedi-
 tion, were to go to Peach Springs
 take a room at the hotel, so that
 when the alarm was raised Thomp. sons gang would not be suspected
 and Jim Parker, according to last accounts, being in California, sus- picion would be diverted from Robbers Roost.'
 "sBut the best laid plans of mice and men oft gang aglee,' as I will explain. The train slowed up for Nelson, in box canyon, and Par ker swung himself aboard the en- zine and held up the engineer and fireman and stopped the train. His partner was to uncouple the ex- press car from the passenger coaches and signal by two shots, when Parker would take the train up the canyon and they would dynamite the express car. When the train slowed up, the express messenger, fearing something wrong. grabbed his revolver and jumped from the train. He saw the cars uncoupled and was climbing back on the plat form when he came face to face with the train robber. He shot him dead, and Jim Parker, hearing the two shots, concluded it was the signal, and pulled the throttle open and took the engine and mail car off. The mail car was ahead of the express car, which was unusual, but the mistake, fortunately, saved the Wells-Fargo people a large sum of money, for the express car was left standing with the passen- ger coaches.
 "Three miles from where the train stopped Parker brought the engine to standstill and marched the en- gineer and fireman off, while he proceeded to rife the registered mail pouch. He was expecting his partner every minute, but he did not materialize, and so, single handed and alone, he calmly went through the mail, selecting the let ters containing money and val uables. He then directed the en- gineer and fireman to go back and get the train, and he made for the bush. He came back, however, and hid along the railroad track as the train went by, and then hurried back to the place where he had left his partner, wandering in the mean time what had become of him. He found not a trace of him, and, talk ing the horses, rode off to a desert ed cabin, where he spent the night. The next morning he returned to the scene and, not finding his part ner, made off for Nevada.
 "A posse was immediately called and I was placed in charge of it. It included the sheriffs of Mohave and Yavayai counties and myself, the sheriff of Coconino county, and seven depnties. Wetookupthe trail from the place where the train had been held up, and followed it two days. Parker was great cigarette smoker, and we found place where he had consumed at least 100 cigar cites. We could tell from the trail that he had taken off his boots and wound his feet with clothing to pro- tect them from the cold. He had evidently taken his boots off at night and his feet had swollen to such an extent as to prevent him from putting them on again. Itl