The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-16
HOW BLACK KELLY MET DEATH
THINGS HAPPENED AFTER THE
IVANHOE RAID.

The Fight at the Assay OHlce- 7-lnopportune
- Appearance OF Night Mam--The Chase
out of the Canon and Across the
Plains" Drive On" Said Black Kelly.
From the Portland Oregonidn.
When the assayer of the lvanhoe Mining
Company turned from his retort In Obedience
to gruf voice behind him. he looked straight
into the muZzle OF a A4-calibre Colts revolver,
behind which was tal and disagreeable-
looking man. Farther back toward tne
door were two other men regarding MIN
sreadfastly through the sights OF TWO more
revolvers, and the assayer realized that ne
was playing a leading part In one Of tho
hold-up dramas for which the West has
become justly celebrated. Being possessed
Of considerable common sense. he promptly
elevated his wavcring hands into the air.
Behind him in the big iron retOrt were 400
pounds Of amagam, quicksilver and gold
From this amalgam the quicksilver was
being evaporated. and when this process was
completed the retort would contain some
Atty pounds of gold. representing the monthly
cleanup or product Of the mine
The tall man stepped to the retort, lifted H.
but found 1t still too heavy 70 carry away
with any hope OF success.
We'll have 10 leave it awhile yet" no
to make a getaway with. Well wait Till IL
evaporates some more" And accordingly
they stood the assayer against the wall, his
face In the corner, and sat down to wait.
Had it not been for this annoying delay.
or, even 80. had Johnny Hanson. the night
man on the COMMENTATORS. not decided TO
visit the assayer and have little chat about
that time. the hold-up might have passed
into history as most successful and smoothly
conducted affair, But as II happened. Johnny.
feeling lonely In the concentration building.
and knowing that the assayer was working
late that night on the cleanup. took a hnal
look at his machines and left them to run
themselves while he stepped over to the
assay Office.
On entering the door he found himself
glaring at three revolvers, as had the AS
sayer, but being impetuous and young, In
stead of throwing UP his hands. he crap
pied with the nearest robber and shouted
Justify for help. The asssyer, turning In
voluntarily from his corner saw three des-
perate men trying TO choke Johnny INTO
silence. and so seized IN Iron pinchbar ana
struck wildly at the nearest foeman. In
an instant the butt OF revolver crashed on
the assayer' s temple. and he fell like stunned
OK to the floor.
But now the camp was aroused The
superintendent OF the mine. pistol In hand,
was crowding in the doorway, and behind.
more formidable, were burly men. the day
crew of the mill. Then II was that the first
shot was fired. Who fired 1t no one ever
knew. nor could any one tell clearly afterward
what followed. Crash after crash the reports
rang out inside the little assay office Fight
ing like wildcnts the tangle OF struggling
men surged through the narrow room; lur-
mace and scales and lamp and glass lux
hot IN "a % floor
and through the darkness leaped the long
red splitting Of the Colts. The heavy. acrid
smoke spread its suffocatng wreaths around
the storm Of fighters; here and there man
spun from the whirling mass, gasped clitched
at his chest or head stumbled and sank to
one side. And then. somehow. the tight
passed through the door into the open. anu
the miners were madly racing into the night
after an enemy that had fed up the canon,
and whose whereabouts could be known
only by the six quick flashes that told when
the robbers turned to empty revolver at
RANDOM IN the direct on Of their pursuers
The chase was soon abandoned. ana WI
der the direction Of Big Meade. the mill boss:
,he assay Office was inspected On 9Ss the s nogr
intendent. and Gilmore. the roGkbreaker
man all dead. while the assayer still lay where
r. saS Sues hnd cut ohs in the
walls and flooring, and caroming on again
had perforated the wooden sides of the Dnlld,
quicksilver TASKS were splashcs OF lead where
bullets had found harmless goal.
They didn't DO AZ this without an getting
No" said Sheehan. the boss packer; Il
saw Munson get one Of them. Shot him in
The chest think and then the ieii S g kiGRsd
him. Munson wasn't used to gun, and
those fellows fought like timber wolves,
A hundred yards from the assay Office,
Nf mi
found three horses tethered to tree and a
great JOY Allied the camp when the discovery
had been TOO close to permit the robbers
to seek and unite their horses. They had
been compelled 70 leave the animals, and so
At daybreak the posse. twenty mounted
sats saea il rS 5'1 p4ovson. shs for tSse
coil Of manila rope lay upon the seat.
They Gan have over twenty sSt miles
sSr 81 The canon and toward the rallroad
Wen catch them this evening" And 30 the
posse loped north through the canon:
country, covered only with short grass not
a foot high. Meade picked up. a torn shirt
They W, stopped here TO bind bind up wound
rag rag This il what was left it shows for
sure which way they came.
Hour after nour the posse galloped over
the prairie. It's front was spread out like
a line of battle for over ten miles, that the
lurtives might not run 10 one side and thus
escape IT, And in such u way the great drag
net covered nearly forty miles. Ahead. a
man could see clearly across the level prairie
for five miles or more. and still there was
no sign of living thing. Meade. who was
in the centre, refined In his cayuse and called
to the men on either side. Down the line the
cry was repeated until the endmost men
had turned and were riding in toward Meade.
We must have passed them. said Meade,
when most of the riders had gathered around
him. We've come Tar rs they could
have come without horses in this time; and
we can see Ave miles ahead Of us. They could
see man on horseback before we would see
them. and | guess they hid in bunch of
grass somewhere and let us ride past.
Let's figure on this thing Il little before we
ride back" said Sheehan. IT'S 3 O'Clock
now and they got away about IL last night.
That would bring them pretty near tins lar.
They'd travel fast But If they hid when they
seen us coming. that would be eight or nlne
miles back of here Now, five miles back
there's been big band OF sheep tins summer.
and they have eaten the grass so close tor
q strip OF six miles back Of that again that u
grasshopper couldn't hide in It from u bind
owl so, IL they're not ahead OF u.s. they Hre
lying on their bellies near the edge OF that
bare strip, eleven miles or 40 from mere.
Shsehan stopped and looked around for
confirmation. The logic Of this argument
was clear, and accordingly Meade arranged
that the posse should ride back. buncned
touasher ma though the pursuit. had been