Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-04-26
\ MIDNIGHT ROBBER
THIS PIONEER THIEF DID HIS WORK
SILENTLY AND WELL.

THIS PIONEER THIEF DID HIS WORK
SILENTLY AND WELL.
The Plumber Tint So MysteriOusIy
Disappeared Was Eventually Re-
covered, but the Criminal Was Too
Cunning Chap to BE Caught.
Captains of industry have come out
of the west as well as the east And
the great San Joaquin valley of Cali
fornia has produced its quota. One of
the best known of these men was JAS
per Harrell who had his home in TIL
larc county, but whose business trans
actions carried him all over the state
and into other states as well. No one
had wider acquaintance than Mr..
llarrell. for he was one of the very
carly settlers in that region, and he lit
orally grew up with the valley. He was
an exceedingly popular man, and this
was probably one reason why he flour
ished as rancher and stocliman and
amassed II goodly fortune before the
close of the nineteenth century. He
handled large herds of cattle and was
dealer in and grower of hay and bar
ley to such an extent that he came to
be lamiliarly nicknamed BARLEY" Har-
rell
One bright spring day long before
the Southern Pacific railroad wound
Its crooked double line track up and
over the Tehachapi mountains from the
great valley into the Mojave desert
Mr.. Harrell and his father-in-law start
ed from their home in Tulare county
to ride on horseback to Los Angeles, a
distance of go miles at least. But
such lengthy journeys We're not infre-
quently undertaken by stockmen and
merchants in those antcrairoad days
in California. The two men stopped
overnight wherever twilight caught
them, for the country was almost I'M
inhabited.
One night in crossing the Tehachapi
range they made their camp in grove
of scrnbby oak and brush. Their
horses were stakcd out to Craze, and
after Il meascr meal around the camp
fire the two men arranged their bed
for the night. Mr.. Harrcll had around
him strong, wide buckskin belt in
which he carried $1,000 in gold coin.
With this he intended purchasing II
number of cattle rated as feeders, and
these would then be driven back into
the valley and prepared for the mar
kets. Unbuckling his heavy money
belt he threw it on the ground under
his saddle, which he always used as n
pillow in camping out
Sweetly and soundly the two men
slept, with no thought of harm or hint
of danger.
When morning came they arose early,
built fire, cooked and ate their break
fast with a relish and then brought up
their horses TO be saddlcd and bridled.
When Mr.. Harrell picked up his saddle
he stared Mt the bare ground and whis-
tied sharply.
"Where in Lucifer is that belt and
my money!" he exclaimed.
Sure enough, it had disappeared. The
camping ground and every article ON II
were carefully searched, and then ev-
cry foot of ground within wide cir
Ne's W $50 aiiihbtSiS SoiiS oNCl, Dul llOt u
sign of any belt or money was found
Neither could any tracks of either man
or animal be seen. 1t was mystery
what had become of that money belt,
for they were many, many miles from
any human habitation, and no one had
passed them on the trail for days.
Giving up the search with reluctance,
tbn fIyp 90,
Of their journey but they did not buy
any cattle.
About thirteen months later Mr.. Har-
rel and another Of his live stock
friends made the same horseback trip
again. They camped not far from the
place where the buckskin belt had been
lost on the previous journey.
fright over yonder," said Mr.. Har-
rell, showing his friend, sis where
lost $1,000 in gold when went through
here about year ago. I'd like to know
what became of that pile"
Lets go over and look around there
again just for fun" suggested his
friend.
They did so, and, strange to relate,
'itS uSSi'ttHttlllS SlullDlcu TlSul over
the very spot where the money had
been dropped. For over twelve months
that heap of twenty dollar gold pieces
had been kissed by the grass and flow
ers. wept upon by the rain and dew,
winked at by the stars, smiled at by
the moon, infamed by the sun and fan
ned by the Dreezes, yet there they were,
apparently unchanged in the least
Though the money had mystcriously
disappeared, it was almost as strangely
recovered. All OF it was found but two
twenty dollar pieces.
Here is the explanation: A hungry
coyote had passed by the sleeping tray
eler and had shifted around till it found
the DucksEin belt. This was seized and
carried off to Il safe distance before the
animal stopped to chew up the buck
skin. On the way two of the coins had
dropped from the belt, but the rest OF
the gold held in place till 1t was torn
from its recesses as the sharp toothed
hungry coyote devoured his stolen It'd
bit.-San Francisco Chronicle.
MANS lNNE NTINNS