The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-10-20
Shipped Stolen Money to Con-
federate Who Makes His
Escape.
a LITTLE BOX FROM HOME
Company Detectives Experienced No
Difficulty in Tracing Plumber to
Home of Thieves, but Too
Late to Effect Recovery.
From the Kansas civ Star

any part OF the world as those who
followed the building of the Southern
Pacific railroad westward through
Texas" remarked Jesse Fry, travelling
freight agent of the Iron Mountain, ii
few days ago. Mr.. Fry was with the
passenger department of the old Gal
weston. Harrisburg & San Antonio rail-
road, now a part Of the Southern Pa
cific, in those days and to him fell the
duty Of opening up the new stations at
the end of the line as construction
progressed.
Il have read of the poker games and
gun plays that used to occur in Dodge
and Abilene and other frontier towns
but none OF them were a patching to
incidents that We're of almost nightly
occurrence in the construction camps
at the II of the line" he continued.
You see, the riff of Mexico and
the United States We're gathered along
the Rio Grande border in those days.
The officers of the law made slight pre-
tense Of regulating affairs. The hunted
outlaws who had fled to the remote
bordering the Rio Grande
came out of their hiding and ran things
with a high hand in the railroad camps.
None of the railroad employees expected
to do any better than make both ends
meet from month to month and from
day to day. l know that inmy own
case l would no sooner get my&lonthly
pay than l would sit in a poker game
with some Of the cut-throats. 1t made
little matter whether | won or lost
money. II l got up from the game with
money in my pockets it would be gone
before morning. The thieves were so
bold about it that they would rob you
no matter, what p%recaution you took.
1t was i motley crowd.
Il had a remarkable experience at
Dryden a new station at the end of the
line which l had just opened up. One
morning a handsomely dressed fellow
entered the little shack which l was
using fer telegraph office and station.
He introduced himself to me by some
name which l do not now remember
and me that he was going over into
Mexico on a mining prospecting trip,
but that he would have to wait in Dry
den until a box of some kind of supplies
which he needed showed up. &c was q
we'll educated, quiet and reserved sort
of fellow n semed quite out OF place
In that rough community. l took quite
q fancy to him and there being no
such thing as hotel Accommodations at
the front l invited the stranger to share
my bunk in the little station building.
He spent much time with me during
the first few days and we got along
famousiy together. 1t did not take long
for me to discover. however. that he
was not the tenderfoot that l took him
to be. He run up against some of the
tough men of the camp in the course
of our nightly prowlings and he held
his own with the best of them when
they undertook to dress him down in
games of poker.
He had been at Dryden about a
week and seemed to be getting anxious
about getting off on his prospecting
trip. He said that his health was not
the best and he though that a year or
so Of roughing it in the mountains of
Mexico YOU do him good. He made
81 few casual inquiries from day to
day as to the arrival of the box for
which he was waiting. The long-eX-
pected box came out on the mixed pas
senger, train from San Antonio one
evening. 1t was dumped off with a lot
of other express matter and it almost
escaped my eye until l saw the name
of the stranger written across 1t. L
took it into the Office and pitched it
over on a lot of other goods.
"i'That box came for you this even
in l said to the stranger when he
came in after upper
"'That 500 he said, without much
show of interest.
DO you want to sign for it now,
or will you wait until morning" l
asked.
".Oh, tomorrow will be time enough
he answered. Just let it stay where
want to get out into the soEtudes OF the
1t is until 1 get ready to CO.
He sat up late with me that night
and we talked of different things.
"I will hate to leave you.' he said
when WE a turned in and We're lying
together on the wide bun but l must
be getting away from here tomorrow.
This is too tough a place for me. l
mountains
Next morning the stranger got up
early and the sun was still low in the
east when he rode up on a good horse.
To the saddle was strapped a big sup
ply of provisions and a blanket. He
left the horse standing at he door OF
the station While he came IN ana tod
me he was now ready for the box that
had come the evening before. He
signed for the box and when l handed
1t to him observed the light that kin
died in his eyes as he gave a quick in
spection.
hime,' he explained. It does a fellow
good to get something from home when
he is way out in this God-forsaKel,
country
HE strapped the box TO the saddle
and gave me a warm goGIl-by, not for
getting to thank me for the kindness
that l had shown him.
dryden Is within a hundred yards or
80 of the Rio Grande, which was easily
Formidable at that point at that time OF
the year. The last l saw of my visitor
was when his horse was climbing the
E DdIh. VI llIS ! SANS " 49, w
and turned into a canyon that led
down on that side of the stream. The
fellow turned in his saddle and waved
me a farewell with his big sombrero.
II was sitting at my telegraph in
.strument the following evening when ]
received the following telegram from
st. Louis, Mo-:
".Hold box shipped by express, COW
cred by way bill No. 347.'
THAT was the identical box which
had come addressed to the stranger
and which he had taken with him into
Mexico. l wired a reply that the box
had already been signed for and taker
out Of the Office. Three days later 6
man got off the train at Dryden and In
troduced himself to me as the chief o.
detectives for the express COMPANY
d which operated on one OF the roads
running out of st. Louis. He informed
me that the box which had come to tn
stranger and which had been carried
on by him contained $4,000. This
money had been, stolen from .the ex
press company a few miles out Of ST
Louis and was shipped by the robbel