The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-10-18
HIS LITTLE BOX FROM HOME
Was a Shipment of Eighty Thousand DOL
lars of Stolen Money!.
Kansas City Star.

''There was probably never such
another lot Of cut.throats and desper-
ate men gathered together in one
bunch in any part of the world as
those who followed the building Of
the Southern Pacific Railroad west
ward through Texas remarked Jesse
Fry, travelling freight agent of the
Iron Mountain, few days ago to
Star reporter. Mr.. Fry was with the
passenger department of the old Gal
weston, Harrisburg Of the Southern
Pacific in those days, and San Anton
10 Railroad, now a part and to him
fell the duty Of opening up the new
stations at the end of the line as con-
struction progressed.
II 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 was a patch
to Incidents that were Of almost
nightly occurrence in the construction
camps at che end of the line," he
continued. "You see, the riffraff of
Mexico aud the United States vas
gathered along the Rio Grand border
in those days. The officers Of the
law made slight pretsnce Of regulst-
ing affairs.
1.-THE hunted outlaws who mad fed
to the remote canons bordering the
Rio Grande came out of their hiding
aud ran things with high hand in
the railroad camps. None Of the
railroad employees expected to do any
better than make Doth ends meet
from month to month and from day
to day. I know that in my own case
I would no sooner get my monthly pay
than I would sit in poker game with
some Of the cut-throats. It made
little matter whether / won or lost
money. III got up from the game
with money in my pockets itowould
be- gone before morning. The thieves
were 80 bold about it that they would
rob you no matter what precaution
you took. Il was a molly crowd.
~ bad remarkable experience at
Dryden, q new station at the end Of
the line" which I had just opened ap.
One morning q handsomely dressed
fellow entered the little shack which
1 was usipS Tor telegraph Office and
station. He introduced himself to
me by sonls name which I do not
semember, and told me that be was
going over into Mexico on mining
prospecting trip, but that he would
have to wait at Dryden until box OF
soae kind Of supplies which he needed
showed up. +.
s"Ee was d we'll educated, quiet and
seaerved soFt oe fellow and seemed
quite out Of place in that rough com.
munity. I cook quito fancy to him
and, there being 40 such thing %
hotel asoonmodations at tho front, I
iavited the stranger to share my bunk
in the little station building. He
.'sIspt pgeb time With me during the
arst few days, aud ne got along "a.
saously together. It did not take long
s0E mo to discover, however, that he
vas not the tenderfoot that I took
him to be. We ran against some Of
tho tough men OF the camp in the
course Of our nightly prowliugs, and
:. he held his own with the best Of them
when they undertook to dress him
down in games of poker. :
. He had been st Dryden about q
week and seemed to be getting aux.
ious about getting off on his prospect
ing trip. He said that his health
was not the best, and he thought that
. year or so Of roughing it in the
mountains Of Mexico would do him
good. He made a few casual in
quiries from day to day as to the ar
rival OF the boz for which he was
waiting. The, long expected boz
came out on the mixed passenger train
from San Antonio one evening. It
wss damped OF with a lot of other
express matter and it almost escaped
my eye until I saw the name Of the
stranger writton across IL. I took it
Spso the Office and pitched Il over q
lot Of other goods. .'.%.: .%:..... !.
That box came for you this even.
ing, said 60 the stranger when he
came in after supper. -.::=s 4: = <.4...,
:" That SOP he said, without much
show Of interest. :.:=:,: ::::.:.
=, .$.s, DO you want TO sign for it now
or will you wait until mornEng2' I