Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-10-25

Friday night coal rustlers beat up
the faces of two railroad detectives,
some. Details of the story are
shy, exceedingly difficult to get
hold of; names of those implicated
impossible. A half dozen radically |
different versions of the affair are
circulated on the street. The least |
improbable version is that while |
a coal train was at the depot that
night and, as usual, number OF
persons were supplying themselves
with coal, to keep the lady and the
babies warm, a couple OF 'detec-
tives'' appeared within their midst,
with big guns unlimbered and ready
for action. The rustlers closed in
on them, captured their guns and
thumped them plenty, Marques OF
Gooseberry rules.
Chief of Police Frank Boyd was
hurried1y called out of bed and sub
dued the riot with diplomacy, pre-
venting the prominent citizens from
annihilating the railroad forces.
With diplomacy also he sidestepped
an interview on the subject. To
the enquiry as to whether or not
the detectives were badly hurt, he
replied: ''Wel1, they will probably
remember that they had stopped off
in Mountain Home. One report
is that they were put on the next
train and ordered to inform their
associate sleuths that this is an
unhealthy town for rail road spot
ters.
Since then coal trains have not
stopped here, but have run through
at the rate of thirty miles an hour.
There is an ordinance limiting
the speed of trains within village
limits to six miles an hour which
is never observed. The truth OF the
matter is that unless this problem
is quickly adjusted, some one is
going to get seriously hurt, prob
ably killed, and il the victim
chances to be a resident OF Noun
tain Home, ''hell will be apop-
PIN - over in the railroad yards,
indefinitely.
Maverick is informed on wha
seems to be good authority that the
Union Pacific is selling coal II
Butte. which is II miles furthel
from the Wyoming mines by raj
than is Mountain Home, at SIS. SO ;
ton. In Salt Lake, which is onl,
10 miles nearer the mines, as pc
the rail road folder, than this town
citizens are protesting against thu
monopolistic hold up price OF IS. 3.
ton. Here, however, where tn
cinch is of the lead pipe variet
and seemingly perpetual, there be
ing no transportation competition
we fall over each other in viii
bargain day rush to pay So. 5
whenever a gum shoe rumor is cir
culated among intimate friends tha
a car load is to be distributed /
small lots among the shiver1ng
teeth chattering citizens of thi
Disseminated against town. J'h
phase of the problem in whic
Maverick has been baffled in II
efforts to fathom is, why the CON
pany so persistently and insolentl
refuses to sell its coal here, eve
at these exorbitant, highway rot
berry prices.
One solution offered is that off
cials ''have it in for' Mountai
Home. If that be true, then II
policy is the policy merely of son
subordinate official who is inspire
by petty spite, and he could soon
disposed of if the matter we
brought to the attention of tho
who are really in authority; f
these big black flag trusts, the
pirates of commerce. prey on {
within their reach, and rarely pc
NIT the degrading passion of 7
venge to stand between themselv
and coveted dollars.
One thing is certain, howeve
that those in charge of the distrib
ton of coal treat local dealers wi
no consideration whatever; on I
contrary, with marked discourtes
Some days since one of them wrc
a business letter to the genei
sales agent, asking politely WI
the prospects were for getting a c
load at an early day, stating t
real, unexagerated conditions ii