Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-30
CHAPTER XIV.
A Million Dollars Ransom.

| Just grabbed truth by the tail and tried TO
| stay right with her. But truth runs swift,
and raises plenty dust of lies around her
heels. So maybe. whirling along 1 missed
| good facts. Happens I've been poorly pro-
4 vided with one eye and lot of prejudice ID
| see the trail ahead: likely I've not been the
| only party Interested. Anyways. outsiders
| could watch the stampede without getting
| choked with dust
| Now these conclusions struck me abrupt
like a bat in the eye when 1 sat down to
rest IN camp at Echo Spring. Before leav-
| ing Grave City, while thinking of other
| worries. I had caught copy of local
| paper. stuffed the same in my rear pocket.
| and aforementioned having such possess
| sions. l never thought of 1t until my
| tigers. hungering for news, caught sight
| OF the bullying paper and rushed my
camp to grab. Then unfolded the
| Weekly Obituary to these boys, all
setting around their tails and point
| ing their ears for instruction. L read
| 10 them about certain Chalkeye Davies
| who seemed to be a most astonishing out
| ra6eous villain, performing simultaneous
| crimes in several places at once. My tigers
| purred for more.
Then came whole page of revelations
4 concerning 1.-The kidnapped Croesus." other
/ wise styled the stolen millionaire" and
] the "brigands prey" 1t was clearly proved
| that the Chalkeye villain. Jim du Chesnay-
described as "a broken-down swell'-and
1
| purloining Michael Ryan aud hiding him
| up in a cave, the place being well known to
| the authorities. This cave inaccessible
| by land and water, guarded with machine
| guns, and supplied with an modern con-
vehiences, especially searchlight Our
| special representative" had been there. "but
| declined to give particulars for fear of driv-
| ing the bandits to still more desperate meas
ureS."
Then came the Weekly Obituary gallery
of fine portraits. We knew them all WELL
because they were served up frequent to
! represent murderers, politicians, actresses
| preachers, scandalouS British duchesses and
| other notorious persons. Now they repre-
sented McCalmont. Curly, Chalkeye. JIM
| Michael Ryan, Mrs. Michael and old Mrs
| Ryan. The Weekly Obituary said it was
| wishful with these identiications to assist
| the ends of justice.
| After this the next page was all quota
| lions from leading papers throughout the
| republic. proving how plumb depraved the
1 robbers We're, how wicked it was to purloin
| the rich and good out of their private cars,
| and how the federal government ought to
| act in this shocking catastrophe. The New
| York papers just burned themselves with
| wrath because Michaers present engage
| ments prevented him whole lot from at
| tending to railroad business His financial
| combine was due to collapse complete unless
| he took hold at once.
Last came "our special supplement" with
| the very latest news. 1t seems that Michael
| had written to his wife in New York; like
| wise that somebody stole the letter from
| her and sold it to the New York Mega
phone. Then all the papers copied
| Michaers letter and laid the blame on the
September sth. 1900
tDear Kathleen: On 18th ult. L was alb
Quoted at Grave City out of my car by
| brigands and carried blndfold, dashed on to
| the back of a horse, for several hundred
| miles through frightful country, arriving
weighed ninety-eight pounds! Indeed, was
| nearly dead; but now the robbers feed
| ing me UP. that I'm gaining flesh. al
| though I'm still kept prisoner In close con-
| finement.
81 don't know the whereabouts OF this
| house. but It's large rancho building Of
logs In the middle of pine woods. At nights
| I'm almost frozen. SO 1t must be high up
| in some range of mountains. The country
| looks fiat from the window. A robber told
me once that the place is in California.
Now, dearest, you Will take this as my
| authority, and raise the sum Of one million
| dollars to pay my ransom, and save ple
| from being murdered. You know who to go
| to, and offer securities for the loan, getting
| the best terms you can. This money must
| be paid one-tenth in United States gold
| currency and the balance in notes OF $50
| fifty dollars and under. Bring it to Flag
| staff, In Arizona. and ask for military es
| cort. There you will charter a wagon, and
| have the treasure delivered at the point where
| the Tuba trail from Flagstaff crosses the
| Little Colorado river, right in the middle of
| the Painted desert. The wagon must then
|
Canon Diablo. leaving spies behind. The
| chief of the robbers tells me that the man
/ he sends with team to get this wagon
will be perfectly innocent farmer. and
| that any parties attempting to modest, join
or follow him will be killed so quick they'll
| never know what struck them.
| Il must earnestly warn you. you value
| my life. to prevent any attempt whatever
! to watch or track the wagon; or prior to
| my release to permit any hostile movement
| against the robbers; or to deliver any
money short of the full ransom; or to mark
any coin or note for future Identification
| If the terms are not absolutely complied
with in every detail, within forty days
| from date-that is by noon of 18th October,
| | shall be murdered. If the ransom is de-
livered as per instructions by 18th October
and found correct the robbers will then
dispense, and have no further use for me-
They promise then to deliver me at the
nearest rancho or farm on or before 1st
November.
"Private.-Now, dearest of my own free.
WILL and without compulsion from the rob-
bers, l want to ease my mind of great
burden, by confessing to you / shall TO
holy church If ever I get the chance In
der this dreadful visitation I see things In
their true light which before We're hid.
Il guess there's not the slightest doubt
est scoundrels that ever dsgraced this
earth. Apart from his odious crimes In
Ireland, his later life was STEPPED in VII
lainy. For years at Holy Cross ranch he
bers who have captured me. One of them
Chalkeye Davies, the notorious horse-thief.
was his foreman, and Captain McCalmonts
son went there to get educated in crime
Once Balshannon actually hired the gang
to rob my father of $75, 600.
Under such circumstances am awed by
the sublime courage of my father In this
single-handed war against Balshannon and
his outlaws. stood at fathers side In
the last fight when Balshannon murdered
him: 1 fired first in the fusillade which
avenged the old mans death; and
unframed as I am to such wild warfare of
the frontier, I tried to be worthy of my
blood.
"But when I think of Balshannon's son,
realize now that he fought for his father
as fought for mine. Afterwards, blinded
with passion. brought a charge against
him. and swore that he alone was guilty of
my fathers death. I had no right to do
that; the young chap was innocent the
charge was a put-up job. But the evil one
must have possessed me entirely. for when
several witnesses thought they could please
me by swearing Jim's life. away, 1 was
party to their perjuries More I was In
duced to help them with money to leave the
country, and so escape arrest.
IF sinned, I am punished, for as the
robbers were Balshannon's partners. SO