Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-07-25
HOW 100 RAILROAD DETECTIVES
SWOOPED DOWN ON TWO VERY
SURPRISED "7RAW WRECKERS'

them ripped his revolver with 81 de-
termination to shoot first and get the
ma before anyone else was so lucky.
The very boldness of the fellow proved
to the railway detectives that he would
fight TO the death-not one of them had
ever heard OF a man trying to break q
rail In broad daylight so boldly and so
careless of
One by one the officers crept up from
every direction. With pistols cooked
and nerves at high tension they closed
IN. Still the man kept on hammering
the rail. He had no idea of the Gordon
THAT was closing in all around him.
Now" yelled the leader of the de-
tectives.
The 100 detectives, revolvers leve,edi
a' the lone man. sprang out from thd
6ushes-it looked as if they had sud,
denly popped out of the ground. Be-
Iore the young man who was pounding
on the rail could realize 1t he was
seized, thrown to the ground and
pinned there. half a dozen big sleuths
holulng down his arms and legs.
we've got MIN at last" announced
!ne head detective, joyfu!ly. but
there'S a lot of US to claim the reward.
where's the rest of the gang?" q
"Ihere isn't any gang" protested the
young man family from beneath the,
NORGE OF detectives who were sitting
upon him; cant you see I'm ali
alone?"
cut 1T out" sneered a sleuth. You
couldn't hold UP a train In this part OF
the ountry all by yourself. 1t takes
more than one to rob messengers nova
days"
Who was trying to rob possengers?"
protested the young man, quiverins
with Indignation. I'm no thief"
Chuck t." laughed the head detect
i've. you're the fellow who's been
wrecking trains along the line for
ihonths. but We've got you now"
How could / wreck q train with
that demanded the prisoner. pointing
TO the coupling pin which he had
roppe when they bounced upon HIM
ana Why are you putting handouts
on me-"
a laugh was his answer.
inei me young man became really
voice 1reinbled. He blanched at the
right OF the handouts, and the detecl
,lVes grew co~rrespondingly overbearing.i
NO bluff now" put in their spokes-
man. Where are your pals? You'd,
better peach now, if you want to stand,
any chance"
II suppose I might as well tell you.'f
plurted out the young man, she's UNI
TIE track a mile" II
Here was news indeed. 1t was al
woman who had helped in the train
wrecks! Up the track went the entire'
'"Se dS tHey could rufl drag-
elhS their prisoner along with them.
protesting and suffering his ignorancei
all the way.
End Of the Mystery.
the crestfallen detectives
then, as solemnly n silently they
vailed pack the three miles without
any prisoners.
you See explained young Thomas
blanchard. we've been DIN this a
long time, because the folks at home
thought we were too young to be.
s~weethearts and they wouldn't let ,Is
out as much as we wanted. waa
just sending word to Stella that dad
wouldn't let me off work today when
all those men jumped on me.
We had a regular ode of signals
just as telegraph operators have. and
we nave been sending messages every
day when we couldn't get away from
home. When I'd tap the rails with
my coupling pin. Stella could hear 80
up the line and then she'd answer
sometimes we've talked for hours over
the rails when folks thought we were
a mile apart. So we were, but II dfdn,f
keep Us from sending our messages
seems to me some people are mighty
smart sneered Miss Baldwin. as the
last or the detectives was out of sight.
JUST because Tom and I were tapping
on the rails when we wanted to talk
II didn't make us train robbers. And
we are going to keep 1t up. too. No mat
ter II all the detectives in the state
come after u.s.
So. after all. the track walker didn.t
do so much harm.