The Washington herald., 1909-03-14
BY JAMES B. MORROW.

BY JAMES B. MORROW.
Besides his milliOns-he has twenty OF
them at least, so happy spectators and
busy investigators assert; also a 10000
house-George S. Nixon, Senator in Con-
gress from Nevada. has an almost IN
noticeable scar In his neck. Immediately
under the jaw at it's angle. The lawless
hand which held the knife missed the Jug
ular vein by a hair's-breadth.
II was talking TO a friend. on Septem-
Der 10. 1900 in the private Office of my
bank, at Winnemucca, about a horse, -
Senator Nixon said TO me. in beginning
his melodramatic story. The door burst
open with a crash that sounded like split
ting wood. and a fierce-looking man.
wearing a big white hat turned up in
front threw a six-shooter into my face
and then into the face Of my friend
While he was waving the gun back and
forth, keeping both of US covered. he
shouted once and maybe twice. Hands
up"
AT first, I thought some impertinent
idiot was attempting joke. However. 1
soon understood that the scoundrel meant
business. There was a Winchester loaded
with buckshot in a corner. bat II was out
Of reach. The robber marched US into the
lobby Of the bank. where we stood with
our faces TO the wall and our arms above
our heads.
Il looked over my shoulder and saw
two men with rifles operating with the
clerks. There was a brief running debate
concerning the safe. the clerks saying,
rather excitedly, that it couldn't be
opened by them. After some threats
about shooting your id heads of ven
tured the information. which was not al
together accurate. that the clerks were
telling the truth.
Then the leader Of the robbers, the big
man in the white hat, jabbed the end Of
his six-shooter hard into my ribs and
ordered me 10 the safe. I carefully ex-
amined the door and slowly tried the
knob, after which ] said. In what hoped
was a tone Of regret: Why, the time
lock is on. Nobody can open the safe
until tomorrow morning
The man in the white hat stuck his
revolver in one Of the front pockets OF
his trousers and whipped out q bowie
knife from somewhere in his clothing.
It was a large knife and sharp felt
neck open the safe, the rObber bawled,
or I will cut your throat from ear to ear
in two seconds.
There are psychological moments. I
had almost forgotten the combination OF
the safe, but Il came back 10 my mem
DRY at once. even swung the door
back as far as I could And I would
have helped in other ways had the rob
bers asked for my assistance. Recollect,
! had nothing but my bare hands. Still.
It was said afterward. by gentlemen who
were not present. that I should have
fought the robbers out into the street, and
then locked the door on them Wait IN
III you hear the end Of the story and
then judge for yourself what chance I
would have had in such a heroic under
taking"
Whereat Senator Nixon. his blue eyes
jumping, walked twice around the table
in the center Of the room, stamping his
feet and loudly laughing.
I'VE have nothing but gold money IN
Nevada" he said, resuming his story.
Five thousand dollars to the bag. when
It 8 kept in banks or depositaries. The
leader Of the robbers pulled a canvas
ore sack from between his body and
HIS trousers. I heard six bags Of our
gold coin drop into the ere sack and hit
the floor with doIeful thud Calculating
on the weight, roughly estimated # to
be 100 pounds. They can't get away
with it, I said 10 myself, with consider
able satisfaction. Even then I didn't
know my men
The robbers marched US into the street.
our hands in the air and our pride pretty
much broken. As they passed the open
money drawer they reached in and helped
themselves 10 loose gold which had been
put out for the days business. When
they had gone we counted our cash. and
found they had taken SO. go After they
had us lined up in the street the thieves
leaped upon their horses. which they had
cached behind the bank, and. shooting
their rifles and revolvers. vanished IN a
cloud Of drab dust over rise IN the
distance. Half a mile away the ruffian
in the white hat. who was leading. let
the sack OF gold slip from his saddle 10
the ground One Of the men behind, with
the legs, shoulders. and body Of a pam
Their, pulled his running horse TO his
launches. swung into the road ike an
acrobat, picked up the sack and was of
again, hardly having lost his step IN the
flying procession. A citizen in the street
himself cowboy said II was the finest
exhibition OF Workmanship he had ever
witnessed
"A deputy sheriff followed the robbers
on q switch engine. He fred seventeen
times, but couldn't lift them. Three miles
from Winnemueca they stopped at my
ranch and stole fresh horses. my best
saddle mount among the rest. Fifteen
miles farther on they got horses Of their
own, which they had hidden in the brush.
We spent 5000 in hunting them, and the
American Bankers Association put its
best detectives on the case. but we never
caught the robbers nor recovered any
part Of the money.
a year later the same men robbed an
express car in Montana, getting $4,000 OF
unsigned national bank notes, TO which
they attached signatures Of their own and
put into circulation. The robbery was re-
ported TO Washington and bankees all
over the country were notified One day
a strange man made a small purchase at
q little store in Nashville, Tenn. The
merchant couldn't change his $50 bill and
carried II across the street TO a bank
The teller at the bank, recognizing the
bill, TOLD the merchant to talk to the
strange man until the arrival OF the DO
lice. Two officers in uniform came and
stood at the entrance of the store. Two
detectives In citizens clothing walked
carelessly TO where the strange man was
conversing with the merchant