The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-30

quite night Down this srdGe, few
weeks after the Smoky Creek fire. came
double ded stock train from the
Short Line with forty cars of steers.
The switch stood open; this much was
5fterward abundantly proved. The train
came down the grade very fast TO ga II
speed for the hill ahead of it. The head
enginenan, too late, saw the open tar
get. lie applied the emergency air.
threw mis- engine over, and whistied the
alarm. The mightieSt efforts OF a dozen
engines would have been EOwerless 20
check the heavy train. On the quarry
track stood three fat cars loaded with
granite blocks for the abUtmenJ of the
new Smoky Greek bridge. On a sanded
track. rolling at thirty miles an hour
and screaming in the clutches of the
burning brakes, the heavy engines
struck the switch like an avalanche.
reared upon the granite-laden fats, and
with forty loads of cattle plunged into
the canyon below; not a car remained
on the rails. The head brakeman, rid
ing in the second cab. was instantly
killed, and the engine crews, VINO
jumped, were badly hurt.
The whole operating department of
the road was stirred. What made the
affair more dreadful was that t had
O.
bound passenger train, held that morn
ing at Sleepy Cat by an engine
failure. Glover came to look into the
matter. The testimony of all tended
to one cOnclusiOn-that the quarry
switch had been thrown at some time
between 4:30 and 3 o'clock that morning.
differences were many: Tramps during
the early summer had been unusually
troublesome and many of them had
been vigorously handled by trainmen
robbery might have been a motive as
the express cars on train No. carried
heavy specie shipments from the coast
A third and more exciting event soon
put the quarry wreck into the back
ground. Ten days afterward an east
bound passenger train was tagged In
west of Sleepy Cat When the heavy
train slowed up, two men boarded the
engine and with pistols compelled the
engineman to cut off the express cars
and pull them to the water tank. a mile
east Of the station. Three men there
in waiting forced the express car, blew
open the safe, and the gang rode away
half an hour later loaded with gold coin
and currency.
Had a stick of dynamite been explod-
ed under the Wickiup there could not
have been more excitement at Medicine
Bend. Within three hours after the
news reached the town posse under
Sheriff Van Horn, with a carload OF
horsehesh and fourteen guns. was start
Oh for Sugar Buttes The trail led north
and the spUrsuers rode until nearly
nightfall They crossed Dutch fiat and
rode single hle into a wooded canyon,
where they came upon traces of
campfire. Van Horn, leading. jumped
from his horse and thrust his hand into
the ashes; they were still warm, and he
shouted to his men to ride up. As he
called out. a rife cracked from the box
elder trees ahead of him. The sheriff
fell, shot through the head. and a dep
uty, springing from his saddle to pick
him UP, was shot in precisely the same
way the posse. thrown into a panic.
did not IRE a single shot. and for an
hour dared not ride back for the bodies.
After dark they got the two dead men
and at midnight rode with them into
SIeeDv Cat
When the news reached McCloud ne
was talking with Bucks over the wires
Bucks had got into headquarters at
the river late that night. and was get
ting details from McC1oEd of the Sugar
Buttes robbery when the superintend-
emit sent him the news Of the killing OF
Van Horn and the deputy. In the an
swer that Bucks sent came a name new
to the wires of the mountain division
and rarely seen even in special CORE
spondence. but Hughie Morrison, who
took the message, never forgot that
name. Hughie handed the message to (
McCloud and stood by while the super
intendent read:
Whispering Smith is due in Chey-
enne tomorrow. Meet him at the Wick
fup Sunday morning; he has full -au-
thority. 1 have told him to get these