River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-04-28

very cold Capt. Bill had not entirely recovered
from the bullet wounds received in the fight with
Matthews two months before, and was bent and
debilitated, but he did not falter. With Queen
and HarweH he plunged in and waded the icy
water, chin deep to the other side. Twice more
the trail led to the river and crossed, and twice
more Mcdonald and his men waded that bitter
current.
Mcdonald now made up his mind that the rob
bers would be likely to cross a road that had
been cut through the bottoms, and head for the
Territory He called to of his men-Ran
ger Mcclure, who appeared just then, little
distance away-to get ali the force he could and
guard that road, while he, Mcdonald and Queen
and Harwell, would continue to beat the brush
and search carefully through the bottoms At
that moment Lewis and Crawford were near
enough to hear this order, and the realization
that it was Bill Mcdonald and his Rangers who
were on the trail gave them sudden and more
severe chill than the icy water they had waded.
They had been heading for the Territory as
Mcdonald suspected, but decided to change their
course toward a creek that ran parallel with
the river. On their way to it they were obliged
to cross an open field, and though by this time
it was night-between nine and ten o'clock
a full moon had risen and they were discovered
by the men guarding the road, and fired upon.
They returned the fire they ran, but no dam
age was done either side. Meantime, Melon
aid and his two companions, nearly perish1ng
with wet and cold, having come upon house in
their search, had stopped to try for cup of hot
coffee At the sound of the shots they rushed
out. A horse hitched at the door and Capt.
Bill leaped into the saddle and hurried in the di-
rection of the alarm. AS he rode up, he saw
in the moonlight crowd, the local posse, gath
cred on the little hill overlooking the wheatfield
where the robbers had crossed. The Ranger
captain fully expected to find the captured or
dead bandits in that crowd, and called out as he
came up:
Boys, where are they? Where are the rob-
bers?'
Right over there, Cap They ran in the brush,
over by yonder big tree"
well, boys, we've got them. Well charge in
there"
They pushed rapidly into the bushes without
further parley-McDonald aiming for the tree,
McCauley and Mcclure spreading out to the
right.
Suddenly the captain found himself confront
ed by a creek, and looking across saw two armed
men squatting in the weeds. They appeared to
be on the point of raising their guns to fire,
but with McDonalds appearance and his sharp
command: Hold up, there!" made from behind
his own leveled Winchester, they were unable to
complete the action. Their guns dropped into
their laps-they seemed stupefed
Throw up your hands!" was the next order.
The hands went up.
Capt Bill stepped into the creek, about three
feet deep, and, waded across. He noticed bag.
doubtless containing the stolen money, and OBJ
served that the outlaws had laid their car
tridges out on log for convenient use.
McCauley and Mcclure waded across and as
sisted in searching the prisoners. A purse of
gold was found in one of the mems pockets The
bag on the ground contained the silver.
reward of $4,000 for the capture of Lewis
and Crawford paid by the two banks OF
Wichita Falls. The local posse divided 1T into
80 equal parts, in which they shared pro rata
with the Rangers.