The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-12-22
MEXICAN BANDITS GOT HIM
Beeler Buried the Money, Served His
Term, But Could Not Find It Again
Nov an Engineer on a Southern
Railway.


railroad. He served five years in
the penitentiary, the court giving him
that sentence on a plea Of guilty.
What became of the $4,000 Is a
mystery to the Wells-Fargo people
and the detectives who have been
searching for it since. 1t Is known
that Beeler never has reaped any
/ benefit from the stolen money. From
the time he left the doors of the pen
itentiary until short time ago there
was not a day that he was not shad-
owed by detectives. At last the eX-
press company is said to be convinc-
ed that the man lost or misplaced
the money. Now the company has
given up all hope of ever obtaining
! possession oI it.
Beeler was a driver of Wells
| Fargo & Co. wagon in San Antonio
and had been in the employ OF the
company several years. One dismal
evening in the winter of 1899 pack
ages of currency and bags of gold
amounting to $4,000 We're counted
out to Beeler by the local cashier in
the San Antonio office of the express
company. with instructions to haul
the money in his wagon safe to the
Southern Pacific Railroad station and
deliver 1t to the pay car of that road.
Beeler stole the money. He claims
that when he reached ranch rev
miles below San Antonio he buried
all of the money except $4,000 in
bills. He says that he placed the
gold in tin cans and carefully mark
ed the spot where he hid 1t. It was
his plan to use the $4,000 to escape
into Mexico and to live there for a
time until the excitement over the
robbery had subsidized, when he would
secretely make his way back to the
ranch and dig up the money. Hav-
ing relieved himself of the gold, Beel-
. er purchased horse at the ranch
and started off on wild ride for the
other side of the Rio Grande and the
mountains of Mexico.
Beeler says he thought 1t was all
up with him when an officer sudden
ly came upon him and, drawing down
on him with a gun, ordered him to
surrender. Beeler bribed the officer
with 500. and not only was released,
but was directed to the shortest cut
into the distant mountains.
In the vicinity of Lampasos, MeXi-
co, Beeler fell into the hands of a
band of brigands, who made their
rendezvous in caves in the mountains
near Bustamante about 175 miles
south of the point where he had cross
the Rio Grande They robbed him
of all his money, except a few cents.
Circulars, printed in Spanish, describ-
ing the fugitive. had been widely cir
Culated over northern Mexico.
Through this means the bandit chief
learned that their American captive
was wanted for stealing $4,000. The
/ brigands made a demand upon Beeler
/ for the money, threatening to kill
/ him if he didn't turn 1t over. In or
/ der to save his life, he told them he
had buried all of 1t, except that which
they had found upon his person and
taken away from him. When their
threats became pronounced he agreed
to escort the robbers to the spot
where he had hidden the money. A
start on the return journey of more
than three hundred miles was made.
Beeler was captured in the brigands'
camp by the Mexican authorities be-
fore he reached his cache. The night
following their arrival in San Antonio
with the prisoner rhey took him Sc
cretely from Jail and drove TO the
ranch. Beeler searched around for
the gold but no trace OF it could be
found. The disguSted officers took
him back TO jail. where he rer.ained
until his trial and sentence 10 prison
for five years.
Wells-Fargo & Co, sued him and
obtained Judgment for the amount OF
the stolen money. During the time
that he was in the penitentiary de- |
tectives kept a constant watch on .
Beelers wife, thinking he might have
turned the stolen money over TO her. /
When he stepped out of prison two
detectives met him and accompanied
him TO San Antonio. Beeler worked
az odd jobs for a time and then OBJ
tanned a place as fireman on a loco