Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-01-14

Brownsville & Mexico Rail-
road He is apparently suffering no
pangs of conscience over his crime.
The penalty which he paid for taking
the money was five years in the pen
itentiary, 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 ever since, says the
New York Press 1t is known that
Beeler never has reaped any benefit
from the stolen money. From the
time he left the doors of the peniten-
tiary until short time ago there was
not a day that he was not Swallowed
by detectives. At last the express
company is said to be convinced that
the man lost or misplaced the money.
Now the company has given up all
hope of ever obtaining possession of it.
The story of this robbery and the
events relating to it form one of the
most remarkable in the criminal an
nails of the country. Beeler was d
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 packages of currency and bags
of gold amounting to $4,000 were
counted out to Beeler by the local
cashier in the San Antonio office of
the express company, with instruc-
lions to haul the money in his wagon
safe to the Southern Pacific Railroad
station and deliver it to the pay car
of that road Local money deliveries
| of this kind had been made many
| times, but the express agent always
accompanied the driver. 1t happened
on this particular day that the local
| agent was not in the office, and Beeler
| drove off alone with the money.
Succumbed to Temptation.
He says he had no sooner left the
1 office than the thought flashed through
| his mind that here was his chance
to get a fortune. He did some rapid
thinking while his horse was travelling
toward the railroad station, and he
decided to make way with the money
1t was a stake worth playing for
| even should he be captured and made
! to serve prison sentence. He turned
the horses heads in an opposite direc
| ton from the station and drove
through the alleys and quiet streets
until he reached the outskirts of the
city. Darkness had settled down and
into the country for a mile and en-
tered a mesquite-covered thicket Ty
ing the horses to tree, he soon haC
the safe open and the $4,000 in his
possession. 1t was a Comparatively
easy matter to carry the currency
but the gold coins made a weighty
bundle. In order to prevent his trai
being followed Beeler started ava,
from the wagon on foot. He headed
south. Mexico being his OBJECTIVE
point. He claims that when b,
reached a ranch a few miles below
San Antonio he buried all of tn,
money except 5000 in bills He say
that he placed the gold in tin cans ant
carefully marked the spot where b.
, hid it 1t was his plan to use tn
IS 600 to make his escape into Mex
leo and to live there for q time unit
the excitement over the robbery ha,
subsidized. when he would secret.
dig up the money
Officers Soon on Trail.
Having relieved himself of the gold
Beeler purchased a horse at the ranc
and started OF on a wild ride to gai
the other side of the Rio Grande an
the mountains of Mexico. Within a
hour after Beeier left the office wit
the money the express company ha
spread the alarm but it was not unit
, along toward noon next day that tn
; abandoned horses and wagon wer
] found In the brush Meanwhile