The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-03-10

his name in future. to get out O,
limbo and hike across country under
cover of the night to where he coul(
get assistance.
by the time he got to the top hi
hands, feet and knees were a mass O
cuts and bruises from the sharp rocks
But at last he rolled over the brink
ard lay painting for a few minutes.
lhen, on his feet once more, he got
MS bearings and made. not for the
spur which had been the cause of
Doth triumph and disaster, but for the
main line. This he struck shortly aft.
er midnight and set out to tramp the
SIX miles over the ties to Reno, where
ne arrived more dead than alive, but
with the holy light Of victory in his
eyes.
The rest of the story may soon be
told. At daylight the Reno sheriff
with a strong posse went down the
hne on a couple of hand cars and
over the mile or more of abandoned
spur SO swift and so unexpected
were their movements and their an.
pearance that the whole gang was
captured without the firing of a shot,
nor was Marden greatly surprised to
nnd among the lot two of the train
hands OF No. 43! Before noon the
band was in the calaboose at Reno.
linen the yardmaster sent out a light
engine and a gondola to bring in the
silver bars.
But still the real mystery remained
unsolved-how had the robber gang
managed to get away with the car
and the silver? AS long as this Ques-
ZION remained untold Marden's Job
was unfinished. So he and the sheriff
applied the third degree"-in a "a
Their mild form, it should be noted-to
one OF the captured brakemen with
the result that he confessed and gave
away" the whole plot.
1t seemed that the scheme had been
Matched months before by a little par
~ OF bandits known as the Nightcap
gang; their leader it was who first
preached the plot to the train hands,
all OF whom were gradually won over
Dy the promise of a rich haul. from
the engineer and conductor downward
Bit by bit Marden wormed out the
story until he had the whole thing ex-
posed and explained; this is how the
apparently impossible trick was
turned:
When No. 43 came to the siding be-
yond Truckee pass on the eyentful
night the road in both directions was
clear of other trains. So instead of
running straight ahead the engineer
stopped, a brakeman going ahead to
open the switch. Meantime the 9th.
ers uncoupled the train ahead of car
22662. Then the engineer pulled on
to the siding with the forward half Of
the train, uncoupled, ran the engine
on to the main line, backed down,
coupled on to the caboose at the rear
end, pushed the car of silver on to
the disused spur, uncoupled again,
backed away, regained the siding,
joined the two halves of the train
(now minus the thirteenth carr, again
backed the engine on to the main line, |
whence he ran ahead, coupled on as
before, ran out of the siding at it's
westerly end, and into Oakland as
though nothing had happened out of
the ordinary. The whole trick had
consumed not, more than 20 minutes
Since all hands, worked like honest |
man on a wager.
Meantime, left to itself, car 22662
went careering down the old spur.
gradually gathering momentum, until
coming to the sudden curve in the lit
tie valley, where the long neglected
track caused it to shoot from the rails
and land in broken heap below.
This was lucky in one sense, for it
saved the robbers the trouble of
breaking open the car. Bar by bar
hey picked up the silver and cached
t in the old mine tunnel until such
line as they could safely market the
bullion. /
When Marden rang up Cohoon and |
he c. & P. Office and announced that :
le had located the missing box car :
md the silver he was at once request
ID to come around and tell us all
bout It." Which he did forthwith. II
When he unfolded his tale the gen.
raj traffic manager slapped his thigh =
md calculated in chagrin:
"Now, why in thunder didn't we b
hink of that ourselves!" o
Marden's mcdesty kept him from 4
answering and yet he might have said .
hat 1t was such exhibitions of brains k
hat made Bullivants Limited so fam. q
US for unraveling apparently insol. a
bile mysteries akin to that of the 4
Kissing Box Car and its eight tons OF
liver hnllion ~