The Raymer enterprise., 1911-03-02

his name In future, to get out Of
limbo and hike across country under
cover of the night to where he could
| get assistance.
BY the time he got to the top ~
hands. feet and knees were a ma8a
cuts and bruises from the sharp rot B.
But at last he rolled over the brsAk
and lay painting for few minutes.
Then. on his feet once more, he sot
his bearings and made. not for the
spur which had been the cause Of
both 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
he 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 strong posse went down the
line 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 ap-
pearance that the whole gang was
captured without the firing of shot.
Nor was Marden greatly surprised to
fnd among the lot two of the train
hands Of No. 43! Before noon the
band was in the calaboose at Reno.
Then the yardmaster sent out light
engine and 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.
tion remained untold Marden's job
was unfinished. So he and the sheriff
applied the third degree"-in a ra-
ther mild form. 1t 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 little par.
ty Of bandits known as the Nightcap
gang; their leader 1t was who first
broached the plot to the train hands,
all OF whom were gradually won over
by the promise Of 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 eventful
night the road in both directions was
clear of other trains. So instead of
running straight ahead the engineer i
stopped. 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 carl, again
backed the engine on to the main line,
whence he ran ahead, coupled on as
before. ran out OF the siding at its
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 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 1t to shoot from the rails {
and land in broken heap below.
This was lucky In one sense, for 1t
saved the robbers the trouble Of
breaking open the car. Bar by bar
they picked up the silver and cached
1t in the old mine tunnel until such
time as they could safely market the
bullion.
When Marden rang up Cohoon and
the c. & P. office and announced that
he had located the missing box car
and the silver he was at once request.
ed to come around and tell US all
abont It," Which he did forthwith.
When he unfolded his tale the gen.
eral traffic manager slapped his thigh
and calculated in chagrin: y
Now. why In thunder didn't we
think Of that ourselves!"
Marden's modesty kept him FROM
answering and yet he might have said
that 1t was such exhibitions of brains II
that made Bullivants Limited SO fam.
Gus for unrayeling apparently insol.
uble mysteries akin to that Of the
Missing Box Car and Its eight tons Of 7
silver bullion. IL.