The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-04-15

ton that met this proposal the school,
master had touched responsive chord.
| A hundred pistols were fourished To
shoot any man who gave the scheme
away. The proposer agreed TO get
himself posted as TO the route. and
the time of arrival OF the women in
the neighborhood. and volunteers were
forthcoming TO watch the territory be-
tween the Flat and the Gulch TO make
sure that the secret was not trans.
mitted
Deadhead station--so called from the
! fact that no man who boarded train
there would pay his fare--was the
point OF junction between Quartz
Gulch and the railroad The station
was fifteen miles from the Gulch and
ten miles from the Flat. The school.
master rode over and learned from the
telegraph operator the day and hour
the women would arrive. Their train
would reach the station at q o'clock ia
the morning
At 3 o'clock the same morning a
company marched from the Flat escort.
ing several empty wagons TO station
on the railroad six miles farther east
than Deadhead. When the train drew
up at the platform u committee pur-
porting to be Gulchers went aboard
the train and politely invited the la
dies 10 'alight, stating that they had
decided To take them off there in
stead of Deadhead. The women i'm.
mediately gathered their belongings
and left the train. There We're TWEEN
ty of them, and they filled the wagons
that had been brought to carry them
TO Pine Flat, whittier they were escort
ed by the citizens of that place.
When the train arrived ut Deadhead
without its precious freight and the
Gulchers learned how they had been
tricked their fury was like that OF
raging prairie fire. They held a con
ference at which for half an hour all
talked at once. thus losing half an hour.
BY the time they were ready TO listen
TO reason it was evident that their
property would arrive in the enemy's
camp long before the Gulchers could
get there and the Flatters would have
abundant time to plan defense VIII
kins. who saw that they had been out
witted beyond hope OF recovery, coun-
seled return TO their shanties and
sending for another carload of the
same kind of freight He contrived 10
bring enough of the men 10 his way OF
thinking 10 render it impossible for the
r.S IN 70 l.ty e.
The disappointed men returned to the
Gulch, some cursing the mismanage-
ment Of those in charge OF the affair,
some swearing vengeance on the Flat
ters, while one crusty old fellow who
had been married, but had gone west
to escape from termagant wife. said
ley didn't know when they were well
of.
wilkins set himself energetically
about getting new shipment, but the
eastern parties who had made the con-
signment would do nothing further till
they had heard from the women who
had already been sent. The reports
they made were at first not reassuring.
At least the consignors looked upon the
carrying off Of the women by those for
whom they We're not intended as in
dicatiye Of very wild social condi-
ton and wrote Wilkins that they would
take no further steps as to future con-
signments.
When this communication was re-
ceived the men OF Quartz Gulch. who
were called together TO hear il read, re-
solved, every one, to march against
their enemies and either get the WON
Ell or die. Six weeks had elapsed, and,
though the distribution OF twenty wo-
men as partners for more than a hun
dred men came very near breaking up
the settlement, it was finally left to the
FORMER to choose their mates, which
they did, and soon the women were
all married. They did not know
I'LL the last wedding had taken place
hat they were captured property. But
this made no difference to them. In
Iced they rather admired their hus-
bands for their enterprise.
But one day citizen of the Flat
,ame galoping into town shouting.
The Gulchers are comingr Every
iDlebodied man, some with rifles. the
est with revolvers, were marching OH
he town. The Flatters had at first
ooked for this invasion and prepared
themselves for ii, but after so long an
interval II was unexpected The long
oil was beaten, or, rather, a big dinner
'ell was rung in the center of the town,
he signal that had been agreed on six
weeks before when the robbery had
'een perpetrated. On the arrival of the
'ncmy the defenders of Pine Flat. or.
ather, OF the twenty wives within ii.
we're drawn up In battle array, and rs
Don as the former were within shoot
ng distance the fight began.
But a few had fallen, and they only
Wounded. when the wives ran out and.
ushing In between the hostile lines.
creed the contestants to cease firing.
Then they told the men who had come
or them that they were married. were
lready engaged in identifying their
ZONES and that nothing would induce
mem to leave their husbands. The
fuichers, they said, might as well 90
ack home, for even II they conquered