New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-07-01
CHAPTER VIIi-Continued.

The execution details nau Dtfl
Turned over ia Clanahan the political
boss of Portal CITY.
The nlot itself was simple. At a
certain hour of a given night an
anonymous letter was to be sent to
Mr. Norcross telling him that n gang
of noted train robbers was stealing
an engine from the Portal City yard
for tho purnose of running down the
line and wrecking the Fast Mail,
which ofton corried a bullion express
car If tha boss should fall for it
as he did. when the time came-and
go in person to stop the raid, he was
10 be overpowered and spirited away,
a forged letter purporting to be a no
tice of his resignation was to be left
for Mr.. Van Britt. and a fake tele'
gram. making the same announce
lnent. was 10 be sent to President
Dunton in New York. Nothing was
left indefinite but the choosing of the
night.
81 uppo Hatch was to give the
word said tbe boss who had been
listening sohnrly while the lawyer
talked
mrhot Is the inference. Hatch prob
ablv covo tba word infer his talk with
van hut tbe time was made even more
nropitious by the arrival of the two
telegroms. the one from Mr.. Chad
wick and the one from Mr.. Dunton,
botb of which thev doubtless inter
cepted hv means of the tapped wires"
NJ. Norcross looked M quickly.
"pinIoy diJ Dunton know what was
roinc IN he done to me?'
"ob 7 ,birt nor II wasn't nj all
,ooossory th,t he ehould he taken in
nm II Ito has heen opposing your
nolIcies all along and had lust sent
Won n pretty savage ~call-down. He
didn't want Won I'm the first place, and
mo has heen anxious 10 yet rid of you
eyer since. The p%lotters knew very
',vall what he would do if he should
cot n v,iro which purported TO be your
resignation. He would appoint an
other man. Quick. and all they would
bove IN do would he to make sure
that Won were we'll off stage, and would
stov off until the other man could
tnke hold"
at worked out like a charm" nd
mitted the boss. with n wry smile. 81
haven't been talking much about the
details. partly because | wanted TO
find ont If this young fellow, Tarhell,
was ms good as the majors recon-
a H.. .,l ,.,.tl,. I.,a,,Ca
Tn honestly ashamed. Ripley. Any
man of nv age and experience who
yyould swallow bait. hook, and line as
7 did that night deserves to get all
that is coming to him."
avon can tell me now, can't you?"
ouaried tbe attorney.
.oh ,o,. ,.ou b,va II oII-or nroc.
uooIIv an foil for the ononvmous
-. aho,t ,ha Mail bold-un md
.,htto 7 don,, rattle very e%asiIv mr..
-,,aarur mt wos one time when
los, nv beod inst for the momen
The obvious thing to do-if any atten-
tion whatever was to be paid to the
anonymous warning-was TO telephone
fine pollce ana the round-house. | did
neither because | thought 1t might be
TOO SLOW
$50 Won made n straight shoot for
rho scnne of nctionY '
ar did. down tho hack streets and
,cross tho tov,er end of the plaza. AS
II onnaored-or rather as il was made
20 apnnor-I was barely in time. There
wore mon NJ the engine and when
7 snrinted ocross the ward they were
reodv In move # out to the main line.
I YELLED NJ them and ran in. Three of
,bem tackled me the moment | came
within reach. | got one of the three
on the point of the Jaw. and they had
10 leave him behind; but there were
enough more Of them. Before | fairly
realized what was happening, they had
me trussed up like a Christmas tur-
key. and loaded into the cab of the
engine. From that on, it was all plain
sailing"
"Then they took you to the old lum-
her campY"
AS fast as tbe engine could be made