The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-05-19
CHAPTER Vlll-continued.


The execution details had been
turned over 10 Cianahan. the political
boss OF Portal City.
The plot Itself was simple. At a
certain hour of a given night an
anonymous letter was 10 be sent 10
Mr. Norcross. telling him that a gang
OF noted train robbers was stealing
an engine from the Portal City yard
for the purpose Of running down the
line and wrecklng the Fast Mail.
which often carried n bullion express
car. II The boss should fall FOR it.
hs he did when the time came-and
20 In person 10 stop the raid. he was
10 be overpowered and spirited away.
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
ment. was TO be sent to President
Dunton In New York. Nothing was
left indefinite but the choosing OF the
night.
II suppose Hatch was TO give the
word" said the boss. who had been
listening soberly while the lawyer
talked.
THAT Is the Inference. Hatch prob
ably gnge the word after his talk with
you. hut the time was made even more
propitious by the arrival of the two
kilograms; the one from Mr.. Chad
wick. and the one from Mr.. Dunton.
both OF which they doubtless inter
H,ry - h.. al ttsf-
Mr.. Norcross looked up quickly.
Ripley. did Dunton know what was
going TO be done to meT
"Oh. I think not. II wasn't nj all
necessary that he should be taken In
on A. He has been opposing your
policies all along and had just sent
you pretty savage call-down. He
didn't want YOU In the first place, and
he has been anxious 10 get rid of you
ever since. The plotters knew very
well what he would do n he should
get wire which purported TO be your
resignation He would appoint an"
other man. quick. and all they would
have 20 do would be to make sure
that you were well OF stage, ana would
stay on until the other man could
take hold
1T worked out like a charm" ad-
mittcd the boss, with a wry smile. 81
haven't been talking much about the
details. partly because wanted to
find out u this young fellow, Tarbell,
was as good ms the majors recon-
mendation Of him. and partly because
I'm honestly ashamed, Ripley. Any
man OF my age and experience who
would swallow bait, hook. and line as
did that night deserves TO get all
that is coming to him"
"You can tell the now, can't youf"
queried the attorney.
"Oh, yes you have It all-or prac-
tically all. fell for the anonymous
letter about the Mail hold-up and
while / don't rattle very easily. or
dinarlly, that was one time when
lost my head. just for the moment
The obvious thing 10 do-lf any atten-
tIon whatever was To be paid to the
anonymous warning-was TO telephone
the police aud the round-hnuse. did
neither because | thought II might be
TOO slow"
$50 you made straight shoot for
the scene OF actlonf"
81 did; down the back streets and
across the lower end OF the plaza. As
II appeared-or rather as II was made
10 appear-I was barely in time. There
were men at the engine. and when
] sprinted across the yard they were
ready so move it out TO the main line.
yelled al them and ran in. Three of
them tackled me the moment came
within reach. l got one of the three
on the point Of the jaw, and they had
20 leave him behind; but there were
enough more of them. Before | fairly
renlized what was happening they mad
me trussed up like a Christmas tur.
key. and loaded into the cab OF the
engine. From that On, II was all plain
sailing"
Then they took you to the old ium-
ber cnmpy"
"As fast as the engine could be made
10 turn her wheels. Arroyo has no
night operator, and when we sneaked
through the Banta yard and past the
station, the operator there was asleep.
j saw him, with his head in the crook
of his arm, NJ the telegraph table in
the bay window as we passed.
I'VE ran out 10 the Timber Noun
tain y, and from that on up the old
saw-mill line. The rail connections
we're all In place, and knew from