Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-06-02

10 take charge AZ general manager.
CHAPTER Continued.
-7-
The execution details had been
turned over to Clanahan, the political
boss Of Portal City.
The plot itself was simple. At
certain hour Of given night an
anonymous letter was to be sent to
{ 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 wrecking the Fast Mail.
which often carried bullion express
car. If the boss should fall for it
as he did, when the time came-and
go in person to stop the raid. lie was
to be overpowered and spirited away,
a forged letter purporting~ be a no.:
tice of his resignation was to be left
for Mr.. Van Britt, and fake tele-
gram, making the same announce
ment, was to be sent to Presidsns
Dunton in New York. Nothing 4as
aeft indefinite but the choosing Of the
night.
81 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 gave the word after his talk with
you, but the time was made even more
4 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-
,cepted by means Of the tapped wires"
Mr.. Norcross looked up quickly.
"Ripley, did Dunton know what was
going to. be done to me?"s u,
D. "Oh, / think not. 1t wasn't at all
NECESSARY that he should be taken in
oh It. He has been opposing your
Volicies all along, and had just sent
you a pretty savage call-down. He
didn't want you in the first place, and.
he has been anxious to- getsrid Of you
ever since. The plotters knew very
well what he would do If he should
get a wire which purported to be your
resignation. He would appoint an
other man, quick, and all they would
have to do would be to make sure
( that you were well off stage, and would
stay off until the other man could
/ take hold"
at worked out like charm" adj
nitted the boss, with wry smile. 81
>aayen't been talking much, about the
I details, partly because /. wanted to
Z find out II this young. fellow, Tarbell,
was as good as the majors recon.
1nendation Of him, and partly because
Tn honestly ashamed. Ripley. ANY
+ man Of my age and experience who
would swallow bait. hook, and line as
- did that snight deserves to get all
that is coming to him.
you can tell me now, can't yon?"s
queried the attorney
ooh, yes; you have 1t all-or prac-s
tically all. fell for the anonymous
letter about the Mail hold-up, and
while don't rattle very easily. or
slinarily, that was one time when I
lost my head, just for the, moment,
i, The obvious thing to do If any atten-
tion whatever was to be paid to the
anonymous warning was to telephone
the police aud the round -louse. / did
neither becausesI thought It might be
too slbw.' 2 FL u. SSs 3t.5
$50 you made . straight shoot for
the scene Of action" 4
81 did down the back streets and
across the lower end Of the plaza. AS
4 1t appeared or rather as 1t was made
a tolappear-I was. barely In time. There
were men at the engine, and when
h sprinted across the yard they were
ready to move It out to the main line.
yelled t them and ran In. Three Of
them tackled me the moment came
within reach. I got one Of the three
Son the point OF the jaw, and they had
to leave him behind but there were
enough more OF them. Before I fairly
realized what was happening, they had
me trussed up like q Christmas tur
key, and loaded into the cab Of the
engine. From that on. Il was all plain
sailing" sSist Az.
Then they took you % the old linn
4 her camp3' n, sisis3 ~ Ri
As. fast as the engine could be made
! 70 turn her wheels. Arroyo has no.
night operator, and when we sneakedS
through the Banta yard and past the
station, the operator there was asleep.1
4 I saw him, with his head In the crook 4
OF his arm, ct the telegraph table In 4
the hay window q we passed. 81
y e ran ont. to the Timber Noun
4 tain sY. and. from that on mp the old 4