The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-10-12

Milk creek home and family.
"A few years later, as the read
ers Of The Statesman will no doubt
remember was a very sensational
one-man holdup of some fifty or
sixty passengers in Yellowstone
park, including Senator Brady. l
was in Pocatello a few days later
and, as usual, went to call on Robert
Aschudy, my former clerk at the
prison. The first thing he said to
me was, 'Arney, who do you think
pulled off that holdup in Yellow
stone park" to which l replied, Il
am afraid it was Ed Trafton.'
Aschudy answered, 'Surest thing in
the world Our convictions later
proved to be correct.
s'Trafton left with his wife some
time before this escapade for Denver
where he met his mother, who had
remarked after her husbands death
and had considerable money. After
ingratiating himself in his mothers
affections and establishing her con-
fidence in him, he induced her to let
him transfer her bank account.
/ When the check was drawn to him,
he and Honey got in the automo-
bile, went to the bank, cashed the
check-something above 10000
and at once started for the tall tim
u bers of Idaho. They were overtaken
in western Montana, tried and con-
-victed; Honey getting two years
and Trafton five years. On the ex-
piration Of her term Honey came
to Rupert, in Minidoka county, and
worked here until his release, when
he followed her and secured employ
i ment on a ranch nearby.
| Here he failed in his loyalty to
Honey and fell in love with another
mans wife. In her resentment she
told the story of the Yellowstone
park holdup to the United States
officials of Idaho and Trafton was
at once arrested and taken to
Cheyenne. He was tried and con-
yicted. That was the last I heard
of Ed Trafton until l received the
article quoted above, which recalled
to me the sensational career of this
notorious but interesting character"
Recollections of the Trial
i (Blackfoot Editors Motel -Peo-
pie of Bingham county, and especi-
ally those who have read "The
Virginian," and who lived here In
1887 will feel keen interest in re-
viewing the circumstances of Traf-
toms imprisonment at Blackfoot, his
escape, capture and conviction, and
will then review Mr.. Arney's story
with better understanding. &
First, let us explain, Trafton was
the william in The Virginian, the
man who SO narrowly escaped being
hung by the vigilants in Teton basin,
who crossed the Teton range with
his companion with one horse, TAX
ing turns riding, until they found
that they were being followed by the
i Virginian and Owen Wister, and
then Trafton (Trampas in the book
shot his companion and took the
horse and guns and rode thru jack
son Hole and on up the Buffalo
river and got away.
In the spring Of 1887, Trafton
and Columbus Nickerson were
lodged in jail at Blackfoot by S. F.
Taylor on charge of cattle steal
ing. Two colored men, Frank Will
liams and Alexander Wood were also
among the prisoners and they were
both tried and convicted of murder,
and sentenced by Judge Hayes to be
hung on the twenty-second of July.
Idaho was then territory and we
had no district judge as at present,
but had territorial Judge APP
pointed by the president. Judge
HAYES, the father of the recent
Mayor Hayes Of Boise, had been ap-
pointed by President Cleveland. and
was terror to criminals because of
his severity
In those days grand jury inves-
tigated and if there was evidence
of crime, they filed an indictment,
then the court submitted it to trial
jury and the accused had a chance
to defend. The grand jury that
; indicted Trafton and Nickerson was
made up of men we'll known in
Blackfoot in recent years. Their
names were r. H. Hopkins, F. H.
Bixby, James McTucker Ed Cres-
, well, H. G. Rand, John Carbon,
Perry Arson, William Mester,
Isaiah Smith, Richard (Pars) Jones,
r. j. Osborn, D. H. Biethan, John
Montgomery Jr., Ed Giggey, John
Hunter and P. M. Gallagher. They
were empanneled on May %, and
filed a number of indictments.
i Trafton and Nickerson both plead
not guilty, and while awaiting trial,
broke jail on June 26. 1t was Sun
4 day afternoon and Sam Taylor, the
sheriff was over in town, and
Robert J. Hayes, deputy went down
into the jail to feed the prisoners.
John Williams, the janitor, was out,
but came in at an unhappy moment
for him. The prisoners over,
powered Hayes and took the keys
away from him, locked him in, lib
Grated the prisoners, and went up
stairs into the sherifss office.
Charles Bunting, merchant and
banker and county treasurer,
sauntered into the sheriff's office for
a Sunday afternoon chat, and was
held up and marched down below.
John Williams, the janitor, walked
into the hall at the west door and
had notion to go up the stairway,
but changed his mind and walked
into the sheriff's office and found
himself looking into the muZzle of
q gun that doomed large. His first
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