Arizona state miner., 1925-05-30
Recalls Pioneer
Express Robbery

a few miles from Dryden In fact, they
were in plain view. PachecO took sew
eral trips, and in all likelihood went
into these mountains while he was in
the neighborhood and waiting for his
box
"PachecO finally received the box 1t
was a small wooden box, not more than
a foot long and six inches high. 1t
was, however, bound around the edges
with broad metal bands and securely
nailed.
Letters From Woman
"AfterWard l got the idea that prob
ably it had been shipped by a woman,
because before receiving the box, sew
eral letters had come to him at Dry
den. AS l was postmaster, the letters
passed through my hands. They evi-
IDENTIFY were written by woman; at
least the addresses indicated this.
Pacheco always went off by himself to
read them. These facts / remembered
later.
There was nothing about the box
to indicate its contents Neither was
there anything in the waybill accom-
panying it to show that it had as valu-
able contents as l afterward became
satisfied it possessed. 1t would not
have attracted attention among other
boxes, and the only thing that drew
my attention to it was the iron bands
around it. l paid much less attention
to it than l did to the handsome trunk.
In fact, I took quite a fancy to this
trunk, and it became my property.
~'NVhen he got the box he told me
his business was not likely to bring
him back to Dryden and that his trunk
was too bulky for him to take with
him, so he gave it to me and l kept
it until the baggage smashers on the
road finished it up and it had to go to
the junk pile.
Old Newspaper Left.
when Pacheco left Dryden, he rode
his horse, taking such articles as he
could carry handily, but leaving a lot
of rubbish, among which was st.
Louis newspaper that picked up and
put away, intending at my leisure to
read
Reading matter was rather scarce,
and even back-number st. Louis news
papers were interesting. This one aft
erWard proved to be of thrilling inter
est. / did not read 1t, however, until
after another stranger had come to
Dryden. He was a large man. He
dropped off the train few days after
Pacheco had gone.
He lost no time In showing me his
badge 1t was that of chief detective
and special secret service officer Of
the Adams Express and Wells Fargo
Express companies. He said his name
was Russell. He had letters to prove
his identity and commissions to estab
fish his authority.
He asked Immediately II the box
addressed to Raymond Pacheco, sent
to Dryden from st. Louis, had arrived,
If SO, if it had been delivered. / told
him 1t had. Until then / had not at
tached much Importance to the box.
Mr.. Russell then asked to see the way
bill and the receipt book / showed
them to him promptly. He then put
me through the sweating process, by
which he learned all l could tell him
of my Quondam friend, Raymond
Pacheco. AS soon as he was satisfied
that l had correctly Informed him he
went in quest Of Pacheco in Mexico.
$4,000 in Box.
81 asked Russell to tell me all he
could about Pacheco and the box. He
said he did not have time to talk. He,
l. o1.lyo oil hof hn hod
when it arrived at Dryden, contained
$4,000 in currency and gold that had
been stolen from an express car and
messenger in the suburbs of st. Louis,
about two weeks before.
Russell, like all detectives, was sus-
picious Of everything, and put me
through a course of cross-questions.
Il, III ho oroirncr "a oil