Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28
The Mystery of the Staggering Man
By Ben AmeS WiIliA1Ns

Its contents merited that attention For the
rest ne read O good deal and he used to prac-
tice shooting at q mark affixed to the roots Of
q pine 20 yards away. He vas an accurate
Shot, If you gave him time to aim, but not q
fast one
Some of the men in Ida fell into the habit
of riding down to Charley's cabin now and then
to spend an afternoon with him. Peter Ogg
whose shaft was SO profitable that he paid
others to work 1t for him and who was thus a
man Of some importance in the community, par
ticularly liked to do so. And Peter was not
Charley's only visitor
1t was Fall when the express company took
over the business of transporting the product
Of the miners and all that Winter the ship
ments were unmolested. Not till late in the
following Spring did another hold-up occur, but
when 1t came there was stunning final:ty
about 1t.
THE pack train with guard ahead and an
other behind and two men driving the
horses, had started down the creek at noon.
The men must have turned aside and made
camp that night in q little park quarter Of a
mile on the trail about dozen miles below.
Next day some of the horses drifted back up
to Ida and the party that went to investigate
found the camp site, found three men shot in
their blankets, found another who had been on
night watch lying dead with crushed skull.
The ore in the packs was undisturbed, but
the pouches Of dust and nuggets were gone.
This discovery came with shocking force,
but 1t was almost Immediately oyershadowed
by another. hundred yards above the park
where the pack train had camped, in little
fiat beside the creek, two more dead men were
found. An empty pack-sack lay on the ground
between them and they had been shot from
behind
These two men were we'll and unfayorably
known in Ida and no one had reason to regret
their deaths which at once convicted them Of
completely in the robbery and expiated their
crime 1t was remembered that they had coca.
sionally spent an afternoon ct Charley Collects
cabin, presumably to gather Information about
the amount and date of shipments, but this did
not explain the manner Of their deaths.
An examination Of the ground about the spot
where they lay shed some light on this point.
For the searchers discovered the tracks Of Q
third man, who presumably had killed his two
associates and lugged away the easily portable
treasure. The prints of his boots were traced
as far as the trail and lost among the horse
tracks there. It was observed that he had
walked with Q wide, sweeping stride, but many
old cowmen have such q gait.
The investigators were thrown back on cir
cumstantial evidence, and some one pointed out
that the two dead men had been on intimate
terms with one Jeff Waylor, who held an UNI
disputed place as bully Of the camp. Suspicion
Immediately turned toward this individual, but
when the investigators came back to Ida it
was to find that JETS movements the night
before were known beyond dispute and ap-
peared to prove his innocence. The matter
rested there.
About month after the first robbery an
other one occurred An old prospector named
Feeling found rich little pocket in one of the
draws back In the hills and brought Charley
Collet q fat pouch of gold for shipment. One
Of the company men happened to come up at
about that time on an errand to the camp
above, and Charley delivered the pouch to him
for transportation. The rider went on to the
upper camp. Upon his return trip he was shot
from ambush near the mouth of Ida Canyon
and the pouch of Gust TAKEN When his body
was found tracks Of the staggering man were
there again observed.
Je6 Waylor had been missing at about the
tine Of this killing, and JEFF had q wide, swag-
gering gait. No one spoke of this in his pres
ence, yet the bad man, as though he sensed
this unspOken thought. began to buster loudly.
There waS a good deal Of uneasness as to what
he might do.
So every one was infinitely relieved when
Charley Collet day or two later rode up the
canyon to report that he had killed JEFF and to
ask that some one fetch Waylor's body away.
WaylOr had come to his cabin, he explained,
and demanded that he open the safe in which
there was at the time small amount Of dust.
HE was drunk" Charley said, land tried
TO talk him out Of 1t. He had thrown down on
me and I was scared. I knew If did open the
safe he'd kin me before he left. So kept him
talking watching for a break
Peter Ogg asked frankly: But how did you
do it, man? Jen was lightning with gun and
you're slow as all can be-"
Charley waved his hand. "That was luck"
he confessed. It'd been shooting at mark
and my gun was ON my lap. He came around
the corner Of the cabin and got the drop on
me before saw him. talked to him for
while-tin saw he couldn't be talked out of
it. He was half drunk and wabbly, so decided
to take chance. He missed me, but I got him.
That's ALL"
He showed them where Jeff's bullet had