Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-12-07
Robbers Sentenced to SO
Years by Judge Galbraith


If they did.
FINALLY one of them asked If ]
would accept a rifle in place Of cash
explaining that they we're broke ano
wanted TO go prospecting back Of
Blackfoot City. 1 agreed and he
reached in the back of the wagon and
pulled out a sawedoff shotgun. AS he
was about TO hand it to me the man
later identified as Gamble, grabbed
it and snarled Don't give him that
Wen need it, They finally compro-
missed on a Ballard rifle which ac-
cepted and which I believe the Cody
bows still have AS they drove away
! I noticed that one wheel Of the wagon
was warped and left a crooked track;
the clue that landed them behind the
bars. They drove on and I did not
! see them again until they were IN
I court
through the horses hOofs kicked up
a heavy cloud of dust as they trotted
down the hill into the valley OF the
/ Little Blackfoot. Following the course
Of the river for some distance to =
point about four miles below ElliSton
I the road crossed the river and climbed
out on the west side OF the valley on
its way to the top Of the Dog Creek
hills Making up lost time the stage
Numbered over the bridge and the
railroad dumps and hit the bottom OF
the hill at a full gallop. When II
reached the steepeSt grade, halfway
up the hill, the horses slowed to a
walk and the driver relaxed his vigil
lance and resumed his conversation
with the drummer who sat on the box
with him.
Rounding a clump Of quaking
aspen, almost at the top Of the hill,
the horses SHE'D as a masked man
with a sawedoff shotgun jumped out
in the road in front of them. The
driver sWOre, threw on the brakes and
reached for a fistful of stars. I'm
mediately two more men appeared on
the scene, taking their positions on
each side of the coach where they
could watch the passengers. The driver
and the drummer were ordered down
and the mail and express thrown out
in the road.
Then the passengers were lined up
and systematic search began.
Watches, jewelry and money, down to
the last nickel, were taken. The lead
er laughed at the passengers threats
and offered them a drink. The. first
man refused but decided that he
needed one in hurry when the twin
barrels of the 8-gauge shotgun Slid
up to within a few inches Of his nose. !
Everybody had a drink, just as a
friendly gesture, but the drummer
made a mistake. Before taking the
bottle he pulled the glove off his right
hand On the third finger glittered
a large diamond.
Pull it off, ordered the leader.
"I can't protested the drummer.
I haven't had it off for years.
"'Iu get it off for you was the
answer as Gamble shifted the gun
under his arm and pulled out large
hunting knife The drummer accom- !
plished in seconds what he hadn't
been able to do in years.
The passengers were ordered back
into the stage and the driver instruct /
ed to drive slowly and under no cir
cumstances communicate with anyone
he might meet on the road.
1T was late afternoon when the
stage reached Deer Lodge and spread
the alarm. It was not until the next
day that detailed description OF the
men reached Helena.
THE bandits had camped for sew
eral days near the scene Of the holdup. Z
The day they pulled the job they
brought their outfit down off the hill
and hid it in the bushes a quarter OF
mile below the actual scene of the
robbery. After the holdup they took
only the choice articles of mail and
express and carried them down to the
wagon
Took Side Roads
Immediately after the holdup they
started back toward Helena but they
did not take the Mcdonald pass road.
Instead they turned off on Priest pass
and spent the night with rancher
on the east side, who also ran sort
of a halfway house. Here they shod
their horses and after an early break
fast started east again. They did not
enter the main part of Helena, but
skirted the edge of the town and took
the BoZeman road.
when the news Of the holdup and
the description of the men reached
Helena, Deputy Sheriffs Steele and
Roberts were Immediately assigned to
the case They spent the greater part
of the first day questioning travellers
at the junction of the Mcdonald pass
road and the Bozeman trail, until they
finally found a man who had seen an
outfit answering to their description
along the Bozeman road, some 10 miles
or so out of town, and noticed the
crooked wagon track.
steele and Roberts returned 20
town for provisions and in less than
an hour were on the trail again, each
leaving by a different route to confuse
any friends the bandits might have
in Helena. They met again several