Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 925 — page 2: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—— ae 4 ;* = . ’ , ’ , K ttt ee Sheriff: Maguire had been a miner and a hunter in his day, and was himself well fitted to take up and follow a trail. But when he reached the scene of the robbery he found it was not a trail—it The operator at Forrest had just been released from the bounds in which he had been contined since 10:30 the previous night, and the above was the first des- patch he sent. “Number Twelve” was an Express train, and Forrest a small station about twenty-five miles northwest of San An- tonio—so small that no Express train ever stopped there. The despatch, however, only confirmed what was already known, for imme- diately on being released from the guard set over it. by the bandits, the train pro- ceeded to San Antonio, and there re- ported the hold-up. Two empty boxes, with several auger holes in them, told the story of the rob- bery in the baggage car. The dead body of the faithful messen- ger and the blood-stained floor proved how bravely, though ineffectually, he had defended his trust. The wounded fireman added his further evidence. Just after passing Forrest,,two men, who had climbed over the tender, ap- peared at the rear of the cab and or- dered the engineer to slow up. The engineer was looking out ahead; the fireman attending to the furnace. Cheatham, the engineer, a big, power- ful man, instead of obeying the order, snatched up a heavy iron wrench, while Jackson, the fireman, grasped his coal shovel, and both sprang at the bandits. Two revolvers cracked simultaneously; the engineer fell back dead, and the fire- man received a bullet in the shoulder.. . Wih two revolvers staring him in the face, Jackson obeyed the stern order to “Stop her or die!” | As soon as the train stopped a number of horsemen and extra horses came up to the baggage car. - The safe had already been blown open, and the money packages, together with a lot of specie and bar silver, were handed out by the two, robbers. who had killed the express messenger. Four of the extra horses carried stout canvas bags and into these the treasure was stowed. This part of the job was performed by five or six of the band, while the others rode up and down on each side of the train to prevent interference. No attempt was made to rob the pas- sengers; the game was too small. When the extra horses were loaded the two men in the baggage car jumped out the sheriff remembered the The heavily laden pack horses woukl never have been able to cross unless re- lieved of part of their precious burden, for, although a bar of silver is not much to look at, it will weigh from 175 to 180 pounds, and these additional men had getting the silver across. About a hundred yards beyond the stream stood a blasted oak tree, and on reaching this another difficulty cropped up. Instead of six or eight horses, the trail here looked as though twenty more had joined the party. a The ground was all torn up, as if by impatient riding back and forth, and when one of the posse leaped from his horse to pick up a twenty-dollar gold piece, the sheriff exclaimed: was which trail he should follow, and quickly realized that his hastily gathered | posse was not composed of the kind of men he now required. It was just as Jackson had said—the bandits had all gone in different direc- tions and there were a dozen trails to choose from. Suddenly pack horses. Sweeping around in a half circle, he | quickly found the trail of these, and with aloud hurrah the posse started off. The trail was as plain as a pikestaff, and for an hour they followed it at a rattling gait. They were approaching a small stream when the sheriff suddenly noticed - that ‘more riders, or at any rate horses, had joined the-party he was following. On reaching the stream, now a swift running, turbulent affair, though usually quiet enough, Maguire realized the cause of the addition to the treasure-bearing party. vided! Now let’s get after ’em. They’ve got a little start on us, but they’re heay- ily loaded.” : | With another cheer the posse started ,again, but! were compelled to stop short before they had gone a quarter of a milé, Leaving the blasted tree, the bandits had moved in a solid body, but at this point they split up again into three par- ties, and from the hoof-prints Maguire judged there must be six to nine men in each squad. There were, altogether, twenty-one men in the posse, which would make three parties of seven 2ach. Should. he divide and follow the trails separately? It was no longer possible This man was apparently in command, | to say which embriced the pack horses— ‘for when his horse was brought he even supposing they had not divided the jumped from the locomotive, mounted, ; treasure. and, with two shrill whistles, brought the entire band to his side—about a dozen tion, he happened to glance in the; direc- of them, and having ascertained that all tion of the westerly trail—which was the were present, the leader gave the order: | center one of the three—and saw a thin “Now scatter! And ride as though column of smoke be pe from a clump of Jack Hays was after you!” trees ahout three miles away. In an instant the command was obeyed, |; It was not like a signal smoke, being a every man riding off in a different direc- | pure white column from dry/ light wood— tion. ; such a smoke as might be risked in cook- This ‘was the fireman’s narrative. ‘ing a breakfast in an enemy’s country. and rode away, leading the pack horses, at a rapid pace. , For an hour longer the train was de- tained—evidently to give the pack horse detachment a good start before an alarm could be raised; then the man who re- mained in the cab called for his horse. By the time he had finished Sheriff “See, boys!” cried the sheriff. “We've Maguire had arrived, and within an got some of ’em, anyhow! They’re at hour had started with twenty men on a_ breakfast, sure as shootin!” special train for Forrest, where the hunt A thinute later the posse was tearing must beeih. — | away at tremendous rate toward the “T wish they were own men,” grove. Saad ig muttered the sheriff, as they started, but Only six or eight of the bandits were his men were away on another errand there. What had they to fear? and would not be back until fater in the | For an old campaigner Sheriff Maguire day. was going at it somewhat rashly, and ' dl evidently joined the party to assist in> * Boys, this is where they met and di- While inwardly debating this ques-. The Young Cowboy Captain. | ts —- —~_ a mile of the grove. “ Hold up, boys! he said. in’ fur us in there!” His greenhorns laughed at the idea o danger and insisted on going ahead. Every man in the grove was worth a Let’s go a bit slow, goodly sum, dead or alive, and they were, eager for the fight. A hint from one of the posse, that if the sheriff was afraid he could remain where he was until they returned, set- tled the matter. “Well, blast ye, come along!” ex- Claimed Maguire, angrily. “ An’ take care ye don’t regret it!” | The party rode on in silence until with- in a quarter mile of the grove, then the sheriff ordered a halt. ‘Now, a half-dozen o' ye swing ’round ’n’ get t’ th’ rear o’ them trees, while th’ rest of us take ’em in front. When ye hear us firin’, sail in! Now, git thar— lively!’ ; The point Maguire was heading for was due west; to the northeast, and about a mile distant, was a similar clump of trees, and had he looked the sheriff might have seen a column of smoke rising from this immediately after the first one. As the posse approached the grove a Solitary rifle shot rang out on the morn- ing air, and Sheriff Maguire fell—shot through the head. “There! Senor Maguire will not trou- ble Jose Morales any more, I think.” The speaker—a swarthy, villainous look- ing Mexican, who had fired the fatal shot this seemed to oceur to him when within from behind a tree not a hundred yards away—now hurried away and joined his party, which stood mounted and ready for action a little farther s~ th, The posse, which had dis- ted only |” a minute or two before, ved by the sudden death of their le —_,_ halted ; irresolutely, and some turned ... if to go back to the horses. | It was a body without a head now,, and the necessity of haying a leade quickly suggeste eae re “ Let's get back to th’ hosses ‘n’ pick out who's goin’ t’ boss this erdwd!” urged one man, adding: ‘These chaps are watchin’ us, but we'll be out o’ range there.”’ |. The six men in the wood watched this movement with contempt. “Dick!” exclaimed a tall, slim fellow, carrying four revolvers in his belt, and a Winchester rifle at his saddle-bow—“Cole! They’re a lot of greenhorns! If we give them a volley and charge they won’t stop running until they get home!” “ All right, Jim! Let her go!” responded. the man addressed as Dick. Ky A word to Morales, and he, too, was in - ~ 9, “ : t we | . 5 ; - * J r 4 gts: sal | . bd the saddle. “Now, then, move quiet until we reach the open,” ordered Jim, and picking their way between the trees, the bandits obeyed his directions so well that their proximity was not suspected until they burst from the grove at, the spot from which Morales had fired. Si ee Six of the posse on the other side and Maguire dead, left fourteen men to fave the bandits, who came swooping down on them. Excellent horsemen were the scoun- drels, guiding their horses by pressure of the knees, thus leaving both hands ‘There's no tellin’ what's await- | az ‘y free to use their revolvers, Which they | did with terrible effect. Half a dozen of the now demoralized posse were down. almost before they re- alized: it, and the never-ceasing leaden hail, vomited from the months of twelve skillfully handled revolvers, proved too much for the survivors, who turned tail ge after firing a few harmless shots, | ; J icboo . ¢ : ae a - Ge