CHAPTER XXXII.
THE BAND REORGANIZED—ANOTHER RAID ON THE UNION PACIFIC AT ROCK CREEK BY A GANG OF SEVEN—THEIR PLANS SPOILED BY A TRAITOR—A SHERIFF NEGLECTS TO DO HIS DUTY, AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN DETECTIVE ASSOCIATION IS CALLED UPON—ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT BOSWELL TAKES THE MATTER IN HAND AND BEARDS THE LION IN HIS DEN—THE ROBBERS CAPTURED IN THEIR HIDING PLACE BEFORE DAYLIGHT—DETECTIVE WORK WITH THE MERCURY THIRTY DEGREES BELOW ZERO—A CONFESSION OF A CHUM LEADS TO DUTCH CHARLEY’S DEATH AT THE HANDS OF JUDGE LYNCH—FATE OF THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GANG—STORY OF THE CAREER OF “THE KID”—SOME OF HIS EXTRAORDINARY EXPLOITS ON THE DEADWOOD LINE.
Early in December, 1878, a portion of this band, consisting of Erwin, Manuse, Dutch Charley, Frank Ruby, A. C. Douglas, Hank Harrington, Frank Howard and Charles Condon (alias “The Kid”) decided upon another raid upon the railroad, and this time selected as the point of their attack the bridge across Rock creek, fifty-six miles west of Laramie City. Their programme included the robbery of the train, and also of the hotel kept at the point by ex-Gov. Thayer, of Wyoming.
The plot was quite as devilish as that which had been frustrated at Medicine Bow, but it never came so near bearing fruit as the former one did. It was frustrated through the efforts principally of two men, named Frank Howard, one of the party, and Detective Boswell, who succeeded in taking in the entire band by a very bold and shrewdly arranged move upon them.
Frank Howard was a member of the party as it started from the north for the purpose of committing the robberies planned as above stated. The party came south to within a few miles of their destination and, camping in a spot where they supposed themselves safe, decided to send a member of their organization to the station to look over the land and make report upon the prospects there. The performance of this duty fell to Howard, whose conscience appears to have been considerably wrought upon, and whose heart failed him in the work in which he was about to engage. As a consequence of this state of his mind he decided to frustrate the plans of his associates, prevent the raid and assist in securing the capture of the band. He laid the entire story before Gov. Thayer, who was not slow in communicating it to the authorities of Albany county.
Mr. Boswell was not then acting sheriff of the county, although he had but recently been elected to that position. The sheriff was notified, but did not act. Gov. Thayer then informed the officials of the Union Pacific railroad of the intentions of the cut-throats, some of them being at Ogden, Utah. They took the matter in hand and began to communicate by telegraph with the sheriff of Albany county. But he did not heed their dispatches or take any steps to grant their request that the contemplated train wrecking be prevented and an effort made to overtake the criminals while there was a chance of finding them.
Two days were spent in this way, and at last the Union Pacific people telegraphed Mr. Boswell, as a member of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association, and requested him to see if something could not be done, offering a reward of $250 each for the capture of the gang. Mr. Boswell went to see the sheriff, who, upon being approached, declared that he had been unable to get men to go along with him to make the effort to arrest the “agents.” Mr. Boswell thereupon undertook the case. In a very few minutes he had found ten determined men who were willing to go with him, and he announced his readiness to proceed with the undertaking. A special train was provided and the men were soon on their way, starting after nightfall of Saturday, December 24.
The hour of midnight had already passed when Rock Creek station was reached, but Boswell decided that if anything was to be done it must be promptly done, and, gathering up horses for his men, they started out at 3 o’clock on Christmas morning in search of their game. It was dark; the ground was covered with snow; there was a stiff wind blowing, and the mercury touched at 30° below zero.