To lash the rascals naked through the world.”
During the night following the departure of White, Dorsett, and Kelley’s partner from Virginia City, a mule belonging to William Hunt, and a horse owned by another citizen of Virginia City, were stolen. Dorsett was informed of this on his return, and, not having seen Kelley since his promise to overtake his party, he at once suspected him of the theft. The mule was a very fine animal, which Hunt had purchased of Dorsett in Colorado.
“If I find him,” said Dorsett, as he mounted his horse to return to the mine, “I will recover and send him back to you.”
The second day after this promise was made, while crossing the divide between White Tail and Boulder, Dorsett met Kelley in possession of the stolen animals. After a brief conversation, Dorsett asked,
“Where did you get that fine mule, Kelley?”
“The man at Nevada, who promised me the horse I told you about, could not find him, and gave me the mule instead.”
Not wishing to arouse Kelley’s suspicion, Dorsett asked no more questions, but, with a friendly “good-bye,” rode on as rapidly as possible to his camp. He was informed that Kelley had been there, and had told the miners that some friend in Deer Lodge had sent him a written offer to furnish provisions and a good outfit for prospecting. He was going there immediately to accept it, and had bought both horse and mule for that purpose. When they were informed that the animals were stolen, White agreed to join Dorsett, and they started immediately in pursuit of the thief, thus furnishing another instance of the strength of that friendship which neither the freezing weather and mountain snows, nor long days of travel and long nights of exposure, could overcome. The single thought of serving a friend put to flight every consideration of personal comfort or convenience. They did not expect to be absent longer than three days at the most.
A week passed and nothing was heard from them. Dorsett had promised Thompson and Rumsey, when he left, that he would return to Virginia City in five or six days. Ten days expired without bringing any intelligence. Rumsey’s fears were aroused for the safety of his friends. Being at Nevada on business, he mentioned incidentally this strange disappearance, and Stephen Holmes, a bystander, observed that, four days before, while at Deer Lodge, he had met Kelley with Dorsett’s horse, revolver, Henry rifle, and cantinas, and that Kelley had told him he traded for them with a man at Boulder. With characteristic promptness, Rumsey replied to Holmes,
“The men have been murdered by the scoundrel, and he is fleeing with their property.”
To think, with such men as Thompson and Rumsey, was to act. No time was to be lost. Thoroughly equipped for a long pursuit, Thompson and a friend named Coburn started immediately upon the track of Kelley, and at the same time James Dorsett, brother of Rudolph, organized a party with which he went as rapidly as possible to the Boulder, in search of the missing men. This little party passed the first night at Coppock’s ranche on the Jefferson. The next day, while passing through a hollow on the Boulder range, called Basin, they found tracks diverging from the road in the direction of White Tail Deer Creek. They followed that stream nearly to the forks, when suddenly they saw, some distance before them, two men emerge from the thin forest of pines. They spurred their horses into a sharp run. The men turned at the sound and raised their guns, and stood upon the defensive. The approaching party, rifles in hand, drew nearer, and a conflict at long range seemed inevitable. Fortunately, at this moment, one of the two men recognized James Dorsett, and dropped his gun, and with friendly gestures rode toward him. Offensive demonstrations were soon followed by hearty greetings. The two men proved to be John Heffner and a comrade, who had just been searching in the willows for a suitable camping ground for the night.