Hands Up; Or, Thirty-Five Years Of Detective Life In The Mountains And On The Plains - free ebook by D. J.‏ ‎(David J.) Cook

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Hands Up; Or, Thirty-Five Years Of Detective Life In The Mountains And On The Plains

D. J.‏ ‎(David J.) Cook

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HANDS UP

HANDS UP

D. J. Cook Maj. Gen. C. W. G. HANDS UP; OR, THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF DETECTIVE LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ON THE PLAINS. Reminiscences by General D. J. Cook, Chief of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. Compiled by John W. Cook. A Condensed Criminal History of the Far West. DENVER: THE W. F. ROBINSON PRINTING CO., 1897. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1897, BY D. J. &amp; J. W. COOK, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. All rights reserved....

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GENERAL DAVID J. COOK.

GENERAL DAVID J. COOK.

This book consists of a series of reminiscences of Gen. D. J. Cook, chief of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association, which has been in existence for the past thirty-five years, during which time Gen. Cook has been continuously at its head. He organized it in the beginning and has remained with it from that time until his own name and that of the association have become almost synonymous terms in the entire Rocky Mountain country, where both are known and where both are respected and relied upo

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CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER I.

AN INTERESTING BIT OF COLORADO HISTORY NEVER BEFORE PRINTED—THE REYNOLDS GANG OF REBEL GUERRILLAS LEAVE TEXAS TO INVADE COLORADO—AFTER A LONG RIDE, WITH MANY EXCITING INCIDENTS, THEY REACH COLORADO—THEY ROB A BUCKSKIN COACH. “It’s no use, pard; the jig is up, and I’m goin’ across the range mighty shortly.” The speaker was John Reynolds—miner, gambler, rebel guerrilla, stage robber and cut-throat—as reckless a daredevil as ever met his just deserts in the whole West. The person addressed was his

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CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.

THE WHOLE COUNTRY AROUSED—HUNDREDS OF ARMED MEN ON THEIR TRAIL—REYNOLDS BECOMES ALARMED AND BURIES A LARGE PART OF THEIR PLUNDER—THE PARTY ATTACKED IN CAMP—SINGLETARY KILLED AND CAPT. REYNOLDS WOUNDED—THE BAND DISPERSED AND NEARLY ALL CAPTURED—BROUGHT TO DENVER AND SENTENCED FOR LIFE. They then rode away, leaving the settlers dumbfounded by the news. There had long been rumors of such a raid, and there being neither telegraph nor railroad, they had no means of verifying the reports. McClellan at

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CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER III.

THEY ARE STARTED TO FORT LYON—THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE TO BE KILLED—A BLOODTHIRSTY SERGEANT AND A BUNGLING EXECUTION—LEFT FOR DEAD, JOHN ANDREWS ESCAPES—THE GANG FINALLY WIPED OUT—UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR THE BURIED TREASURE. About the first week in September the Third Colorado cavalry, commanded by Col. Chivington, was ordered out against the Indians. Capt. Cree, of Company A, was directed to take the six prisoners from the county jail to Fort Lyon for “safe keeping,” and to shoot every one

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CHAPTER IV.

CHAPTER IV.

A BAND OF STAGE ROBBERS IN SOUTHERN COLORADO TERRORIZE THE WHOLE COUNTRY—THEY EVEN LOOT ENTIRE TOWNS—A BIG REWARD OFFERED—CAPTURED BY FRANK HYATT, ONE OF THE SHINING LIGHTS OF THE ASSOCIATION, WITHOUT A SHOT BEING FIRED. Frank A. Hyatt, of Alamosa, Colo., assistant superintendent of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association for the district embracing Arizona, New Mexico and southern Colorado, has a greater string of captures of criminals and desperadoes to his credit than any other officer in tha

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CHAPTER V.

CHAPTER V.

BOLD, RECKLESS, JOHNNY VAN PELT ASSISTS A FRIEND TO ESCAPE FROM JAIL AT BUENA VISTA—RIDES BOLDLY INTO ALAMOSA IN DAYLIGHT AND IS KILLED BY MARSHAL HYATT WHILE RESISTING ARREST. Johnny Van Pelt, a cowboy, who used to make his headquarters at Alamosa, was as reckless a lad as ever punched cattle in southern Colorado, a region particularly known for its tough characters, and while there was nothing exceptionally bad in his make-up, his recklessness and his desire to help a friend out of trouble cos

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CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VI.

TWO DRUNKEN NEGRO HOLDUPS MURDER STREET CAR DRIVER JOE WHITNAH—OFFICERS ON THE WRONG TRACK—THE MURDERER TALKS TOO MUCH AND GEN. COOK HEARS OF IT—BOTH MEN SOON IN THE TOILS—GREEN IS HANGED AND WITHERS GOES TO THE PEN FOR LIFE. The murder of Street Car Driver Joseph C. Whitnah by the two negroes, Green and Withers, is noted not only for the cold-blooded nature of the crime, but for the swift retribution which followed. Whitnah was shot dead by Andy Green, a negro tough, on the night of May 19, 188

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CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.

THE ITALIAN MURDERS—THE GREAT DENVER SENSATION OF 1875—FOUR DECAYING BODIES FOUND AT 2334 LAWRENCE STREET—A HORRIBLE SIGHT—SUSPICION POINTS TO A BAND OF FELLOW-COUNTRYMEN—GEN. COOK TAKES THE CASE IN HAND. One of the most horrible crimes that ever cast a silhouette athwart the darkened pages of criminal history was revealed to the startled citizens of Denver on the 21st day of October, 1875, consisting in the discovery of what afterwards became known throughout the state as the Italian murders. T

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CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.

PURSUIT OF THE ITALIAN MURDERERS BY THE DETECTIVE ASSOCIATION—SMITH AND FORCE ON THE TRAIL—THEY BECOME DISCOURAGED AT PUEBLO, BUT ARE URGED ON BY CHIEF COOK—PART OF THE GAME AT LAST FOUND AT TRINIDAD AND THREE OF THE MURDERERS ARRESTED—THEY CONFESS THE ENTIRE CRIME AND, RETURNING TO DENVER, NARROWLY ESCAPE LYNCHING—ARREST OF DEODOTTA AND “OLD JOE” AT SLOAN’S LAKE, NEAR DENVER, UNDER EXCITING CIRCUMSTANCES. Meantime the coroner’s jury continued its work. A verdict was rendered in accordance with

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CHAPTER IX.

CHAPTER IX.

ON GALLOTTI’S TRACK—A LETTER REVEALS HIS FLIGHT TO MEXICO WITH FERNANDEZ, ANNATTA AND VALENTINE—DETECTIVE SMITH IN SAN LUIS VALLEY AS AN OFFICER FOR UNCLE SAM AND A SHEEP BUYER—THE MURDERERS RUN DOWN AT LAST AND CAPTURED AT THE POINT OF A PISTOL—A FRIEND WHO WAS NOT A FRIEND—A LONG BUT FRUITFUL CHASE AFTER VALENTINE. It must not be supposed that Gen. Cook had been devoting his entire attention to either the men who had been captured at Trinidad or those taken near Denver. He had now learned enou

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CHAPTER X.

CHAPTER X.

THE ITALIAN MURDERERS TELL THE STORY OF THE CRIME—A SERIES OF BLOOD-CURDLING NARRATIVES, INTERESTING ACCOUNTS FROM THE MOST PROMINENT OF THE BUTCHERS—GALLOTTI GIVES HIS VERSION—HOW THE MUSIC PLAYED WHILE THE THROATS WERE CUT—DRINKING THE BLOOD OF THE VICTIMS. So prompt had been the retribution overtaking the band that the popular desire for revenge was in a measure appeased, and all seemed to be confident that the law would effectually dispose of the bloody crew. Before showing how the people we

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CHAPTER XI.

CHAPTER XI.

TRIALS OF THE ITALIANS—THEY ESCAPE THE GALLOWS THROUGH A TECHNICALITY OF THE LAW—GALLOTTI, BALLOTTI, CAMPAGNE AND VALENTINE RECEIVE LIFE SENTENCES AND THE OTHERS GET OFF LIGHTLY. It would seem from the evidence and their own confessions that this band would surely be hung. But such a fate was not in store for them. On Saturday, December 4, 1875, the preliminary examination was had before Justices Whittemore and Sayer. Gallotti and Ballotti pleaded guilty, and, together John Anatta, Leonardo Alle

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CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII.

THE BAD CHARACTERS BROUGHT TO DENVER BY THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD BUILDING—L. H. MUSGROVE AND HIS GANG—ARREST OF MUSGROVE—ED. FRANKLIN AND SANFORD DUGGAN COME TO HIS RESCUE—HIGHWAY ROBBERY IN DENVER. For a few years previous to 1868 Denver was a paradise of quiet and repose. The mining excitement, which had attracted so many people to this region a few years before, had subsided to a great extent. The settlers were becoming accustomed to a residence in this region. The novelty of the life in th

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CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.

FEELING AROUSED BY THE ROBBERY OF JUDGE BROOKS—PURSUIT OF THE HIGHWAYMEN, DUGGAN AND FRANKLIN—THE DETECTIVES OBTAIN A CLUE—THE OUTLAWS OVERTAKEN IN GOLDEN—DUGGAN SHOWS FIGHT AND GETS HIS FRIEND, MILES HILL, KILLED—TERRIBLE ENCOUNTER WITH, AND TRAGIC DEATH OF, ED. FRANKLIN. The robbery of Judge Brooks was the event which sealed the fate of both these desperate characters, and probably indirectly also that of Musgrove. The event occurred on the night of Friday, November 20, 1868. Judge Brooks was

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CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.

LYNCHING OF MUSGROVE BY THE DENVER POPULACE—AN ILLEGAL HANGING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT BY MEN ENTIRELY UNDISGUISED—THE DESPERADO MEETS THEM BRAVELY, BUT IS OVERCOME AT LAST AND DIES GAME—HE WRITES A PAIR OF PARTING LETTERS, AND SMOKES A CIGARETTE WHILE THE HANGMAN’S ROPE IS BEING ADJUSTED. The night was well advanced when the officers, who had gone to Golden, returned to Denver. Indeed, the morning was coming on, so that they were late in reaching their homes. Being well worn with the night’s exciteme

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CHAPTER XV.

CHAPTER XV.

THE LAST OF THE MUSGROVE GANG—DUGGAN CAPTURED NEAR CHEYENNE AND RETURNED TO DENVER—HOW GEN. COOK OUTWITTED THE MOB—DUGGAN IS TAKEN FROM THE SHERIFF AND EXPIATES HIS CRIME FROM A COTTONWOOD LIMB—DYING THE DEATH OF A COWARD. Duggan, it will be remembered, had escaped from the officers at Golden, but he was not allowed to get away. The descriptions which Gen. Cook had sent out had been received at Fort Russell, near Cheyenne, and the agents of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association at that point

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CHAPTER XVI.

CHAPTER XVI.

ROBBERY OF THE EXCHANGE BANK—FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS STOLEN IN BROAD DAYLIGHT WITH THE OFFICIALS PRESENT—GEN. COOK GOES TO WORK WITHOUT A CLUE AND SECURES THE THIEVES AND THE BOOTY IN TWO HOURS. May 12, 1879, Cole’s circus struck its tent in Denver and prepared to give one of the very creditable performances which generally characterize this “monster aggregation.” The circus had but recently returned to America from Australia and was passing through the country with considerable prestige. Being th

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CHAPTER XVII.

CHAPTER XVII.

SEMINOLE AND WOODRUFF, THE MURDERERS, MAKE THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE IN MIDDLE PARK, WHERE THEY TURN UP AS ROBBERS AND TRICKSTERS—A VISIT TO LEADVILLE AND GEORGETOWN WITH ACCOMPANYING INCIDENTS—OLD MAN HAYWARD ENTICED FROM HOME NEAR GOLD HILL AND FOULLY DEALT WITH—THE MURDERERS COME TO DENVER AND ESCAPE ON STOLEN HORSES—CHIEF COOK ON THEIR TRACK—A DETECTIVE AT PINE RIDGE AGENCY—THE VICTIM’S BODY FOUND A MONTH AFTER THE MURDER—A GREAT CRIME AND A PROFOUND MYSTERY. In all the criminal history of Colo

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CHAPTER XVIII.

CHAPTER XVIII.

CHASING THE HAYWARD MURDERERS—DETECTIVE AYRES’ ADVENTUROUS TOUR INTO THE INDIAN COUNTRY—SEMINOLE AS HE APPEARED WHEN CAPTURED AT PINE RIDGE AGENCY—A BRIEF BUT FIERCE STRUGGLE—AID OF THE INDIAN POLICE—THE PRISONER ESCAPES FROM A TRAIN AND IS RECAPTURED—MRS. HAYWARD’S IDENTIFICATION OF HER HUSBAND’S BETRAYER. In the meantime Detective Ayres had gone to Cheyenne, taken horse there and ridden to Horse creek; from there to Big Horse creek, thence to Hawk Springs and into old Red Cloud agency, on the

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CHAPTER XIX.

CHAPTER XIX.

SEMINOLE’S CONFESSION—HE FURNISHES GEN. COOK WITH A VALUABLE CLUE AS TO WOODRUFF’S WHEREABOUTS—DETECTIVES HAWLEY AND AYRES ON THE TRAIL—THE WRONG MAN, BUT A CRIMINAL ALL THE SAME, TAKEN AFTER MUCH HARDSHIP—AGAIN ON WOODRUFF’S TRAIL—HE IS TRACKED TO THE MISSOURI VALLEY BY MR. HAWLEY AND TAKEN AT THE MUZZLE OF A SHOT-GUN—THE CRIMINAL IS RETURNED TO DENVER AND THOROUGHLY IDENTIFIED. While Seminole was in jail here, Detective Cook determined to obtain from him some information which would lead to th

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CHAPTER XX.

CHAPTER XX.

STIRRING CLOSE OF THE HAYWARD STORY—SEMINOLE AND WOODRUFF TAKEN TO GOLDEN AND LODGED IN JAIL—VISIT OF THE GRANGER VIGILANTES, WHO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS BY HANGING THE MURDERERS OF THEIR LATE NEIGHBOR—DYING STATEMENTS OF THE TWO MEN—TRAGIC END OF A TRAGIC STORY. The last chapter of this somewhat remarkable story at last opens. It is, if anything, the most thrilling of the series, as it relates the tragic end of the two men who have figured in these pages to considerable length, and with whom we beg

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CHAPTER XXI.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE LEADER OF THE AMISH SOCIETY OF IOWA DISAPPEARS AND IS MOURNED AS DEAD—HE LEAVES HIS HOME HEAVILY IN DEBT, BUT CARRIES THE CONFIDENCE OF ALL—WHEN LAST SEEN HE HAS TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ON HIS PERSON—PINKERTON’S DETECTIVE AGENCY EMPLOYED TO NO AVAIL—ONE HOPE STILL LEFT. Mr. Joseph Arnold, known to his friends and the community at large as “Joe,” has for many years past been one of the most trusted of Gen. Cook’s assistant detectives. To him have been entrusted many of the cases which required t

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CHAPTER XXII.

CHAPTER XXII.

DETECTIVE ARNOLD “SMELLS A MICE”—HE WITNESSES A PECULIAR WEDDING IN A JUSTICE’S OFFICE IN DENVER, AND CONCLUDES THAT THE BRIDEGROOM IS NO OTHER THAN MR. SCHUTTLER, OF IOWA—A VERY SMALL CLUE LEADS TO BIG RESULTS—A CASE OF CONFIDENCE, THEFT AND BIGAMY BROUGHT TO LIGHT—SCHUTTLER, BEING ARRESTED, OWNS UP AND GOES BACK TO IOWA, WHERE HE IS WELCOMED TO THE BOSOM OF HIS FAMILY. One day several weeks after the man’s disappearance, and when the Pinkertons had almost ceased their search the Johnson county

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CHAPTER XXIV.

CHAPTER XXIV.

A FOUL MURDER ON DRY CREEK, IN DOUGLAS COUNTY—A QUIET SUNDAY DESECRATED BY A PAIR OF ASSASSINS—L. K. WALL KILLED BY E. E. WIGHT AND G. H. WITHERILL FOR HIS POSSESSIONS—HE IS SET UPON WHILE HERDING HIS SHEEP AND SHOT BY SUPPOSED FRIENDS—A DESPERATE RUN FOR LIFE ENDS IN DEATH AT THE HANDS OF SHAMELESS RUFFIANS—THE MURDER REMAINS A MYSTERY FOR WEEKS—THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN DETECTIVES AT WORK. Dry creek is the name of a small and unimportant tributary of Cherry creek, which, like a great many other strea

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CHAPTER XXV.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE MYSTERY UNRAVELING—A BANK CERTIFICATE LEADS TO IMPORTANT RESULTS—DARING DEED OF WIGHT TO OBTAIN INFORMATION AS TO THE PLANS OF THE DETECTIVES—FLIGHT OF THE MURDERERS ON STOLEN STOCK—A WEARY RIDE ACROSS THE PLAINS—THE ASSASSINS CHASE A WOUNDED BUFFALO, WHO TURNS UPON WITHERILL AND SENDS HIM FORTH A CRIPPLE FOR LIFE, WHICH CIRCUMSTANCE CAUSES THE CAPTURE OF THE CRIMINALS. Gen. Cook did not have to wait long. It is a true saying that murder will out. It can not hide its bloody footprints, espec

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CHAPTER XXVI.

CHAPTER XXVI.

WIGHT’S COMPLICITY FULLY ESTABLISHED—THE STORY THAT THE CRIMINALS TOLD—A HORRIBLE RECITAL OF COLD-BLOODED MURDER BY WITHERILL—WIGHT GOES TO THE PENITENTIARY FOR SEVEN YEARS AND WITHERILL FOR LIFE—THE FORMER ENGAGES IN SEVERAL ESCAPADES AND WINDS UP WITH A MYSTERIOUS LETTER TO GEN. COOK, OF RECENT DATE—A COCK-AND-BULL STORY OF A HIDDEN FORTUNE. Up to this time Wight’s connection with the affair had been only a matter of surmise, but Witherill talked freely. According to Witherill’s story told at

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CHAPTER XXVII.

CHAPTER XXVII.

A FOOL LEGISLATURE RELEASES WITHERILL AND HE RECOMMENCES HIS CAREER OF CRIME—A SWEDE MURDERED FOR HIS TEAM NEAR SILVERTON AND HIS BODY NEVER FOUND—HE FINDS ANOTHER VICTIM—CHAS. R. M’CAIN HIRED TO HAUL ORE, AND MURDERED BY WITHERILL—CAPTURED IN DENVER—THE OUTRAGED PEOPLE OF CANON CITY LYNCH THE VILLAIN. Among the collection of laws, good, bad and indifferent, passed by the Colorado legislature of 1887, was one which was the indirect cause of the death of at least two innocent men. It was a law th

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CHAPTER XXIII.

CHAPTER XXIII.

C. P. JUDD, THIEF AND JAILBIRD, PULLS THE WOOL OVER THE EYES OF THE FIRST CLEVELAND ADMINISTRATION AND GETS A SOFT BERTH IN THE LABOR DEPARTMENT—GEN. COOK EXPOSES THE RASCAL, AND HE LOSES HIS PLACE AT THE PIE COUNTER—SHOWS HOW EASY IT IS TO FOOL SOME PEOPLE. One morning in May, 1885, the people of Colorado generally, and of Denver in particular, were very greatly surprised to read the announcement in the papers among the Washington dispatches, that “Hon.” C. P. Judd had been appointed by Preside

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CHAPTER XXVIII.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

L. P. GRISWOLD AND HIS DENVER EXPERIENCE—HOW HE TOOK A “CASE” WHICH HE WORKED UP SO WELL AS TO PRODUCE THE DEATH OF THREE MEN—HE MURDERS AN INNOCENT MAN, PRETENDING THAT HE WAS LYNCHED, AND STARTS TO FLEE THE COUNTRY—GEN. COOK LOOKS INTO THE CASE, SEES THROUGH THE STORY, AND HAS MR. GRISWOLD ARRESTED, DEVELOPING A COLD-BLOODED ASSASSINATION. There are snide detectives just as there are shyster lawyers, quack doctors and dead-beat newspaper men. We have our share of the pretenders and dead beats,

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CHAPTER XXIX.

CHAPTER XXIX.

ARREST OF GRISWOLD—HE IS TAKEN JUST AS HE IS LEAVING THE COUNTRY—PREPARED TO FIGHT, BUT CAUGHT IN A TRAP—HIS NECK SAVED ON THE FIRST TRIAL, AND WHILE AWAITING A SECOND HE ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE FROM JAIL, BUT IS SHOT DEAD IN A GENERAL MELEE—HIS PLAN OF ESCAPE DISCOVERED—A CURIOUS LETTER—ESCAPE OF PATRICK—SUICIDE OF HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW SEVERAL YEARS AFTERWARDS. There was now left nothing to do but to arrest the two men who had betrayed and murdered O’Neal, and for this denouement preparations were now

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CHAPTER XXX.

CHAPTER XXX.

FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS STOLEN FROM A SALOON SAFE ALMOST UNDER THE OWNER’S EYES—THE THIEF ESCAPES AND IS WELL GONE WHEN GEN. COOK GETS ON THE TRACK—A REWARD OF A THOUSAND DOLLARS—VISIT TO A PAWNBROKER’S SHOP—THE DETECTIVES GET A CLUE—CHASE OF RECKLESS ROCKY M’DONALD, WHO PROVES TO BE THE GUILTY PARTY—THE THIEF LOCKED UP AND THE MONEY TURNED OVER IN TWO HOURS’ TIME—THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION PITTED AGAINST THE POLICE AND THE SHERIFF’S FORCE. One of the boldest robberies on record was committed

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CHAPTER XXXI.

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE LIVELY TIMES OF ’76—HOW THE ROAD AGENTS BETWEEN CHEYENNE AND DEADWOOD FLOURISHED—AN ATTEMPT TO DITCH THE UNION PACIFIC TRAIN AT MEDICINE BOW BRIDGE, WHEREBY A HUNDRED LIVES WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST—FRANK JAMES AT THE HEAD OF THE “AGENTS”—THEIR ESCAPE INTO THE ELK MOUNTAINS, WHERE DEPUTY SHERIFFS WIDOWFIELD AND VINCENT ARE MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD. The years 1876, ’77, ’78 and ’79 were characterized by numerous stage-coach robberies in Wyoming, Dakota and Montana, performed by highwaymen, who found

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CHAPTER XXXII.

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 LY

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CHAPTER XXXIII.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

BIG SUMS OF MONEY CARRIED THROUGH THIEF-INFESTED DISTRICTS WITHOUT LOSS—A REMARKABLE TRIP TO LEADVILLE IN 1878—GEN. COOK SAVES A MINING COMPANY SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS BY HIS PROMPTNESS. Along in the ’60’s and early ’70’s when Colorado was not covered with a network of railroad and telegraph lines as it is to-day, bankers and others who wished to transmit large sums of money from one point to another were often put to sore straits for some means to accomplish their object. The stage coa

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CHAPTER XXXIV.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THEODORE MEYERS AND THE TRAGEDY OF 1871-3—EMPLOYED ON A RANCH NEAR DENVER, HE KILLS HIS EMPLOYER, GEORGE BONACINA, AND MAKES AN EFFORT TO MURDER HIS SISTER, MRS. NEWTON—HE PLANTS SEVEN BUCKSHOT IN HER BREAST, BUT SHE IS NOT KILLED OUTRIGHT, AND AFTER A HORRIBLE NIGHT ALONE SHE GETS TO DENVER, WHERE SHE TELLS HER STORY TO GEN. COOK, WHO TAKES THE ROAD AND RUNS THE MURDERER DOWN. There has been but one execution of a criminal in Denver to the present time since the 24th day of January, 1873. On th

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CHAPTER XXXV.

CHAPTER XXXV.

ON THE TRACK OF THE ASSASSIN—A VISIT TO THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY—THE BODY OF BONACINA FOUND—SHOT WHILE SLEEPING—MEYERS’ NATURALIZATION PAPERS REVEAL HIS NAME AND HIS PROBABLE COURSE OF FLIGHT—OFF FOR PUEBLO ON A STOLEN HORSE—GEN. COOK’S PURSUIT AND CAPTURE OF THE FUGITIVE—A CONFESSION IN THE DENVER JAIL. Chief Cook decided immediately upon the apprehension of the murderer. Accordingly, immediately after hearing the wounded woman’s story, he started out to the ranch on the Platte, accompanied by

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CHAPTER XXXVI.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

MRS. NEWTON’S ASTONISHING RECOVERY—MEYERS’ TRIAL—A STUBBORN FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE IN THE COURTS, AND BEFORE THE TERRITORIAL EXECUTIVE—ALL TO NO AVAIL—THE PRISONER SENTENCED TO DEATH—COOL CONDUCT UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE GALLOWS—A FULL DYING CONFESSION—THE EXECUTION. Mrs. Newton rapidly recovered from her wounds, much to the astonishment of her physicians and of herself, and by the time that the trial of Meyers for the murder of her brother came on she was entirely well. Meyers was indicted for murde

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CHAPTER XXXVII.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

A COAL-OIL JOHNNY LOSES FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN GREENBACKS IN PETROLEUM CENTRE, PENNSYLVANIA—HIS SAFE BLOWN OPEN WHILE HE IS AT SUPPER AND THE MONEY CARRIED AWAY—JAMES SAEGER, THE PRINCIPAL “BLOWER,” BEATS HIS COMPANIONS AND SKIPS THE COUNTRY—REWARD OF ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OFFERED—DETECTIVES FLOCK IN FROM ALL QUARTERS—AFTER YEARS OF WANDERING, SAEGER TURNS UP IN DENVER. Although as a rule Gen. Cook’s experience with criminals has been with the class who kill, he has also had a g

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CHAPTER XXXVIII.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

SAEGER APPEARS IN DENVER UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME—HE MEETS AN OLD FRIEND IN THE PERSON OF GUS POTTER, TO WHOM HE MAKES A FULL CONFESSION—HE FALLS INTO A LITTLE TRAP SET BY GEN. COOK AND IS CAPTURED BEFORE HE KNOWS IT—SAEGER TELLS THE STORY OF HIS WANDERINGS—BENNEHOFF GOES BACK ON THE REWARD AND SAEGER ESCAPES. Gen. Cook had learned that Mr. Gus Potter and his wife, who then, as they do now, kept a restaurant on Blake street, had known Saeger personally before coming to Colorado. He naturally conclu

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CHAPTER XXXIX.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

FRED WELCOME, A FUGITIVE CRIMINAL FROM UTAH, APPEARS IN CHEYENNE—HE IS WANTED FOR THE MURDER OF J. F. TURNER, NEAR PARK CITY—THE VICTIM LURED FROM HOME THAT HE MAY BE KILLED FOR REVENGE—THE BODY HAULED IN A WAGON AND HIDDEN AWAY IN ECHO CANON, WHERE IT IS ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED—PURSUIT OF THE CRIMINALS BY TURNER’S FATHER. Mr. T. Jeff Carr, for a long time city marshal of Cheyenne, and for many years past a resident of that city, has long been one of the most vigilant as well as one of the most

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CHAPTER XL.

CHAPTER XL.

INVESTIGATING THE TURNER MURDER—A WICKED DEED FOLLOWED BY A GENERAL DEBAUCH—FLIGHT OF THE ASSASSINS WITH THEIR VICTIM’S REMAINS—SALE OF HIS TEAMS AND WAGONS—THE FATHER’S UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH—DETECTIVE CARR CALLED IN—WELCOME ARRESTED IN CHEYENNE AND CONFRONTED BY TURNER’S FATHER—CONFESSION AND TRIAL OF THE MURDERER. At Park City there were found witnesses who had seen the murderers on the evening of the tragedy, before and after its occurrence, and their conduct had been shameful in the extreme. W

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CHAPTER XLI.

CHAPTER XLI.

BROUGHT TO JUSTICE AT LAST—WELCOME, OR HOPT, AS HE CALLED HIMSELF, GETS FOUR TRIALS—IS NOT ABLE TO BREAK THE WEB OF JUSTICE—CHOSE TO BE SHOT INSTEAD OF HANGED—HELD HIS NERVE TO THE LAST. The second trial of Welcome, or Hopt, as he declared his name to be, did not bring out any new evidence to materially affect the case, one way or the other, and the verdict was the same as in the former trial. Again his attorneys carried the case through the territorial supreme court, and then on to the supreme

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CHAPTER XLII.

CHAPTER XLII.

A SAN JUAN FIDDLER IN THE ROLE OF ROMEO—SALLY BERNHEIM LEAVES A WIFE AT LAKE CITY AND STARTS TO EUROPE, FINDING A NEW JULIET ON BOARD SHIP—A FLIRTATION OF THE SEA RIPENS INTO LOVE ON THE RHINE AND MATRIMONY UPON RETURNING TO THE CENTENNIAL STATE—THE DESERTION OF THE SAN JUAN WIFE FOLLOWED BY THE DESERTION AND ROBBERY OF THE DENVER BRIDE—PURSUIT AND CAPTURE OF THE FLEEING BIGAMIST AND THIEF—A TERM IN THE PENITENTIARY. During the latter part of October, 1877, Judge Foster, a judge in one of the di

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CHAPTER XLIII.

CHAPTER XLIII.

HORSE-STEALING IN THE EARLY DAYS—GEORGE BRITT AND WILLIAM HILLIGOSS, AND SOME OF THEIR OPERATIONS—OFF WITH A RANCHMAN’S VALUABLE TEAM—GEN. COOK ON THE TRAIL, WHICH IS FOLLOWED AND LOST—ANOTHER CLUE IS OBTAINED, AND THE SCAMPS ARE TRACKED TO KANSAS. Back in the early days, two of the most noted desperadoes and horse thieves of the Rocky mountain region were George Britt and William Hilligoss, who, like many others, did not come to grief until Gen. Cook got on their track. They had been guilty of

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CHAPTER XLIV.

CHAPTER XLIV.

THE FUGITIVES SURPRISED—THEY ARE INCLINED TO FIGHT, FINDING THEY ARE TWO TO ONE, BUT CHANGE THEIR MINDS AND SURRENDER—A LONELY RIDE—AN EFFORT TO KILL GEN. COOK WHILE ASLEEP FRUSTRATED—FIVE DAYS WITHOUT SLEEP—A SHORT BUT THRILLING CHAPTER. Hilligoss and Britt were evidently taken entirely unaware. The two thieves had stopped and gone to work, and did not suspect the shabby looking stranger who was now standing with his back towards them only ten paces away, until he turned upon them with cocked p

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CHAPTER XLV.

CHAPTER XLV.

A GEORGETOWN SENSATION—MURDER OF HENRY THEDIE BY ROBERT SCHAMLE, A FELLOW-BUTCHER—A COLD-BLOODED ASSAULT FOR MONEY—ESCAPE OF THE MURDERER—THE DETECTIVES ON THE TRACK. “Sedalia can not have Schamle. His goose is cooked. Found him hanging over a pig-stye this morning. Saltpetre can’t save him. Biggest show of the season.” Such was a telegram received from Georgetown by Gen. Cook, on Saturday, the 15th day of December, 1877. Robert Schamle was a brute of a tramp who murdered an inoffensive man in G

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CHAPTER XLVI.

CHAPTER XLVI.

SCHAMLE’S RETURN TO GEORGETOWN—THE VIGILANTES ORGANIZED AND AT WORK—THE MURDERER TAKEN FROM HIS CELL AND LEFT HANGING IN A HOG PEN—THE LYNCHING DONE UP IN RHYME. On the 12th of the same month Schamle was taken to Georgetown by Sheriffs Ellis and Easley. It had been discussed on the streets and elsewhere that he was a proper subject for lynch law, but no demonstrations of that nature were made upon his arrival. On the following day his shackles were removed in the presence of a large but not appr

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CHAPTER XLVII.

CHAPTER XLVII.

CHARLES H. FOULK WANTED IN PENNSYLVANIA FOR ARSON, LARCENY AND PERJURY—HE PROVES TO BE A LEADVILLE GAMBLER, MAKING “PILES OF MONEY”—SPOTTED IN DENVER BY GEN. COOK—ARRESTED AND JAILED—A LARGE SUM OF MONEY FOUND ON THE MAN’S PERSON—THE LAWYERS INTERESTED—A SUIT FOR DAMAGES AGAINST COOK. During the month of October, 1877, Gen. Cook received a postal card containing the following: $500 Reward —The above reward will be paid for the arrest and detention of Charles H. Foulk, who is under indictment for

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CHAPTER XLVIII.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE OFFICERS IN CHARGE OF FOULK STOPPED BY A LOCAL OFFICIAL AT TOPEKA—THE HABEAS CORPUS DRAWN ON THEM—A LONG FIGHT FOR THE POSSESSION OF FOULK—HE IS LIBERATED AND AGAIN ARRESTED, AND STOLEN AWAY BY SMITH AND M’KEEVER, WHO LAND HIM SAFE IN THE KEYSTONE STATE. But all was not accomplished, and not by any means the worst of it. The officers sailed along over the Kansas Pacific quite smoothly. All went well until they reached Topeka, Kan., where the party stopped to get dinner. At this point W. D. D

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CHAPTER XLIX.

CHAPTER XLIX.

A TRAGEDY ON THE UNION PACIFIC IN ’68—JOHN KELLY’S COLD-BLOODED MURDER OF CHARLEY MAXWELL, A COLORADO BOY—SHOT DOWN FOR ASKING FOR DUES AND THE MURDER FINISHED AS THE BOY PRAYS FOR HIS LIFE—KELLY’S ESCAPE—HE IS HUNTED DOWN BY DETECTIVE BOSWELL AND FOUND IN MISSOURI, WHERE HE IS CAPTURED WITH THE AID OF A BULLET—PURSUIT BY A MOB OF RAILROAD LABORERS. Charley Maxwell, a bright-faced and well-dispositioned lad, was shot down in a cold and cruel way by one John Kelly, a contractor on the Union Pacif

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CHAPTER L.

CHAPTER L.

A LONG AND PERILOUS RIDE—THE MOTLEY MOB COMES UP—TWO MEN, BY EXERCISING A LITTLE COOLNESS AND A GOOD DEAL OF COURAGE, STAND OFF FORTY—AGAIN ATTACKED AT THE DEPOT—WADING THROUGH AN ARMY OF DESPERATE CHARACTERS—OFF FOR COUNCIL BLUFFS—THE JAIL ASSAULTED—FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OFFERED FOR KELLY’S RELEASE—DESPERATE EFFORT TO ESCAPE IN OMAHA—AFTER MANY TRIALS DETECTIVE BOSWELL LANDS HIS PRISONER IN LARAMIE CITY. The arrest of Kelly had been made early in the morning, and it was not late in the day whe

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CHAPTER LI.

CHAPTER LI.

GEN. COOK DEALS OUT JUSTICE TO BOTH THE STRIKERS AND THEIR EMPLOYERS—PREVENTS BLOODSHED AND DESTRUCTION AT LEADVILLE BY HIS UNPREJUDICED COURSE IN HANDLING THE STRIKE—STRIKERS CALL ON HIM TO SETTLE THE STRIKE—HE DOES IT IN SHORT ORDER. As a rule, the work of detectives and detective associations during strikes has been such as to incur the bitterest hatred from the strikers, and in many cases the condemnation of all disinterested citizens. We opine that this has been caused in the main by the va

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CHAPTER LII.

CHAPTER LII.

AN EXPRESS MESSENGER ROBS A TRAIN IN NEW YORK OF THIRTY-SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS—HE LOSES AT CARDS AND DRAWS UPON THE FUND IN HIS KEEPING—OFF FOR THE WEST—TRACED TO DENVER AND THEN TO SANTA FE BY DETECTIVE ARNOLD OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN DETECTIVE ASSOCIATION—ONLY TOO GLAD TO GET AWAY—THE ROBBER ROBBED IN A GAME OF POKER WITH HIS LANDLORD, WHO THEN ATTEMPTS TO DETAIN HIM FOR HIS BOARD BILL—BESIEGED FOR A NIGHT—JOE ARNOLD AS AN ARTFUL DODGER. John A. Bemis is the name of a young man who must figure in th

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CHAPTER LIII.

CHAPTER LIII.

JOHN DOEN, A DESERTER, STEALS A HORSE FROM RUFUS CLARK, NEAR DENVER, AND GOES TO CHEYENNE—DETECTIVE CARR NOTIFIED BY GEN. COOK, AND BECOMES A PURCHASER OF THE STOLEN ANIMAL, ARRESTING DOEN AT THE SAME TIME—THE PRISONER ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE AND IS SHOT DOWN AFTER A RUNNING FIGHT. As a rule officers of the law are careful of the lives and general safety of their prisoners, often taking great risk upon themselves to protect the unfortunates who may chance to fall into their hands. Yet they are occasi

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CHAPTER LIV.

CHAPTER LIV.

BILL WHITE, A CANADA CROOK, AND “HANDSOME” LARNIGAN ARRIVE IN DENVER—A HEAVY ROBBERY AT THE BROADWELL HOUSE TRACED TO THEIR DOORS BY GEN. COOK—THEY ESCAPE JAIL AND WHITE LEAVES FOR PUEBLO, WHERE HE ENGAGES IN WHOLESALE THIEVING. Bill White’s career in Colorado was brief. It was cut short by an accident which he could not control. Bill made his advent in Denver in the spring of 1872, and he might have been here yet if he had behaved himself properly, and to the fact that he did not deport himself

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CHAPTER LV.

CHAPTER LV.

WHITE’S ESCAPE TO DENVER—ARRESTED IN A GROGGERY BY GEN. COOK AND W. A. SMITH—A DESPERATE ENCOUNTER WITH A SMALL MOB—TAKEN BACK TO PUEBLO—STRUNG UP TO A TELEGRAPH POLE AND LEFT AS A WARNING TO THIEVES—DEATH OF ONE OF THE JAIL GUARDS FROM HEART DISEASE. The telegram quoted at the close of the last chapter was “nuts” for Cook. He knew his man. Taking W. A. Smith—then an honored member and assistant superintendent of the association—with him, they started out in their search. They learned at the dep

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CHAPTER LVI.

CHAPTER LVI.

THE MURDER OF “CHEAP JOHN” IN DENVER IN 1866—GEN. COOK HEARS THE MAN FALL AND RUSHES TO HIS RESCUE, BUT TOO LATE TO CATCH THE MURDERER—A NIGHT’S SEARCH RESULTS IN SOME STARTLING REVELATIONS—WHAT A PRYING WOMAN HEARD THROUGH A CRACK IN THE WALL—ARREST OF GEORGE CORMAN—HIS TRIAL AND ACQUITTAL—AFTERWARDS BLOWN TO ATOMS IN A TUNNEL NEAR GEORGETOWN. The murder of August Gallinger, alias “Cheap John,” created a sensation in Denver in the latter part of the year 1866, which for a long while engaged the

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CHAPTER LVII.

CHAPTER LVII.

WHOLESALE THIEVING FROM THE KANSAS PACIFIC RAILROAD AT KIT CARSON—TRAINS ROBBED BY AN ORGANIZED BAND INCLUDING THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE PLACE—GROCERIES, DRY GOODS AND LIVE-STOCK STOLEN—A RAILROAD DETECTIVE IN BAD LUCK—THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION ON THE LOOKOUT—ALEX MACLEAN’S NARROW ESCAPE—DUPLICITY OF A CONSTABLE AND A JUSTICE OF THE PEACE—THE WHOLE GANG ARRESTED AT DAYLIGHT BY A POSSE FROM DENVER. The month of January, 1877, was devoted by the Rocky Mountain Detective Association to the

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CHAPTER LVIII.

CHAPTER LVIII.

A MURDERER FROM MISSISSIPPI IN COLORADO—A “NIGGER HUNTER” AND A BAD CITIZEN—$500 REWARD—THE R. M. D. A. HEARS OF GATES IN SILVER CLIFF, WHERE HE IS ARRESTED AND WHENCE HE ESCAPES—TRACKED TO DAKOTA AND CAPTURED IN NEBRASKA—A GOOD JOB BY DETECTIVE WISE. Ragsdale Gates was a “bad” man. He hailed from Mississippi, and came away from that state under circumstances which did not speak well for his character. He left his country for his country’s good and to save his own neck, which was in jeopardy. Mr

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CHAPTER LIX.

CHAPTER LIX.

ED. M’GRAND, A TEXAS DESPERADO, SHOOTS AN INOFFENSIVE BOY NAMED JOHN WRIGHT, ON THE NORTH PLATTE—THE MURDERER GETS AWAY AND IS THOUGHT TO HAVE DISAPPEARED FOR GOOD—ACCIDENTALLY COME UPON BY DETECTIVE CARR, AT CHEYENNE—A LITTLE STRATEGY AND A BIG CAPTURE. Some time in the spring of 1878, Ed. McGrand, the murderer, and the subject of this sketch, came up over the trail from Texas as a herder or employé of Bosler Brothers, of Sidney, Neb. (who for several years had the contract of supplying several

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CHAPTER LX.

CHAPTER LX.

THE STORY OF CLODFELTER AND JOHNSON, WHO SHOT OFFICER WILCOX IN 1875—JOHNSON CAUGHT MISUSING THE MAILS FOR FRAUD—HE TRIES TO ESCAPE FROM THE OFFICER, AND IN DOING SO, SHOOTS WILCOX, WHO GRAPPLES WITH JOHNSON AND IS SHOT IN THE BACK BY CLODFELTER, AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE FATALLY WOUNDED—ESCAPE OF THE WOULD-BE MURDERERS. It was on Saturday, during the last days of February, 1875, that the then deputy United States marshal and Deputy Sheriff Charley Wilcox, of Arapahoe county, was shot down, and it w

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CHAPTER LXI.

CHAPTER LXI.

THE ASSASSINS STILL AT LARGE—GEN. COOK OFFERS A REWARD FOR THEM AND UNDERTAKES THEIR ARREST—A CLUE—OFF FOR THE SOUTH—TRACKING THE CRIMINALS DOWN UNDER DIFFICULTIES—OUT ALL NIGHT IN COLD WEATHER, HEAVY SNOW AND WITHOUT HORSES—BULLDOZING RANCHMEN AND RAILROADS—A RIDE IN A HAND-CAR—ARRIVAL IN PUEBLO. While the valiant officer is lying at the point of death, there are other scenes enacting elsewhere. Johnson and Clodfelter are off for their lives, and the officials are hunting them down with all the

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CHAPTER LXII.

CHAPTER LXII.

SPOTTING THE FUGITIVES—THEY APPEAR IN PUEBLO AT BREAK OF DAY, AND THE OFFICERS ARE SOON AFTER THEM, WELL MOUNTED AND FAIRLY ARMED—A DASHING SCENE—A THIRTEEN-MILE RACE ACROSS THE PLAINS, WITH MANY SHOTS FIRED—THE DESPERATE FUGITIVES AT LAST BROUGHT TO A HALT AND RETURNED TO DENVER. Rising about 6 o’clock in the morning, the officers started to engage horses, but had much difficulty. Finally they secured two, one of them a very fine animal. They then went back to the hotel, and started up the Foun

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CHAPTER LXIII.

CHAPTER LXIII.

A STRANGE AND STARTLING DREAM WHICH PROVED TRUE—ALEX RAMSEY AND HIS HONORABLE CAREER IN HAYES CITY—PURSUIT OF A PAIR OF HORSE-THIEVES—HIS WIFE’S FOREBODINGS—HER TERRIBLE VISION OF HER HUSBAND’S MURDER WHILE ASLEEP. Detectives, as a rule, are devoid of superstition. They have sufficient offer of assistance from mediums and fortune tellers, and of other persons who profess to read the future, but they find that they do better, as a rule, when they depend solely upon the material facts which form t

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CHAPTER LXIV.

CHAPTER LXIV.

MORE OF MRS. RAMSEY’S DREAM—SHE STARTS TO FIND HER HUSBAND AND FINDS HER HORRID VISION VERIFIED—A TWO AND TWO FIGHT, WHICH RESULTS IN THREE DEATHS, MR. RAMSEY BEING ONE OF THEM—A DESPERATE DEED WITH TERRIBLE RESULTS—MRS. RAMSEY LOSES HER MIND AND SOON FOLLOWS HER HUSBAND TO THE GRAVE. Mrs. Ramsey, after this raving narrative, became more quiet and told the people standing about her that she had dreamed that she had seen Mr. Ramsey and Mr. Shepherd come upon the horse thieves and attack them; tha

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CHAPTER LXV.

CHAPTER LXV.

CANDADO COSTILLO, A RED-HANDED MURDERER, DEFIES THE OFFICERS FOR YEARS AND RAIDS THE COUNTRY AT WILL—FINALLY CAUGHT UNAWARES BY MARSHAL HYATT AND SENT TO THE PEN—SERVES OUT HIS TIME—AFTER HIS RELEASE, HE ADDS FOUR OTHER MURDERS TO HIS LONG LIST OF CRIMES—HIS TRAGIC DEATH. Candado Costello, a nephew of the famous murderer, Espinoza, although the blood of the ancient Castilian nobility flowed through his veins, was a bad, bad Mexican. And, although we have neither the space nor the inclination to

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CONCLUSION.

CONCLUSION.

Just a word with the reader in finishing this book. Not by way of apology or explanation, but as a general adieu. Certainly we feel that the stories as here given explain themselves, and we believe that the reader, will agree with the writer, after perusing the volume from beginning to end, that he has gotten the worth of his money. Hence no apology is necessary. It is true that the cases here related have not been drawn out as is the custom with some detectives who write books, but this neglect

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