Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881Gillett, James B.
History
Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881
Gillett, James B.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas; Gillett, James B., 1856-1937; Texas -- History -- 1846-1950; Texas Rangers
As soon as Mr. Moore had seen the money and heard the robbers' plans
he slipped back to his horse, mounted and rode day and night to reach
Ogallala. He notified the railroad officials of what he had seen, gave
the names and descriptions of the bandits and their destinations.
This information was sent broadcast over southern Nebraska, Kansas,
Indian Territory, and Texas. In the fugitive list sent to each of
the companies of the Frontier Battalion of rangers Sam Bass was thus
described: "Twenty-five to twenty-six years old, 5 feet 7 inches high,
black hair, dark brown eyes, brown moustache, large white teeth, shows
them when talking; has very little to say."
A few days after the separation of the robbers, Joel Collins and Bill
Heffridge rode into a small place in Kansas called Buffalo Station.
They led a pack pony. Dismounting from their tired horses and leaving
them standing in the shade of the store building, the two men entered
the store and made several purchases. The railroad agent at the place
noticed the strangers ride up. He had, of course, been advised to be
on the lookout for the train robbers. He entered the store and in a
little while engaged Collins in conversation. While talking the robber
pulled his handkerchief out of his coat pocket and exposed a letter
with his name thereon. The agent was a shrewd man. He asked Collins if
he had not driven a herd of cattle up the trail in the spring. Collins
declared he had, and finally, in answer to a direct question, admitted
that his name was Joel Collins.
Five or six hundred yards from Buffalo Station a lieutenant of the
United States Army had camped a troop of ten men that was scouting
for the train robbers. As soon as Collins and Heffridge remounted and
resumed their way the agent ran quickly to the soldiers' camp, pointed
out the bandits to the lieutenant and declared, "There go two of the
Union Pacific train robbers!"
The army officer mounted his men and pursued Collins and Heffridge.
When he overtook the two men he told them their descriptions tallied
with those of some train robbers that he was scouting for, and declared
they would have to go back to the station and be identified. Collins
laughed at the idea, and declared that he and his companion were
cattlemen returning to their homes in Texas. They reluctantly turned
and started back with the soldiers. After riding a few hundred yards
the two robbers held a whispered conversation. Suddenly the two pulled
their pistols and attempted to stand off the lieutenant and his troop.
The desperadoes were promptly shot and killed. On examining their packs
the soldiers found tied up in the legs of a pair of overalls $20,000 in
gold, 1877 mintage. Not a dollar of the stolen money had been used and
there was no doubt about the identity of the men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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