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 Mountains Detective Association

CHAPTER XXXII.

Chapter 32210 wordsPublic domain

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