by Dani Larsen
"That sounds good to me. Can we do all that with just the two of us?"
"Yeah, it would be a lot of work. What we need to do is find a place to round them up, where no one else will find them, until time to take them to market. First thing we should do is find a blacksmith to make that brand for us. Then we either got to search out the area for a place, or find someone who knows the land around here to get some information out of."
"Sounds better the more you talk about it. By the time we head back to Baker City, after we collect our money, the business with those wagons should have died down, and nobody will suspect us. Then we can set our sights on that saddle and how to get that gold."
"Yep, I feel a lot better now, rather than just wandering around looking for a score here and there."
"Yeah, me too."
The two men ate some bread and cheese, and then drank some more whiskey. They both sat there silently, before they lay down by the fire. Sam was working out the details in his mind of how they would pull off the cattle rustling, while Jude thought about how he didn't like that big rancher that he had immediately taken a dislike to.
It irritated him that Sam had taken over the conversation at the saloon, but he knew that Sam was over twenty years older than he was, and it was more believable that he would be in charge. He did seem to know a lot about the cattle rustling business, so Jude decided that maybe it was best to let him lead the way in their plans. He decided that he could let Sam think he was in charge all the way, until they found the gold, then he would show the man who the real boss was.
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Siringo Travels to Montana"
As soon as the weather turned warmer in New Mexico, Charlie sent a telegram to the Pinkerton Office in Denver and asked what the weather forecast was for Montana and north by the Canadian border for the next two months. He received an answer two days later saying; the snow was melting in Montana, and that temperatures should be in the sixties by the middle of June. The telegram also warned him to beware, if he was heading there, because there was civilian unrest in Montana, due to labor problems in the mines in Butte. Charlie's first thought was that Jude Burden could be in the middle of the trouble, as he was sure that the man had been deeply involved in the mine disputes in Idaho. He decided it was time to take that trip and check out the area before his suspect left.
As usual, he had been working with the Texas Rangers while he was home. It wasn't that he was bored with his life on the ranch, but his cowhands took good care of things without his help. He just liked the rangers personally, and he enjoyed the excitement that they brought into his life. Louise understood him, and she was used to overseeing the daily chores at the ranch, so when he said he needed to make that one last trip north, she just smiled and said she was expecting him to leave at any time. She was used to him not being around all the time, by now, and spent her time overseeing the foreman and doing charity work in the Santa Fe Society. Her husband was famous in the area, and a street had already been named after him. She enjoyed the prestige of being Mrs. Charlie Siringo. Louise collected the royalties from his books, and the money from the ranch, and deposited it all in the bank. When Charlie needed more money, he would send her a telegram telling her how much to send and where, and she would immediately take care of it. The couple had been together for many years, and she knew what he needed. Charlie spent more time at home now, than he had for many years, due to the fact that he was supposed to be retired.
It was early June of 1917, when he was ready to pursue this one last criminal before he fully retired. Louise was packing the food that Rosa had prepared for him to take with him on his journey
"Charlie, you know I love you, please be careful. You are not as young as you once were, and I want you coming home for good this time, and all in one piece."
He came up behind her, put his arms around her, pulled her dark hair to one side, and kissed her on the neck.
"I love you too, Louise. Believe me, there is nothing I want more, than to come back here and spend all of my time with you. I just need to catch this fella."
She turned around, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him gently on the lips.
"I know you do. Maybe when you get home, you can get back to your writing again. You were always good at that too."
"Yes, I promise I will settle down after this trip."
An hour later, he saddled Jody and filled his saddle bags with food, ammunition, and other supplies he thought he would need on his journey. He kissed Louise goodbye and went into town to tell the ranger's office that he would be back in the fall. Then he went to the bank, got some cash, and headed out of town. He had to be in Antonito by Tuesday afternoon, as the train that went north only left once a week on Wednesday mornings at six a.m.
Charlie left the ranch Monday morning and rode north up the Old Spanish Trail. Flowers were in bloom, and the grass was beginning to turn from winter gray to emerald green. Tiny leaves of green were visible on the branches of all of the trees. Birds were singing with a myriad of different voices, and the aroma from the colorful fragrant wildflowers mingled in the spring air as Siringo set out for Montana. His saddle bags were filled with jerky, beans, potatoes, and fruit on one side, and another holster with an extra pistol and ammunition were on the other side. His rifle rode in a sheath next to his saddle. His bedroll was tied firmly on the back of his saddle, in which extra clothes and blankets were rolled up. One of these days, I'll have to get me a car, he thought to himself, but I don't think I could enjoy the outdoors as much, riding in a car, as I do in the saddle.
He stopped at Chimayo and ate the lunch Rosa prepared for him before he left, and then continued on the trail to Oho Caliente where he spent the night in an old Inn there.
He left Oho Caliente early on Tuesday morning and stopped for lunch at Tres Piedras, still in the New Mexico Territory. The weather was beautiful, as the sun was shining, the wind was calm, and birds were cheerfully serenading as he rode through the picturesque terrain. He crossed into Colorado in the late afternoon and arrived in Antonito at four p.m. The train had already arrived and would sit there until it departed early Wednesday morning. Siringo put his horse in the livestock car and prepared her for the trip, and then checked into the hotel by the station for the night.
An early riser anyway, he got up at four thirty, ate breakfast in the dining room, checked on Jody, and then took his seat in the passenger car. The train left the station promptly at six a.m. and arrived an hour later in Alamosa, Colorado, where they took on water and coal and then headed north to Pueblo, Colorado, one hundred twenty-one miles away. Charlie sat on the train in Pueblo for another hour before it left for Denver. After a two hour dinner break in Denver the train left at seven p.m. Charlie was bored and anxious and happy when the train finally arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at ten thirty that evening.
Charlie took his horse to the livery stable and checked into the station hotel. The next train heading west wouldn't leave until Friday, so he could enjoy an extra day in Cheyenne. Charlie had already planned for this extra day, as he was looking forward to spending some time with his friend, Sonny. He wanted to see if the new marshal had been able to find out any more information about Jude Burden or the name that Charlie was sure was his real name; Jude Dampierre, also known as Bud or Buddy Dampierre.
The next morning, he got up bright and early and after eating breakfast went straight to the marshal's office. Sonny was there and happy to see him.
"Charlie Siringo, what a surprise! What the heck are you doing in town?"
The two men gave each other a friendly hug as they shook hands.
"Hey, Sonny! It's good to see you. I'm still searching for that guy I told you about last year. This is going to be my last try at finding him. I promised Louise I would be staying home on the ranch after this. I just felt like I had to give it one more good effort to put that guy behind bars."
"That Dampierre guy? Well, sit down and let's talk about it. How is life treating
you, Charlie?"
"Just left my ranch in New Mexico and had a nice relaxing time at home over the winter. I'm lucky to have Louise. What a great wife I have! She takes care of that place just like I would. I really can't wait to be home for good. I'm getting tired of traveling. But something about this case just made me leave an early retirement to search for this guy one last time. Did you find out anything?"
"I looked through all our files and didn't find a whole lot on either name you gave me. Let me show you the file on Buddy Dampierre that I found in an old file cabinet."
Sonny got up and went to the large file cabinet by the back wall. He pulled out the bottom drawer and shuffled through it for a few minutes, before pulling out a large manila envelope with the name Bennett on it.
"This isn't a very big file, as I don't think a lot of work was done on this case. The couple was well known that died in that fire. They were drifters, and they didn't stay anywhere long. He made his living gambling, and he was thought by some to be a cheater. One of the cowboys that was questioned about him after his death, said he had known him in Tucson, Arizona, and that after he was caught cheating there, he quickly left town. He told the fella who accused him of cheating that it was an accident and apologized, and then he moved on the next day. He and his woman had been together quite a while. It was rumored that she had worked as a prostitute, before she met him, and after they got together they worked together to scam rich men of their money. The file said that they had lived in Cheyenne before, but had left for a few years, and when they returned they had the boy with them. The boy was about ten when they arrived and fourteen when he disappeared. Those with rooms close to theirs said they heard them both yelling at the boy all the time, and one of the girls said they had seen both of them hit him at various times.
"I don't think anyone really cared that they died in that fire, so nobody really pursued the boy, thinking if he killed them, they probably deserved it. The owner of the hotel and saloon was mad, because that part of his business was shut down for a few months until he could rebuild. It doesn't seem like they were a cherished part of the community. Here is the file. You can read it yourself."
Charlie took the file and began to read through it slowly. On top were two pictures of the dead man and woman; identified as William (Billy) Bennett, and Louise (Lulu) Bennett. Their bodies were badly burned, so you couldn't tell much, except that they were wearing male and female clothes, and that she had long dark hair. There was a picture of them together, before they died, and they had both been good looking people at one time. The newspaper write up about the fire didn't say whether it was an accident or murder. It just said the cause of death was by fire. The investigative report described the half burned rooms as they were found. There was a bath tub half filled with water and a bucket, thought to have been used to fill it with, lying on its side near the tub. The report stated that the bottom of the bucket appeared to have blood on it. The drapes that covered the window were burned completely, and a burned stick was lying by the bottom of the drapes. The stick was why the investigator suspected arson. Only the two bodies were found, but nothing that looked like it may have belonged to the boy was found. The couple had boarded two horses in the stable, but only one was still there afterward.
After reading the report, Charlie finally spoke; "It looks to me like they all suspected the boy set the fire and murdered them, but nobody went after him because they thought the couple deserved it."
"That was exactly what I thought. Did you read the statement from the lady who lived next door to them?"
"Yes, she obviously hated the woman and felt sorry for the boy. Is she still around?"
"No, she met some man and moved to Denver several years ago. Nobody knows that guy's name. She was going to marry him, so I don't know how you'd find her."
"Well, this makes it clear to me that Bud Dampierre killed them, and I'm pretty sure he lived through the ordeal."
"Yeah, it sounds that way."
"Now, I just need to prove that he is the same guy who helped kill the governor of Idaho. If I could only get Dolly Dampierre to admit that Jude Burden is Bud Dampierre, I would know for sure that he is the man I am looking for. Until I confirm that, I can't put out a wanted poster on him. I'm heading up to Montana to see if I can find him."
"You know there has been a lot going on up there in Butte, with the miners and the union?"
"I heard a little bit about it before I left New Mexico."
"There was a huge disaster up there a few days ago. I got a telegraph about it yesterday. Two thousand feet below the ground, in the Granite Mountain shaft, there was an explosion which spewed poisonous gases, flames, and smoke throughout all the underground tunnels of the Speculator Mine. Once they finally put the fires out, and rescuers got the bodies out, they were so badly burned that they couldn't be identified. There were one hundred sixty-eight people killed in that accident. A few people survived, due to some brave men who were able to get them out. But as you can imagine; the labor union, which has been fighting with the mine owners, is very angry and blaming the owners. If your guy was working in that mine they would probably have his name on the rolls, but the people are up in arms against anyone who has been on the side of the mine owners, including Pinkerton agents. I suggest that you be very careful if you go to Butte."
"I will definitely have to go to Butte, to see if he was one of those killed. Thanks for letting me know. I heard there was a lot of turmoil going on up there. I will be careful. Can I take you to lunch, Sonny? I only have today, as my train leaves early in the morning."
"I would like that, Charlie. Give me a minute to fill my deputy in. Why don't you go ahead, and I'll meet you in that café across the street. They have a good roast beef sandwich."
The men reminisced about their past exploits over lunch, and then said their goodbyes. Charlie went to his room, to make some notes in his book and to get ready to travel again in the morning.
On Thursday morning, Charlie ate breakfast at five o'clock and got Jody situated in the livestock car, before he found his seat in the passenger car. The train left late at six fifteen on its way to Laramie. An hour and a half later it arrived for its thirty minute stop, before taking off toward Rawlings. Wyoming.
As the train went over the Sweetwater Bridge, Charlie couldn't help but remember the famous Wilcox Train Robbery. That robbery had led him to infiltrate the Wild Bunch, which was Butch Cassidy's gang. It happened about half way between Laramie and Wilcox. Charlie couldn't believe it had been eighteen years since that robbery. June 2nd of 1899 had gone down in the history books, and the train route had been changed after that. The six robbers had gotten away with fifty thousand dollars worth of valuables; unsigned bank notes, cash, nineteen scarf pins, twenty-nine gold plated cuff button pairs, four Elgin watches, and some gold. Rewards were immediately offered of three thousand dollars for each robber, which amounted to eighteen thousand for the group, and over one hundred men started looking for them the next day. The thieves had first tried to blow up the bridge, but they were not successful. Finally, they succeeded at blowing up the car where the valuables were. The explosives damaged the gold and the notes, making the valuables easy to identity, which eventually helped them catch the bandits. The men were identified as Cavanaugh, a Wild Bunch member, and two local toughs, Bob Taylor and Manuel Mannetta. Others were identified as "Flatnose" George Currie, Harvey Logan; also known as Kid Curry, and his brother, Lonny. The two brothers were known companions of Flatnose. They had all run with the Wild Bunch, and most train robberies were committed by that gang in a similar manner. It was assumed that the other involved outlaws were Harry A. Longabaugh; also known as the Sundance Kid, Ben Kilpatrick; alias, The Tall Texan, and Will Carver. All law enforcement officials believed that Butch Cassidy, whose real name was Robert LeRoy Parker, was the mastermind, although he didn't actually participate in the robbery.
The Pinkerton men were deeply involved in chasing the gang, and Charlie had been the one to in
filtrate the gang and to bring Kid Curry to justice. All of the men involved in that robbery had eventually met their maker, due to the anger over the theft of that much money and the destruction of another train.
After the robbery the gang met at Lost Cabin, where they split up the money and then all went their separate ways. Flatnose and Sundance were thought to have made a brief stop at the Al Hudspeth's CY Ranch near Horse Ranch, Wyoming, but Hudspeth quickly reported them in Casper. A posse led by Sheriff Josiah Hazen tracked the men to Castle Creek, which was a deep ravine seventy-five miles from the train robbery. The posse didn't see the men hidden in the rocks and crevices surrounding the ravine and rode right into their midst. A gun battle broke out, which ended with Flatnose mortally wounding the sheriff. It was said that the outlaws got fresh horses at the ranch of J. Elmer Brock. It turned out that many of the local ranchers had been treated poorly by local lawmen, and as a result had often hired the outlaws during the range wars, and they were quick to help the outlaws escape. It took a lot of work by the Pinkerton Agency and other law enforcement officials, but by 1911 all of the Wilcox robbers had been brought to justice. All had died, with their guns in their hands and their boots on. Charlie had been instrumental in helping to take down the Wild Bunch and was proud of it. He only wished he would have been there to see Sundance and Butch taken down by the Federales in Bolivia.
