Show MONTANA COAL MERCHANTS The thieves w who ho have for the past two years been robbing the Northern Pacific Railroad of thou thou- thousands thousands thousands sands of dollars worth of goods are about to be brought to justice Since Thiel's detectives have taken charge of the case a great many robberies have been brought to light and within the past two weeks the most gigantic steal as aswell aswell aswell well as the boldest ever attempted on the road was finally brought to light and three or four secret arrests made Though the railroad com com- company company company pany has endeavored to keep the matter quiet the very boldness of the transaction is apparent to the J Coal merchants of Helena Mont are the guilty parties this time and andon andon andon on a number of them will the crime be fastened effectually and with the result that several Reveral may serve terms terms in the penitentiary for steal steal- stealing stealing stealing ing coal by the carload and hauling it a distance of miles from the I company company's mine without paying freight It is the most gigantic railroad robbery ever known in the theU U United Dit d States I The Northern Pacific railroad owns and operates the Timber Line mines mineR about miles north of Helena Mont and as they have the largest as well as the best mines minea in inthe inthe inthe the locality the company is enal enat led Jed to charge a much higher price for fuel besides collecting their own rate for the haul their tracks being practically the only line of road through gh that portion of the cou country The coal and wood dealers of Helena Heena complained bit bitterly but there was no help for it Two years ago however the price of coal from the Timber Line mines was lowered by a number of merch merch- merchants merchant ants ant to a point where it was almost impossible to see where the local loca dealers made a profit unless they gave short weight weight weight-a a practice which they in insisted isted they never i indulged in alway pursuing a straightforward straightforward ward and legitimate business course and making their profits in the in- in increased in increased creased crea d salve saks The detective who worked the case and brought about a settlement between for stealing freight was also detailed to the coal matter The registered amount of coal taken out of the mines was not sent over o el the company's corn pany's lines s judg judg- judging judging judging judg- ing from the number of miners re- re required required re required to do the work The dett tive dett-c-tive c- c tive spent three mouths months in the mines and never to hi leis his knowledge any attempt at larceny Arrangements were made finally whereby the detectives were to ob obtain ob- ob obtain tain the number of ot cars each engine pulled from the mines The night the list was handed banded to him he watched carefully and noted that w while lii e r the train was being made up an ex ex- ex extra tre tra car which was standing on aside a aside side track was taken on the train F ahead of the caboose and the train moved d toward Hel Helena ma The rail rail- railroad railroad J A road official t that point were com com- communicated communicated communicated with with nth and the cars were K checked by a detective To the K surprise of all aU concerned the number 1 ot o the flat car the detective had sent f in did not arrive in the yard rard That morning the engineer doubled the road and the identical car was re- re red re returned d 0 turned turned empty empty Where it went and how it was re returned re- re returned returned turned was a mystery On the next trip the car was checked in ever ever- every f town rown along the read by a spotter and again it tailed failed to put in an ap- ap appearance appearance ap appearance at Helena It could not have have been left on the tracks tr or on a switch which were both afterwards carefully guarded and the car was but not at atHelena seen n at every point its Helena its evident destination Finally the case was worked by strategy A detective who played the role of tramp a-tramp p was sent to Boze- Boze Bozeman Bozeman man Boze-man man and from there walked to the mine and climbed on the load of coal on the c car car r on the side sWe tr track ck The regular regula down train came along topped stopped and backed up for the flatcar flat flatcar car hooked booked on to the caboose and 1 proceeded to Helena As Ae before the the car checked at int end and anda nd car was every p point a man was on it bound to stay emy 1 there until it reached its ito destinatIon x In the yards of Helena a brakeman uncoupled the flat from the train 1 and the thu caboose from the stolen fir 0 F w I I I car of coal oat The conductor ap- ap applied applied ap applied plied the brakes on the caboose alid it soon dropped in the Hie rear while the train went ahead of the flat The d detective v then sat up ald watched the pr proceedings A switch switch- switchman switchman switchman man threw the switch and the flat flatcar flatcar flatcar car turned off on a side track along along- alongside alongside alongside side a coal chute As boon hoon as it the switch was thrown to the main track and the caboose ran up to the train which had stopped for fora fora fora a crossing It was coupled on and the train proceeded to the freight depot minus the stolen coal coa car The flat in the meantime ran a distance of about feet when a adark adark adark dark form was seen settin setting the brake the car stopping along siJe a chute when the detective slipped to the ground round and from the shadow of a distant car noticed a force of several men empty the coal into the chute Then the car was shoved up the track until it was waa about from the main track When the same en engine i ne started on the re- re return return re return turn trip to double the th the road the caboose was again loosened and an the flat cur car p pushed shed on the main track and the switch thrown into position The it had bad not not topped stopped as going slow slow enough to per per- permit permit permit mit coupling and the car cat was waa taken back bak to the mines nines The story seemed incredible Thata That a switchman brakeman eng engineer neer and conductor would enter such a abold abold abold bold combi combination nation seemed preposterous ous ous The rhe men who unloaded the coal were of the coal deal deal- dealers dealers dealers ers A suggestion of the detectives detective's was ad adopted 0 and when the same train reached the yard a few nights later another engineer was waR sent back in charge of it and the empty car r 1 was left in the yards beside the coal chute hute Not a word ord was said and the following night when the reg regular regular regular ular train crew went out the mysterious mysterious mysterious rious ear car ar was taken with them About that time Ed ll n a switchman in the yards yal resigned and came cam to Colorado buying an interest in a saloon in Pueblo where he now is Two weeks ago Thiel's manager at Portland sent a man to Pueblo to locate Fennell and while h he was looking the man nian up several arrests were made in Helena Ht Jena and the matter kept quiet until Fennell could be arrested Last week Charles M J Jeffries of Lewis and Clarke County received a dispatch to procure a requisition requisition requisition and proceed to Pueblo Jeffries was in the city yes yes- yesterday yesterday yesterday applied to Governor Cooper and obtained a requisition for Pennell Fennell and left on the 8 k train for Pueblo yesterday for his hiB hisman hisman man His Hia arrival in Helena wm will be like Jike the casting tIng of a thunder thunder- thunderbolt thunderbolt thunderbolt bolt More arrests will follow other robberies will wm be unearthed and a genuine sensation produced among a number of unscrupulous coal dealers one of whom stole cars of coal poal last spring from January to June by paying the train crew and anda a man at the ml mine ne a percentage of tb pro profits profits- t Denver |