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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1906)
THE CMAJTA SUNDAY BEE: SEPTEMBEIZ 30, 190(5. WEIRD TALE OF THE DESERT Ecorssd Wif Bstrajs the Plana of Ariiona Despsiadoea, BIG HOLDUP FRUSTRATED IN TIME " 3 .' - Itoot? Arrlrea ( ump, bat Bkbrs Fall Com Remarkable High way f tba Alvord Gang. Tna building of a "thleYes' hlgnwajr" vcr a trackless desert for eighty miles front Mohawk Buinmit, In Arlsoi'a, arrois tha border Into Jdesici . Ui l.itett ex ploit of lbs Alvord rang, jne . me inunt despsrat bands of crwki that ever in fested th aouthwsst. Tr roaU was -.tie result of Uires nonths' labor by I he 'out laws. It was built hs a inuuiis of escape from tha scene of a great holdup planned for August 11 of this yttar. It ' ' :nvlk Ibis and Impassabla for pursu. r, yet un open highway over wh'.ch t'H thl'i'-es mU"'t gallop without a change of horses at Urn rats of eighty milj a day. Tha nun who autit this innglo rend aie Burt Alvord, train robber, iu-j durur, e eaped convict and tha ii.uinor of the tc torlous Billy Stiles; W.llls Wool, wlto Is wanted for robbery mid nitmlnr. And Jiii Alexander, who le now undor arrest charged with counterfeiting, bigamy find robbery. The bait which lurtJ them to the task was IKjO.OUO In gold bullion WhUh ach three months la brought down fr-.M the King of Arltoit iTrtri urti!. Iif locked up ovsr night in tha ife nt the litil-j iia tion of Mohawk Sum nit, clxiy ni'lra east of Tuma.' . ''; . . Flan Holdap and Escape. In planning t kc t. tins koIlUii liuarl I0113 experience taught the trio pf desperadoes that thtre were two- j'i,i) J.tUm to ie ci n sldersd: First, the b-Riy inuxt be ecuid and, secondly, the robi:i must ho kble to escape with It without being folUwo- and caught. As for 'jo lira: projimltisii, U'e trio (Imply planned ihj tlmowos n nwocp on the little ata"u.i, the hurr.ed ihgollng of the surprised kui.-iU, the blcjv;n. eyen of tha f and seoui-Un of the bu!!i-in mid then tha wild ride off into the night and across the parched deu-it that sUrtrhts away for hundreds of miles snuh fr m Mo hawk station. It was a desperate enoug.i scheme, but one In which the Alvord 1511114 in J alw.iys been successful. None of 'ho three r rooks lias ever been caught during a holdup proper all have served tl lie through 'oe Ing captured by purnj.ng pcst.es htl at tempting to get away frj-n the scenes of the various crimes. It was therefore tq the second prooori tlon that tha outlaws gave the moat thought. How could they el.ilj rl.o poie of hardrldlng, iulck-shootlng, detej mined men that would lie Raihrel twn In 'lie vi cinity of little Mohawk Summit anJ wwid- pursue them until horseflesh or mantlesh could go no farther? How ri.'ii safety across that friendly Mexican bur.ler, wtrr they might hide ! fie SwAri fiisiniKii? Hard to Get Across Desert. Across the border was Billy Stiles, Al vord's old partner, with his band of 3 no renegade Taqul Indiana which had ter rorised Sonora. For Burt. Alvord and his gang Mexico meant perfect safety. So wllh heads together the trio planned fcr dayg about ways and means to get acuss that eighty miles pf desert between Mo hawk Summit and tha Una. To begin with, they knew- their mus tangs could not carry at any speed the four hundred and some odd imundt of gold Which they hoped to secure through the robbery. The1 - weight would so Impode the travel of their horses that capture would be a predestined certainty. It was decided quickly that the gold must be cached early In the flight. In thn end place on the ocean desert marked by tnrre cactuses and situated a boot five miles south of Mohawk Summit was aclfc'od for the cache. . A hoi was dug there and tovcrort with mosquMe brush so that r.o desert wan derer might notice It and y ali be I readiness for the burial of tho rnid. At ome date rubsenjont to the rcbbirv tlo outlaws would come back and disinter the bullion. Pl it TMere' f'lirhwRr." Tn finer problem and the one on which, the threa men racked the'r brains for day was how to distance tholr pursuers aft thf hurried burial pf the gold; Thfe Would be men In the purs'ilng posre v.hi would ,rlde as hard ns tfiry, Tbfre would he wiry little mustangs undor snroe of those pursuers that were fastur than any that the desperadoes might ?curc Evn with an hour's start If the race was fairly run the game of desert hide and seek -would, o senlnpt the out'aws. So the prohTa-n s a big one one worthy of the criminal terilus that Hurt Alvord Is. Ills solution was the "thieves' highway." . ' ; It was a thorough knowledge of eonrlt llons on the desert that allowed Alvord to mlve the problem. He knew that without water, a "mustang ran travel onlv about , forty miles across a sandy waste. TTe kreT . that vin to ro this dletanre the pace must be restrained and lha animal "nurvd" rrefnlly. The hot. dry air parchea (he tdroats of hrrse and rider, so tht bnth give out. Forty miles across desTt with out water means one of two things a, alow lace or a dead mustang. Water the Main Problem. And also Alvord knew thai with water the western hone can do phenomenal things. 1 It can lope even across this port of ground all day and coyer surprising dis tances. Given water, an Artsnna mustang can make an eastern thoroughbred look like a selling-plater In a twelve-hour race. Therefore on water depended the speed , of drfcert horseback travel. Ard on desvrt horseback travel depended the hopes of Al vr.rd'a gang. . ... ' ' So Alvord thought of water-water for ht horses and no water fir the horses of M pursuer. There was the problem solvrd If only fae arranaement puild be made. Ard the desperate fellow rpsfle the amnirerpent made It so carefully and cunnlna'y that there Is not tho ellahtort doutit thst the robbers could have distanced t-rlr pur suers In the race frr which liberty and lion enn tvere tl- stakes. With their rlnns romnleted. Ab'ord. Alex ander and Wood nultv went to work In May and secured a n'imhr eif n-e'nm-slsed be?T bsrrels. wlc thev nit In ra!--es With an Industrv r--thy rf a eer eaue and with rreat aeTot!veea the thre m-n packed these hs'f-b-rrls en' ht'rn hack and made trip after telp on te desert. pne nf these trips was seventy r-itles across the hro'.llna desert. Reyeral of th- remilred from rleht dnve tn tw weeks to make. At the end nf elirht weeks the gnra hfld planted the half barrels In the snnd Intervals of ten miles anart the entire dis tance from M-ihawk summit neroe to tha Mexican line. F.ach half barrel was an In provlsed but perfect waterlne; trough, cov ered from view by mesnulte bushes thrown over It. The location of each trourrh ws,a marked by a growth of cactus or soma other natural desert sljn. ' , To understand the magnitude of the work accomplished It must be kept In mind that fravellpg seventy miles across . a desert without pack orlmals Isi In Itself a feat Worthy of consideration. ' In desert coun tries such, as that south of Mohawk sum mit It was deemed Impossible. .There are no oases.- A. burro eevnnot .pack sufficient water to keep Itself nllvet for ten days on the desert. And It -took ten days or more of travel to . plant the- farthest of the troughs and then return to a watering place. But Alvord solved this problem as he $A tha others. .As the troughs were planted he saw that every other one was filled with water. In this way, ns he continued going forward on the desort, he kept open a Una of supply behind him. TrongUt at Last Filled. Willis Wood was given the task of con tinually hauling water to the troughs. The ones near' to Mohawk " summit were kept filled with no 'great difficulty. Before the farthest ones were filled the gang lost sev eral of Its pack animals. Finally tha last or the troughs was put in place and then there was a wearv retrac ing of steps across the desert to fill (he alternate barrels, which had not been filled. and to replenish the always diminishing supply In those which had been fllleJ. Cn August t the "thieves' highway" was ready for (ts purpose, On August 12 the load of bullion was expected at Mohawk Sum mit. It was agreed among the robbers that In the flight across the desert thiy would knock hales In the' barrels after every watering, so thst by no chsnce could the pursuers get any value from the highway, it was also agreed to go share a?id share alike on all tha gold secured. Other minor details were likewise settled and the three desperadoes then went to Turns to lay low for the Intervening days. They feared that hanging around Mohawk Sumr.iit might arouse suspicion. '"'..;' . Burt Alvord's gsng had repeatedly out. wlttefl the best detectives. In their pres-' ent plot they had planned with more than their usual secrecy and cunning. 1 But there was one detective they didn't tyke account of. That was petectlve Cupid. . ". -; Alexander b Victim. ' The little god nf love Is a bring of In finite disguises. .. When It cam to big Jim Alexander he did not recognise It as -a sleuth. All that ha-saw was a mighty prerty, dnrk-eyed girl, who 1ool;ed at him with love-lit eyes and Imade him forget that he had a wife nt home. He met th's girl In Denver and married her tlero, after two weeks' courtship. Then he wanted money for silks and satns and nih-r set tings for his jewel. Bo he hade the new utfe farewell and went to Arlzont to plan with Alvord and with Wood how they could make a "stake." c ' ' It was while -Alexander, with W-yid and Alvord, was tolling on the desert ?ht the Denver wife learned of the other wife whom Alexander had deserted. Tha black eyes ceased to hum with love. Instead they burned with hate for the tnnn wh.o had deceived her. Wife No. t got out a warrant for Alexander. And she gave let ters to the police proving Alexander was In the neighborhood of Yuma. And finally she tore his picture from a hetrt-hapd locket he had riven her and turned It also over to the officer So a'l unknown to Alexander the police of Ar'xona and particularly of tha vicinity nf Tuma were on the lookout for him. lr vestlarMton nf the Ngamy charre wns fol lowed by charges of robbery and counter feiting. Alexander had become the psrHp nlar Juicy marsel tht the territorial por lice most wanted. Alvord snd Wood, with many charges against them, kept earelully In hiding. Alexander, a comparative stranger to the police of Arlsona, openly walked t:ie atreets of Tuma. One day as he sauntered along a man auddenly stepped In front of bin and ahoved a revolver In his face. 'Tin Lieutenant Wheeler oi the Arlsona rangers," ssld the rnan. "Never met you before," said Alexander. "Come with me," said Wheeler. Alexander had to go. That day and the next In the county Jail 1 at Tuma he waa as mum as an oyster. On tho third day he Was shown a letter to the police from hla black-eyed wife in Denver denouncing him as a scoundrel and ut'plnz , the police to catch him. Then Alexander broke Into a lrln of dreadful oaths. That night he tr'e-1 tci cut ; his throat with a fecn of tin dish ut ?.;ilc!i 1 he got !i!s food. After his failure rt sui cide he was morose for two days. Then I lie engaged in a long talk v-lth the offl-.re after which rlt or them hurried o a lit ti house rn tha outskirts of Tu-na iinl Mir rounded It. They found no on there. Doubtless Alexander's absence had on used Mvord and Wood t become suspicions. Treaenr Hat Blolestert. Lieutenant Wheeler and two othot offi cers lost little time In gcftlnr; down tn McihaWk Summit. Letting as few a pos sible catch sight of fhem, tlicy coneeaiel themselves in the station. On Aur.uyt 12. as the robbers had anticipated, th $100,00') In gold bars from the King of Arizona mlna arrived, accompanied by three ' guards. The guards were let in on lh secret , but told to act as If nothing V.ad occurred. The night of Aujust 13 passed wlU.out a sign pf any robbers. It the morMi.g the gold was placed choerd a train sod whisked away. For another week Lbutenant Wheeler and the others remained at Mohawk Sum mit. Then the officers trnckad forth on the desert.' By tr.nr of a small map furnished them by Alemn.'.er they located all of the water troughs for forty miles and, destroyed them. The remalnd of the job they left to the sun and ele ments. And o tn utter defeat ended probably the most carefully planned robbery plot framed In the history of the wild south west. Alexander, truly In love with his Denver ' wife, Is now a thoroughly heart broken man. He gave freely to the police his own entire criminal history and has signified his Intention of pleading guilty to the charges made against him. He asks for no leniency and expects none. If for exposing the plot he would be given free dom there await him tn the outside world two of the most desperate criminals that ever lived. The fact that they made no effort to carry out the robbery shows that they suspected Alexander of betraying them. No one knowing the history of Alvord and Wood doubts wha,t will be the fata of Alexander If they ever meet htm. As for tha "thieves highway," It has served no purpose but tq point a moral and adorn a tale. Merely it shows that the "best laid plans of mice and men aft gang aglee." Chicago Chronicle. - EBS&53SSnssT THE FOOD VALUE OF 1 1 Be Want Ads are Business Boosters. NOTES ON NATURAL "HISTORY Australia's Emns Vanish Before the Barb Wire Fence of Civ ilisation. Australia's emus are being, destroyed wholesale by the wire fence which have been erected to prevent the ravagea of that country's rabbit pest . Every year the emu makes a migration from east to west, the return journey being mad at the begins ! nlng of lh dry season. The march 01 death r. begins In ffha westward , journey, when the birds striking the fences,' find further progress barred and die In hun dreds from thirst. A boundary rider In a journey of six miles found no fewer than fifty dead birds; while in a stretch of about sixty miles It was estimated that no fewer than 300 bad perished. But In other, districts matters appear to be even worse, boundary riders reporting that when riding along these fences they are hardly ever free .from , the etencb 1 of putrlfled bodies. A complete traok If found on the east side of these fences, worn by the mad dened birds in attempting, to find a pas sage to the coveted water. " Only 'a Very few appear to have the courage to chdrge the barrier and then, one over, make oft westward at top speed. Says the Madlaon (Mo.) Timea: "B. J. Pendleton hn-a a cat that Is an expert ftVh erman. Near Mr. Pendleton's home Is 4 large pond stocked with fish and on a num ber of occasions this summer the cat has corpe from the pond to the house carrying a catfish In her mouth. The flah had evi dently Just been taken from the water, as they were perfectly fresh, and Mr. Pen dleton is convinced that the cat had caught them" while they were swimming pear the dge of the pond. The) fish In each Instance were between three add four Inches long." See. snake are very plentiful In the south Pacific. They are widely distributed, stray Individuals having been secured on the coast of New Zealand. ' When swimming clor to the surface they exactly resemble an ordinary make, except that the head ts always below water. At night they come ashore and 11 among the rocks. They feed on fish and ' although their small double fangs ornear hamilns they ar re ported to be very venomoua. tora liil paie lotto! Mm s TUDY this table; also the one above. Can't you see the place STORZ BEER holds as a food! SI a B S . -p5 B s I I , h N o a a 3 I I 3 tc a , w iJ t Shnuc Nltrog nous Matter.... 0G 8.9 176 19.3 1.1 2.0 1.2j 8.0 US Carbohydrate 6.8 4.9 22.0 6.8 .0J;j61.0 sOO Fats 2.8 U.O 3.6 0.2 0.6 . . .1 1.6 66 Mineral Matter 0.2 X 1.04 6.1 0.7 0.T O.sJi.S.... Water DO.O 8S.6 7,0.0 72.0 91.0 91.0 91. 0137.012260 Alcohol 2.93 ...j. .... ... Trac. xlncluded elsewhere. Man requires iri the constituents of his food about Yh' muscle building ingredients and heat , and power furnishing material. So say scientists and those learned in the medical pro fession 'From the above table it will be read ily seen that though STORZ BEER contains less nitrpgenoua (muscle-making), food than milk, which food standard it closely resembles, it is richer in carbohydratea fuel furnishing material. V The game as in milk, the carbohydrates in STORZ BEER exist in predigested form, which 'makes them readily assimilable and su perior to those in potatoes, cabbage, bread and other articles containing starch in a raw or farinaceous state. STORZ BEER is in itself nourishing and sustaining, but its effect ia best when taken with other foods of such a nature as will supply the deficiency of nitrogenous matter. ' Such, foods are: A juicy beefsteak, a loin roast, a leg of lamb, eggs, cheese or any of the regular ne cessities of the table. STORZ BEER drank with your meals bal ances the diet to a nicety. There is no' bever age equal to it. Its mild, stimulating qualities , promote digestion and add zest to the meal, while its food value adds sturdy health to the user, STORZ BEER is superior in rich flavor and tonic strength to any other brew. It is produced in one of the few breweries in the world with a bottling department equipped with glass enameled steel storage tanks and an Improved pipe line for conveying beer absolutely air-proof from the aging vats to the bottle. This equipment is very costly, but it does away with the old system of put ting beer first in barrels and then in bottles, under which system it is almost impossible to preserve the life, purity and flavor of the beer. STORZ BEER is comprised of the choicest barley, malt, imported hops and sparkling arte sian water.. 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