Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, September 30, 1906, EDITORIAL SECTION, Page 4, Image 20

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    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.. "We use nothing but the best in
gredients and carefully maintain at all times
that distinguished high quality and rich flavor
known only to drinkers of STORZ BEER. Te
invite you to be one of our many pleased cus
tomers. Why not send your order in today f
'Phono Douglas 1260 or a letter or postal
th ILyilMlljUU lilXJVUJ uvuauM
OMAHA, U. S. A.
MY
LET US
TALK
O O
FT TPS
il XJ S LJ
XL
."-'vw ,;' ', 1 ;r tfy T'
;Vi-"'fr..'lfJ
Don't Delay
It will soon be time to wear your
furs. Get your orders in early to
insure having your garment ready
for the first cold weather. . : : :
' 1 ' 1 ' r"-- - 1 1 '
Every Osrment Promptness Our
Gu&.rnte(d. Watchword.
All Work rXeceives Promtt Personal Attention.
o o
CUSTOM
ORDERS
REMODELING
REPAIRING
CLEANING
Tlmpfonm
.vh
fE&
furShop
ZQ24 farnamSt Oxnxhi
The Best Non-Slippery Device
For the Protection of Stairs, Thresholds, Car Steps, Etc.
Mason Safety Tread
t is acknowledged to be the bent device known for Insuring dura
bility for stairs and poBltlre Immunity from slipping upon them.
It is adapted for use upon outer or inner stairs of granite, marble,
cement, slate, Iron and wood; upon thresholds of doora and elevators,
Are doors, Inclined passages, vault light borders, granolithic walks,
ship ladders, car steps and wagon steps.
It is fireproof cleanly, neat la appearance, noiaeleas la use, gad
protects a Step to the extreme front .edge.
We respectfully refer you to the following users of the tread la
Omaha:
UNION STATION! IU RLINOTON STATION! .Bl'RliNGTON HKAD.
QUAKTKKH; SJKKET RAILWAY CO., 1MIANDEIS BUILDING: PAX
TON HOTKLl ARLINGTON BLOCK I JOHN DKEHK PLOW CO.,
CRANK CO., COURTNEY & CO.. UNION STOCK YARIS CO., UNION
PACIFIC CAB SHOPS; NEBRASKA NATIONAL BANK; BROWN BLK.
Raaaell 8, Harris Allan B. Hamilton
Western Contractors Supply Company
ub.:,ur"78 0 Pfcxton Bid- Omaha, Nab.
I Ed. Roihery's ' I
i Schlitz No. 2 Restaurant 1 Cafe I
111 South 14th Street
i
Ughest Grades at
Winest Liquors . Cigars
Domestic aud Imported Ale and Porter
Baggage or packages cheeked
tree of charge at our
Information Bureau
M
m Established lor the special benefit f: id convenience
o! Ak.Sar-Ben Visitors. 2
?3lllPltllBialll4llllBlllllllls1
Tha Purchising Power of Thousands of Honk nf TI1F flFF
iProwerout Wtrn Families is Found UaUIV Ul lilt UUU
, MONUMENTS
LARGEST STOCK IN THE WEST
We will allow a discount of 15 per cent on all work
sold during carnival week,
I F. BLOOM & C0.
W5 FARMM ST.
H
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