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TRAG7C AND ROMANTIC EXPLOITS OF A
GANG OF WESTERN TRAIN ROBBERS IN
SOUTH AMERICA
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FOUR leisurely horsemen Just afur
ten o'clock om morning early In last
March appeared In the public equare
of Villa Mercedes, In the province of
San Luis, which occupies a central
lMitlon In the Artfwniim. ltjuWio.
Three of the men, it was noticed by
thoss members of the population who were
not too sleapy t notlc anything at all,
were of about medium height, well knit,
bronzed and athletic. The fourth won
Bhortnr stid of slender physique, with deli
cate hands and feet, and wtlh Wia flush of
youth upon cheek and brow.
The horsemen unconcernedly pulled up
In front of the small hotel that ooruples
one side of the square and ordered drinks'
from the waiter, who emerged laiily In
answer to their bidding. Having disposed
of their refreshment and handed buck
their empty glasses to the dull wltted ser
vitor, ttia strangers deliberately dis
mounted and led their horses across the
square, where they stopped again In front
of the bank. Which bears the imposing
title Bank ol the Nacton Argentina and
Is a branch of the IJaak ol Terra poca of
Rio Oallegos. The thre stalwart mem
bers of the party tossed their bridle reins
to their smaller companion and entered
the bank.
At that hour of the day In Villa Mer
cedes, as in most other Inland towns of
the Argentine Republic, there Is very little
doing In the way of business activity, and
upon tks particular occasion In question a
solitary olerk was In charge. This Indi
vidual, casually glanolng up front the
ledger spread out before him, was In
tensely surprised to Sad himself gaalng
with rapt concentration Into the frowning
muisle of a large revolver pointed directly
at him by one of his visitors, who accom
panied the operation with a sharp re
minder that death would Instantly follow
any outcry or attempt at resistance. Mean
while, the two comrade at the man be
' hind the gun had vaulted over the coun
ter and were rapidly but systematically
gathering up all the cash and securities ex
posed to their view. They had not com'
pleted their task when the manager of ths
bank, having perceived from the outside
an apparent access of business) to the In
stitution of which he. was the Villa Mer
cedes head, stepped In to tak personal
charge of whatever transaction anight be
In progress.
Ho was promptly shot In ths head by
one of the Intruders, all three of whom,
with drawn weapons, baeked out through
the open door and sprang upon their
horses, the whole quartet galloping out
of town before the residents had fairly
awakened from their accustomeJ state of
somnolence. In a few moments the entire
township was ablaze with excitement, but
the marauders had made good their es
cape and all efforts to overtake them were
futile. ,
20,000 IN ONE HAUL.
During the few preceding months there
had been two or three similar attacks In
various sections of the Argentine, and this
final assault, obviously manoeuvred by the
aarao baad that had taken part In the pre
vious outrages, served to stir the authori
ties of the Southern republlo. They found
among the document In their noo"lnn
and which had been In their possession for
a long time back a notification from the
pinkerton National lelectlve Agency,
through a representative visiting the Ar
gentine, that In the year 1801 band of
North American train and bank robbers
had landed in Buenos Ayrts and had taken
up a permanent residence In the remote In
terior. This gang ctwslsted of Harry Long
baugh. alias "Uie tundanoe Kid," Mrs.
Marry LongbaagU and Oaorge Parker, alias
"Butch" Casilily, who were Subsequently
Joined by Harvey Iogan, alias "Kid"
Curry. These were the four persons en
gaged In the Villa Mercedes affair, which
netted them between tlfi.OOv and tto.Qud.
It was LUta Loogbaugh. wife of Harry
Ljonghaugh, who, dressed In masculine
attire, held the horse of herself and her
oompankwa la front of the Villa Mercedes
branch of he bank of Tarrapac-a. while
tt was being robbed by her tiusband aad
his mates. Just at she haJ held tnvlr burses
upon other ooraaiiuis when similar raids
were mad in th Argentina.
Mr. aad Mr. Lngbaugh and Oaorge
r-araer aaiiea iron tnl country directly
ror Buenos Ay
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cell door, to look out of the window,
While the guard was at the window Logan
stealthily laesoed him with a wire he -hevd
unwound frm an old broom, and which
he fastened In a noose to the end of the
broomstick. Casting the noose over the
guard's head, Logan pulled him off bis
feet and. drew him to bis cell door, at the
stuns time threatening to choke Irwin to
death If he made an outcry. The guard
submitted.
With the same broomstick and another
wire hook Logan pulled the guard's two
revolvers la to hlra and then oalled Jailer
Bell to give him some medicine. Logan
having bean under the doctor's care. Bell
responded, and as he entered the corridor
the bandit covered him with the pistols,
demanding his own release. To this the
Jailer consented, and Logan walked out
of tihe) Jail, defying every on in his path.
went to a stable in the rear of to bvlMlng,
mounted on of the Sheriff's horse and
rod away across the Tannea River, to
be lost sight of In the mountains by
poss wjloh pursued him.
By all odd Logan was th moat daapsr
at of the Wild Bunch band of "hold-wps."
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become a legitimate rancher, together
wHh th man bad woman who accom
panied him. The ranch upou whJoa the
little UartV settlxl nramnl,, & iUK taMu.
and In th ladtan count rv at the Suuth.
and from its 111"? ILaafl t hsM la aa fkhpf aTt
view of the country for twenty mlk-s or;
-" in ,Ytf T a FMnnn i ii ,rui I in.
ocsssibl In the extreme, and 11 any at-
mutii war mad to dlalodjt or caature the
Amarlcanos' It mluihf MnuiM tk ..irvi,.
Of a full rufflment nf mldknr ind wmitH
undoubtedly nd In much loss of hf. ow
Ji.' to natwrs4ly defensive quality of
Even then it la extremely doubtful If
thlr capture migiht be effected, for there
U reason to beltev that the northern
nandUa nave acquired a very thorough
knowlodgo of the eountrv fh.v
onosen to honor with the.V nnn,., ti,.
bMfaa operation upon their elevated
laWwUnd by erecting living quarters, and
proeeedeJ In du course to stock the
ranoh with sheep, horse a-nd oattl. Ac
ouodlng to such tDformatiun as may te
gleaaed from th Jadlan (fur whit man
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After re.ehutsiihav not oonslder.i i m ajjrk.i
BueiviM Ayr they took passase on i!ta to in vale the ,mt,,-.-vT-i..
Logan lerrrtury). there are tiwet flv
niuuirva asHi on Cbuuaa.ua head of dosnaa
tt aalinala new tkpon the raaoh.
It la woyosed that LMk-oau?h and tils
f rlebda uWcalculated In the .matter t how
far thtdr rusjda wsiIJ g and fu4 they
oould not swiaaj th ranching propathion
upoit their orlmai apllaL la this
omorgenoy they went back to Arm princi
ple aad took up Uw series of sxploiu
th ntoat roeent of Vhsoh to b rscorded
took pl4 In VUla Meroedee,
Th stuff of which the three men and
their woman cttnaurl Is made may be
gathered frvsn th fact that aa th crow
Mr th Villa Mercedes Is approximately
four hundred miles from the ranch -which
they make their home. The actual Journey
must ihave been fully half again aa long,
owing to the rough and circuitous route
nwteasarily followed, both lota- and eom-
tng. But the members of the band had
coast wis steamer to the port of Bahla
Blaaca. still further south. From this
place rhey Shipped upon a seml-anoaihly
river steamboat to aa Inland polat called
Rawson, these atrlklng out serves coun
try mounted on aulea. They had ah-aajy
purchased extensive pasture land a the
southward wnw sevesty-hve enlle from
the small vlllag of Cholulo, whrr tholr
nearest Whit neighbors were situated.
When they reached their destination th
party had travatleJ in all aom awvanty
four days front New Yos thlrty-anne
dsya to lluenos Ayr, twenty days more
to Rawson and fifteen days from that In
terior hamlet to their ranch, which Is In
the province of Chibute. or Chubut. ra
th Department of th Sixteenth el
October.
The capital required for this investment,
together with th no tnonaaUerab'
amount demanded for travelling expense
on th Jouravy ef twelve thousand rail. .
had been derived from sundry train and
bank robberies In the Wes.em part of the
United State, th bold and daring char,
actar of which will be described later. j
It I apparent that Loncbaugh, ' th
leader of what la left of on of the mo
In the co urea of conversation they leaxueu
that their fellow voyager had with hint a
trunk containing & larit sum of money In
gold. At a convenient piuce where the
ouar-h vji tmi-oi-utmr 4 edue of aAleep
ravine the two Auierkuan pitched the
driver in) nauMmr tteoulontl Into Ui
abyss below, rnUd the trunk of It gulden
HintriLti and ro.U off UUUB 'Ml betcks Of
rim AiuLch horst-a. cmUillK unmoltrted to
thir distant plateau. At though theU
Identity was more than nuepeoted and
their ktcation nad beam mad knoww to
the aufhorttteia through th rrion, bo
visible attempt was vr snad to overt
ani niinlnh the oatenaible ranchers.
A certain romantic Interest U thrown
about this lltti oularl 6f desperadoes by
reason of the presence anvong l hem of fc.Ua
Lungbaugh. the Intrepid wife of the leader.
She is but twenty-six years of age, wtut
graceful, girlish figure, dark. Hashing
yes, rerular features, brilliant white teeth
and a muss of wavy dark hair, hh can
shoot with the rapidity and precision of
a proressioral marxsnian, naniuiag nne
and revulver with equal deftness, bhe
wears nia:tculiite attire almost Invariably
hi long Journey to the Argentine. Th re
la a belief that Etta In bar youth was a j
western cowgirl known as Etta Place,
and that Lungbaugh mat bar and Induced
her to run away with hint during oue of
his hold-up raids in this, country, some
years ago.
It U altogether probable that Longbaugb
and th rapidly dimea'shlng remnant of hi
Outlaw gang In America were induced to
aiiirrat i southern climes by th ust
cocniortabls prssrr of the net that th
. logutker with the recuiar no-
sherllTt and Uelted (Mates marshals
Uce.
or ths Western SUtea. had been drawing
hlr quarry, slowly but aureiy, for
lirht or ten year.
Jt Is on of th special province of thl"7 " j . "rn"a r. f lndusky. Mont., aad June , i
Pinkerton agency to Lfeguard th. Inter-x Tl"nito2 T,a Crk- C1-
ests of express and railway oonni and.au Th" wlV d sraduaUy i wiu Pursuing Log,
of banking Institution that ar members torn), teni-eiTrrtntT rfn7.. V.TiTi other raiders for th robbery of th
of the A rut r loan JJasikrs' AsaocAllun. In in-. mta vauou Dana w j f-cifl, uraln at WUoox. WXt
this capacity thy ax constantly ta pursuit Knowing Ixtgan'a desperate character,
of the various ctasaes of criminal whose, h Plnkcrtons recommended to th Oreat
aim K is ta way or nnuther to rob ex-j Nurtitem Uxpress Company that a night
press cars and banks. The most dan- : and duy watch be pluoad over th prison
gerou. as well as the most dlmoult. to In the Kncx county Jail to prevent his es
captur of all grades and conditions of cape until he was delivered to th CoMsm
looters are the "stick-up'' g intra, com-: bus (Ohio) Stato Prison, to which Inaxltu
poved of men fearless to the point of des-ition he had been sentenced,
pe ration, to whom bloodshed is a matter; On haturday, June Zl, 10. Logan mad a
of not th slightest consequence, while daring flight, through th groa cxl-
mey isms mir vww " iimmm vi in )ai)er ana special guards. He
stall. I ho1 been coruinexl In a separate corridor
r or a nuinucrr vi y m wi ihti or uri ier irieee psuar is
Wyoming known as Ch "Hcnl In the Wall ' 1 b r, Irwin, left bl
was infested with men of tlits deacriptkin. 1 ket at one end of the corridor and went to
Curry, killed at Dodson. Mo.. February
18, 1800. wthll resisting arrest, by a
poss compoad of Pinkerton detective
and officers of th Kansas City Police
Department, for the robbery of the Union
Pacific train at Wilcox, Wyo., June t, 1899.
"Bob" Lee, alia "Bob" Curry, a ouunln
of th Logna brothers, arrested st Cripple
Creek. Cot, by Pinkerton detectives, nlcled
by two SherllT officer, tried In the Unlt.d
States Court, convicted and sentenced to
ton years In th Stat (Fnoltantlary. Raw
lins, Wyo., for Mi robbery of the Union
Paoiflo express train, WUcox, Wyo. H
was sentenced on 'May 29, 1900.
"Sam'' Ketoham died Jun 24. 1900. In th
Santa Ft (N. 3t.) Penitentiary, from a
wound inflicted by a posse of officers d" k
Ing tils arrest for th robbery of the Colo
rado and Southern Raaroad Company,
Cimarron, (N. M.
TBen Kllpatrtck.alla John Arnold, alias
the Tall Texan, wis arrested In St Louis
November . 1901, In on of th night re
sorts of that oity. Upon hi person was
found a pare! of th nslTnd bills stolen
In th Wagner csoiuit. and n received a
sentence of fir teen year In th Columbus
(Ohio) Penitentiary. Kllpatrlck ( picturs.i
a natlv of Concho county, Texas, a
man of On physique, who tt been a mur
derer, high wyman, hold-wp, eattle rustler
and outlaw for years. As In th case of
LontrosAich. Kllpatrlck had a woman as
sociate who has never faltered In her loy
alty to him.
WOMAN LOYAL TO HIM.
When b vm taken Into custody the key
to a room In the Lacteda Hotel was found
In bit pockst, and laald that room the HL
Louis polio discovered a roans woman,
who was carrying In liar aatohot a bundl
of rh express robbery note. This woman
was Laura Bullion, allac Delia Hose, alia
Laura Oarey. alias Clara Hayea, born In
Knickerbocker, Texas, and sho was sen
tenced to a terra In the Jefferson City
(Mo.) Penitantlary upon a charge of hav
ing stolen property In her possession. After
shs had served her allotted time In prison
urn Bullion went to Atlevta, Oa., la
order that ahe mlefht be near her lover.
who bad, while she was In Jefferson City
prison, been transferred to the Atlanta
Penitentiary. Bhe is a typical Wild West
ern criminal, and th linos of her face, as
shown in the polio photograph, denote
courage, determination and extreme fixity
of purpose.
The remainder of the band, under the
leadership of Harvey Logan, are Harry
LonerbaueTh, alia Sun Dance Kid; Oeorg
Casaldy, alias Ryan, and Etta Place.
This association of criminals acquiied
th title of th Wild Bunch, by reason of
th utter recklessness of Its members, in
dividually aad collectively, and th start
Hag audaolty with Which Its deeds of pil
lage and violence were aoeompltohed.
Th dlsbandment and extermination of
this x.tr)Ordlnaryolaa of desperadoes hav
neen On to in long, unrelenting and ex
tremely costly pursuit by th Union Pa-
Rallnevd aad th Paoiflo Express
He murdered or ParUclpated In the murder
of not less than ten persons, moot of whom
were killed In pursuit of him for train'
robberies. In aom Instance th killing oompante. I he Oreat Northern Railroad
was out of pur revenge for attempt to na Express Company, th American
aptur him. shooting his associate for Hankers" Association, the Pinkerton th
giving Information as to hi whereabouts. looaj pdto force, heiiffs. United State
July W. 19U1, Logan travelled rnor than jmarafaal and railroad and special police
two hundred mile out of hat way to kill msa operating la th entire West and
Junes Winters, a well to do oalU man, UouiiiwMt.
whom Logan suspected f having givol Bul tn nd Is not yu Th Pinkertons
some IntoriaaUoa to omeer In regatd ' representing the railronds. express com
hlm. It 1 also alleged that! after Ueorg pajtia and the bank robbed tiy th exiled
Curry, th aeoand loader, on of th Wild members of Ui Wild Bunch, ar patlent
Bunoh, was klUed by n po f or par Uclpat- ,y waiting their return to th United
lng In th holding up ef a Union PaoiAo, gtete. when they wtil vntuallv be
rain at Wllcog, Wyo.. Logan and Tom'broU4k o JuMloa.
Cpehat murdered ShwrtS John Tyler and a long time similarity In handiwork
on of bat deputies, both of Moab, Utah,waa about th only clew that could b
member of th pua that bad attempted j followed. Tit outrages perpetrated by
to arrant th raag fat th Wlloex hold-up the Wild Bunch occurred at points so
and who Logan bUvd had killed "flat widely separated that but for th same
Nose" Oeorg Curry. Th other aturder iMa which characterised M their doinns
lw accustomed to much sterner feats' an J ride astride of her horse quite as well
of borsenatashlp and enduraac la North and with Lilly as much fortitude as her
America, and they oult probably looked i mal associates. Where she originally
upen 01 Villa Mercedes undertaking as a found Longbaugh, or wher he found her,
mex Incident of ordinary lire. not an stem of police history, but th
Ones before two of the men. In playful J pinkertons would probably pay any one
mooa. presumaoiy Latgsa na rerker.iwho could identify and furnish her pedt-
iu uuiua vi iuuuo. m urn loumry, in.i w)re tr.ivell.ng in the mountains in altrree
tjnoeo.wnn laming up in trip to iuth .tag coach, the only other occupant of It 1 known, however, that she went with
t"rt"h u abandon th IK f outiawf 1 whtah war th driver and on i nrtr.LoaJbaujh. when hs left Uus oxt vpoo
he Is allegod to have been oonoarned In
are: December Bt, ltiitt, P(k Landusky,
lifi. Bheriff
Wo.,
Logan and
Union
Pacln train ai w uoox, wye.
After Logan' arrest th leadershlo f
rhe WDd Bunch Was aaaume ny Harrv
night' Longbaugh. Other member of tbla band
hung, killed restating arrest, serving king
terms tn prison or exiles to foreign coun
tries are:
Elsa Lay, alias W. H. McGlnnl. partner
of "Huth" Cassldy and other members of
the Wild Bunch, arrested September 14.
Itfbv, and sow serving a life aenteaos la
the itanta Tt CN. M.) pentltentlary, for
Dartlcipaxlon In the Cimarron (N. u i
m of their tiiim. train robbery, in July. 1W. by the Black
revolvers in a ha, i J.ta uuiiu, w wujc:i am i meiiiuer.
Loony Logan, alias
brother nf liarmr
Curry, alias
Lee,
slid
It would have been oonatdered exceedingly
ImprobaMe mat cne crime were executed
by a single gang- The men, too, were ao
euetomed to oonoeai their Identities whll
at work wy tying ruioeo oautoana hand
kerahlef across their face xtrotly un
derneath thatr , o that t was utterly
Imposathi to glv A tntesttgent descrlp.
tlun of their lineament.
An odd fact noted by th detectives who
hav been working for a decade upon this
line of investigation and extermination Is
that by far the greater number of "stick
up robbers and murderer oome from
Missouri and Texas. The cause of this
ituatton Is unknown, unleea. Indeed, It 1
to ba found In Ui example yecvrs ago set
before th rising generation by the Jamejp
and tn Younger brothers, of Missouri, by
all odds ths moot dlatlnrolshed criminal
of their time, although certainly Dy no
means more craiiy, oeprate and
fatigabi ahaa th WU4 Austalt,
From ho tbisvlng, calU rustliac and jth other ns dsrusty ta stent mt Zasna'sjh
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