ay the Sangre
de Cristo range, in which the band had rendezvoused and planned this
robbery. Farther to the southwest arose the snow-capped peaks of the
Continental Divide, in whose silent solitude an army might have taken
refuge and hidden.

It was an inviting country to the robber. These mountains offered
retreats that had never known the tread of human footsteps. Emboldened
by the thought that pursuit would be almost a matter of impossibility,
they laid their plans and executed them without a single hitch.

About ten o'clock at night, as the train slowed up as usual to take
water, the engineer and fireman were covered by two of the robbers.
The other two--there were only four--cut the express car from the
train, and the engineer and fireman were ordered to decamp. The
robbers ran the engine and express car out nearly two miles, where, by
the aid of dynamite, they made short work of a through safe that the
messenger could not open. The express company concealed the amount
of money lost to the robbers, but smelters, who were aware of certain
retorts in transit by this train, were not so silent. These smelter
products were in gold retorts of such a size that they could be made
away with as easily as though they had reached the mint and been
coined.

There was scarcely any excitement among the passengers, so quickly was
it over. While the robbery was in progress the wires from this station
were flashing the news to headquarters. At a division of the railroad
one hundred and fifty-six miles distant from the scene of the robbery,
lived United States Marshal Bob Banks, whose success in pursuing
criminals was not bounded by the State in which he lived. His
reputation was in a large measure due to the successful use of
bloodhounds. This officer's calling compelled him to be both plainsman
and mountaineer. He had the well-deserved reputation of being as
unrelenting in the pursuit of criminals as death is in marking its
victims.

Within half an hour after the robbery was reported at headquarters,
an engine had coupled to a caboose at the division where the marshal
lived. He was equally hasty. To gather his arms and get his dogs
aboard the caboose required but a few moments' time.

Everything ready, they pulled out with a clear track to their
destination. Heavy traffic in coal had almost ruined the road-bed, but
engine and caboose flew over it regardless of its condition. Halfway
to their destination the marshal was joined