130 Reminiscences of 



were soon spotted and disposed of unless very careful 

 in the various disguises they adopted. Others ganged 

 together and occupied separate camps from the miners, 

 from which they would make forays as of old in the 

 regions they formerly raided. 



These desperadoes were generally known as the 

 double-pistol brigade, from their accoutrements and 

 from wearing two large six-shooters in their belts. 

 Four of them made a raid one night when I was at 

 Central in an office building belonging to the Bobtail 

 Mining Company in town, which kept its bullion ac- 

 cumulated in the office safe before shipment, which 

 building was not occupied at night, but was near other 

 occupied buildings. These whackers had tampered with 

 one of the miners employed by the company through 

 whom they learned of the safe deposits, and whom they 

 had gained over, they supposed, but who weakened and 

 divulged to the owners all about it, and the night and 

 hour when the raid was to take place. The whackers 

 came, and as they opened the office building they were 

 fired upon by concealed guards, and so effectually that 

 all fell, three killed and the fourth mortally wounded. 

 Here the bodies were allowed to lie on the ground, and 

 I, hearing of it, went down in the morning to see the 

 sight. The bodies were still there in view of the assem- 

 bled spectators, with the wounded man still alive, 

 cursing everything and everybody and without medi- 

 cal aid, and soon died. It was proposed to string him 

 up in his dying condition, but better counsel prevailed. 



HAD two friends at Spanish Bar, on the Platte 

 River, about five miles from Central, Brune and 



