XIV
THE LAST OF THE FREIGHT THIEVES
"No; I'm not after you this time," laughingly responded Detective Boyleto Jack's half serious inquiry on recognizing his visitor at the stationone evening a month later as the road detective who on the previousmemorable occasion had called in company with the sheriff. "Instead, Iwant your assistance.
"Do you know," he asked, seating himself, "that your friends the freightthieves are operating again on the division?"
"No!" said Jack in surprise.
"They are. And they have evolved some scheme that is more baffling eventhan the 'haunting' trick you spoiled for them here last spring. Everyweek they are getting away with valuable stuff from one of the nightfreights between Claxton and Eastfield, while the train is actually enroute, apparently. That sounds incredible, I know, but it is the onlypossible conclusion to come to, since the train does not stop betweenthose places, and I made sure the goods each time were aboard when itleft Claxton."
Jack whistled. "That does look a problem, doesn't it! But where do I comein, Mr. Boyle?"
"Last evening, while thinking the matter over, the trick the thieves usedhere at the Junction recurred to me--the man shipped in a box. It came tome: Why couldn't that same dodge be played back against them in thiscase?"
"Oh, I see! Have yourself shipped in a box, and 'stolen' by them! Cleveridea," exclaimed Jack.
"Not so bad I think, myself. Well, in the country between Claxton andEastfield, where it is my theory the gang has its headquarters, there areno telephone or telegraph lines, and it struck me it would be a good planto take someone along with me who in case of things going wrong couldmake his way back to the railroad, and cut in on the wire and call forhelp. And naturally you were the first one I thought of. Do you want thejob?" asked the detective.
"I'd jump at the chance," Jack agreed eagerly. "It'd be more fun thanenough.
"But, Mr. Boyle, how do you know that the boxes are taken to the freightthieves' headquarters, unopened, and not broken into right at therailroad?"
"I figure that out from the number and size of the packages they havetaken each time--just a good load for a light wagon. And anyway you cansee that that would be their safest plan. If they broke up boxes near thetrack they would leave clues that would be sure to be found sooner orlater, and put us on their trail.
"And through a friend in the wholesale dry-goods business at Claxton, whoI'll see down there to-night," the detective went on, "I can makepractically sure of our being 'stolen' together. The thieves have shown apartiality for his goods; and by having our boxes attractively labelled'SILK,' and placed just within the car door, there will be little chanceof the robbers passing us by."
"My plan is to bring it off to-morrow night. Would that suit you?"concluded the detective.
"Yes, sir. That is, if I can get away. For it will take all night, Isuppose?"
"Yes. There will be no trouble about your getting off, though. I spoke toAllen before I came down," said Boyle, rising. "All right, it isarranged. You take the five-thirty down to-morrow evening, with thenecessary instruments, and I'll be at the station to meet you. Goodnight."
As Boyle had promised, Jack had no difficulty in arranging to be off dutythe following night, and early that evening he alighted from the train atClaxton, to find the railroad detective awaiting him.
"The instruments, eh?" queried Boyle, indicating a parcel under Jack'sarm as they left the station. "Yes, sir; and I have some wire and a filein my pocket."
"That's the ticket. And everything here is arranged nicely. We will headfor the warehouse at once."
"Here's the other 'bolt of silk,' Mr. Brooke," the detective announced afew minutes later as they entered the office adjoining a large brickbuilding. "All ready for us?"
"Hn! He's a pretty small 'bolt,' isn't he?" commented the merchant,eyeing Jack with some surprise.
"A trifle; but he makes up for size in quality," declared the detective,while Jack blushed. "He is the youngster who solved the 'ghost' riddleand spoiled this same gang's game at Midway Junction."
The merchant warmly shook Jack's hand. "I'm glad to meet you, my boy," hesaid. "After that, I can readily believe what Boyle says.
"Yes, I am all ready. This way, please," he requested.
Following the speaker, Jack and the detective found themselves in a largeshipping-room. As they entered, a workman with a pot and ink-brush in hishand was surveying lettering he had just completed on a good-sizedpacking-case.
"Here are the 'goods,' Judson," announced the merchant.
"All ready, sir," the workman responded, eyeing Jack and the detectivecuriously.
"Did you substitute boards with knot-holes?" Mr. Brooke asked.
"Yes, sir. And this is the door," said the man, indicating two wideboards at one end. "I used both wooden buttons and screw-hooks on theinside, as you suggested."
"Good."
The detective examined the box. "You've made a good job of it," hecommented.
"I suppose this is the boy's?" he added, turning to a smaller box, onwhich also were the words: "SILK--VALUABLE!"
With lively interest Jack examined the case.
"Get in and let us see how it fits," suggested the merchant. Jack did so.
"Fine," he announced. "I could ride all night in it, easily--eithersitting, or lying down curled up on my side."
Detective Boyle glanced at his watch. "You may as well stay right there,Jack," he said. "We will start just as soon as the wagon is ready."
"It's ready now. Judson, go and bring the dray around," the merchantdirected.
As the man left, the detective produced and handed Jack a small pocketrevolver. "Here, take this, Jack," said he. "I hope you'll not have touse it, but we must take all precautions.
"Now to box you in." So saying the detective fitted the "door" of Jack'sbox into place, and Jack on the inside secured it with the hooks andwooden buttons, and announced "O K." The detective then entered his ownbox, and with the merchant's assistance closed the opening. As he testedit there was a rattle of wheels without, and the big door rumbled open.
A few minutes later the two boxes of "valuable silk" had been slid outonto the truck, and the first stage of the strange journey had begun.
As planned, it was dusk when the two boxes reached the freight depot. Thestation agent himself met them. "Everything O K, Boyle?" he whispered.
"O K. Place us right before the door, with the lettering out," thedetective directed. The agent did as requested, and with a final "Goodluck!" closed and sealed the car door just as the clanging of a bellannounced the approach of an engine. A crash and a jar told the twounsuspected travelers that their car had been coupled, there was awhistle, a rumble, a clanking over switch-points--and they were on theirway.
The wheels had been drumming over the rail-joints for perhaps half anhour, and the disappearance of the light which had filtered through thecar door had announced the fall of darkness, when there came a screechingof brakes.
"Where do you suppose we are now, Mr. Boyle?" asked Jack from his box.
"It's the grade just north of Axford Road. When we hit the up-grade twomiles beyond we may begin to expect something. It was along there Ifigured that the--
"What's that?"
Both listened. "One of the brakemen, isn't it?" suggested Jack.
"What is he doing down on the edge of the car roof?"
The next sound was of something slapping against the car door.
Suddenly the detective gave vent to a cry that was barely suppressed.
"Jack, I've got it! I've got it at last!" he whispered excitedly.
"The freight thieves have bought up one of the brakemen! He lets himselfdown to the car door by a rope, opens it, and throws the stuff out!"
Jack's exclamation of delight at this final revelation of the heart ofthe mystery was followed by one of consternation. "But won't we get anawful shaking up if we're pitched off, going at full speed?" he said inalarm.
"We may. We'
ll have to take it. It's all in the game you know," declaredBoyle grimly. "Sit tight and brace hard, and it'll not be so bad, though.
"Sh! Here he is!"
There was a sound of feet scraping against the car door, a rattle as theseal was broken and the clasp freed, then a rumble and the sudden fullroar of the train told the two in the boxes that the door had beenopened.
Swinging within, the intruder closed the door behind him, and lit amatch. Peering from a knot-hole, Jack saw that the detective's guess wascorrect. It was a brakeman.
As Jack watched, the man produced and lit a dark-lantern, and turned iton the cases before him. Jack held his breath as the light streamedthrough the cracks of his own box.
"Just to order," muttered the brakeman audibly.
"And the bigger one, too. I'll not have to haul any out."
Then, to Jack's momentary alarm, then amusement, the man seated himselfon the box, above him.
Presently, as Jack was wondering what the trainman was waiting for, fromthe distant engine came the two long and two short toots for a crossing,and the man started to his feet. With his eye to the knot-hole Jackwatched.
Again came a whistle, and the creaking of brakes. Immediately thebrakeman slid the car door back a few inches, flashed his lantern fourtimes, muffled it, and ran the door open its full width.
The critical moment had come. Gathering himself together, Jack bracedwith knees and elbows. The trainman seized the box, swung it to the door,and tipped it forward. The next instant Jack felt himself hurled out intothe darkness.
For one terrible moment he felt himself hurtling through space. Then camea crackle of branches, the box whirled over and over, again plungeddownward, and brought up with a crash.
A brief space Jack lay dazed, in a heap, head down. But he had been onlyslightly stunned, and recovering, he righted himself, and found withsatisfaction that he had suffered no more than a bruise of the scalp andan elbow.
He had not long to speculate on his whereabouts. From near at hand came asound of breaking twigs, and a voice.
THE NEXT INSTANT JACK FELT HIMSELF HURLED OUT INTOTHE DARKNESS.]
"Here's one," it said.
Only with difficulty did Jack avoid betraying himself. It was the voiceof the man "Watts"!
"What is it?" inquired a second voice.
Through a crack a light appeared. "Silk," announced Watts.
"A good weight, too," he added, tipping the box. "Catch hold."
The packing-case was caught up; and rocked and jolted, Jack felt himselfcarried for what he judged a full quarter-mile. As the men slowed up agleam of moonlight showed through the knot-hole, and peering forth hediscovered a tree-lined road, and a two-horse wagon.
Sliding the box into the rear of the wagon, and well to the front, themen disappeared. The wait that followed was to Jack the most tryingexperience of the evening. Had the detective safely landed? Was there nota possibility of the larger box having been shattered? Or sufficientlybroken to reveal its true contents, and disclose the plot to thefreight-robbers? And what then would be his fate?
These and many other disquieting possibilities passed through Jack'smind, causing him several times as the minutes went by to finger thehooks and buttons which would permit of his escape. Finally snappingtwigs, then heavy, stumbling footfalls allayed his anxiety, and the twomen reappeared, staggering under the box containing the officer.
With difficulty the unsuspecting thieves raised the heavy packing-case tothe tail-board of the wagon.
"It won't go in," said Watts' companion.
"Push this way a little," Watts directed.
"I can't--_Look out!_" There was a scramble, and the box crashed to theground. At the same moment came a muffled exclamation, and Jack caughthis breath. Was it the detective? If so, had the others overheard it?
With relief, however, he heard Watts, who apparently was the chief of thegang, call his companion a mule, and order him to catch hold again. Thebox this time was successfully slid aboard; and at once the two menclimbed to the seat, and the wagon rumbled off.
As they rattled along over a badly-kept road Jack gave as close attentionto the passing scenery as his limited view permitted, in order that hemight be able to find his way back to the railroad if it should provenecessary. This did not promise to be difficult. On either side the dimmoonlight showed an unbroken succession of trees, and also that therobbers were continuing in one direction--apparently due south.
For what seemed at least two miles they proceeded. Then appeared a smallclearing, and with a quickening of the pulse Jack felt the wagon slow upand turn in. They were at their destination.
A forbiddingly suitable place for its purpose it was. Standing out darklyon the crest of a rise two hundred yards back, was a low shanty-likehouse, in which appeared a single gleam of light. Between, to the road,stretched a desolate moonlit prospect of stumps, decaying logs andbrush-piles. On either side the woods formed a towering wall ofblackness.
Rocking and pitching, the wagon made its way up a rutty, corkscrew lane.They reached the house, and the door opened, and a tall, unpleasant-lookingwoman appeared and greeted the men.
"Good luck, eh?" she remarked briefly.
"Sure. Don't we always have good luck?" responded Watts. "Is supperready?"
"Yes. You-uns better come in before you opens them boxes," said thewoman.
"All right."
Passing on, the wagon came at last to a halt before a good-sized barn.The two men leaped to the ground, and while one of them opened the largeside doors the other proceeded to back the wagon to it.
As the two freight thieves then unhooked, and led their horses to thestable, there came to Jack's ears a welcome tapping. "Are you all right,lad?" whispered the detective.
"Yes, O K, sir, though a bit nervous," Jack acknowledged.
"Keep cool and we'll soon have them where we want them. As they are goingin to supper first we'll not leave the boxes till then. That'll give usjust the opportunity we want to look around and arrange things nicely.
"Sh! Here they come!"
"Catch hold," said Watts. Jack heard the detective's box slide out, an"Up!" from Watts, the staggering steps of the men across the barn floor,and a thud as the box was dropped.
At what then immediately followed Jack for a moment doubted his senses.It was the voice of Watts saying quietly and coldly, "Now my cleverfriend in the box, kindly come out!"
They _had_ heard Boyle's exclamation when the box had fallen!
Scarcely breathing, Jack listened. Would the detective give himself upwithout a--
There was a muffled report, instantly a second, louder, then silence.
"Will you come out now?" demanded Watts.
To Jack's horror there was no response. Watts repeated the order, thencalled on his companion for an axe, and there followed the sound of blowsand splintering wood.
"Now haul him out."
Terror-stricken, Jack listened. Suddenly there came the sound of ascramble, then of a terrific struggle.
The detective was all right! It had been only a ruse! Uttering asuppressed hurrah Jack began hurriedly undoing the fastenings of hisdoor, to get out to the detective's assistance. Before he had opened it,however, there was the sound of a heavy fall, and a triumphant shout fromWatts. Promptly Jack paused, debated a moment, and restored thefastenings. He would wait. Perhaps they would bind Boyle and leave him inthe barn.
A moment later Jack regretted his decision. Through the knot-hole he sawthe detective led by, his arms bound behind him, and one of thefreight-robbers on either side.
The voices and footsteps died away in the direction of the house, andJack fell to wondering what he should do. Before he had decided he heardthe voices of the men returning. Apprehensively he waited. Had they anysuspicion of his presence in the second packing-case?
While he held his breath and grimly clutched his revolver, they slid hisbox to the rear of the wagon, lifted it out, and deposited it on the barnfloor.
"Going to
have a look at it? Make sure it hasn't some live stock in ittoo?" inquired the second man.
Jack's heart stood still.
"No; it's all right," declared Watts confidently. "We'll have supperfirst." And to Jack's unspeakable relief they passed out and closed thebarn door. Listening until from the house had come the slamming of adoor, Jack once more freed the fastenings within the box, slipped theboard aside, again listened a moment, and crawled forth.
As he stood stretching his cramped limbs, he glanced about. A tier ofwhat looked like bolts of cloth in the moonlight beneath one of the barnwindows caught his eye. He stepped over.
It was silk--silk such as he had seen in the warehouse at Claxton!
Instantly there came to Jack a startling suggestion. As quickly hedecided to act upon it. "They may never 'catch on,'" he told himselfdelightedly, "and in any case it will give me a good start back for therailroad, for help."
Glancing from the barn window, to make sure all was quiet in thedirection of the house, he drew his box into the moonlight, took out theparcel containing the telegraph instruments, and proceeded to remove thehooks and buttons, and all other signs of the "door." Then quickly hefilled the box with bolts of silk from the pile beneath the window.
That done, he found a hammer and nails, and muffling the hammer with hishandkerchief, as quietly as possible nailed the boards into place.Triumphantly he slid the box to its former position on the floor.
"I think that will fool you, Mr. Watts," he said with a smile, andcatching up the telegraph instruments he turned to the door.
On the threshold he started back. The two men, and two others, werereturning from the house.
In alarm Jack looked about for a way of escape. Across the barn was asmaller door. He ran for it on tiptoe, darted through, and found himselfin the stable. Passing quietly on to the outer door, which the cracks andmoonlight revealed, he waited until the four men had entered the mainbarn, then slipped forth, and keeping in the shadows, ran toward thehouse.
HE SAW THE DETECTIVE LED BY, HIS ARMS BOUND BEHIND HIM.]
A beam of light streamed from one of the rear windows. Jack made for it,and cautiously approaching, peered within. The woman he had seen at thedoor was at a table, washing dishes, her back toward him. And justbeyond, facing him, and bound hand and foot in a big arm-chair, was thedetective.
For some minutes Jack tried in vain to attract the officer's attention.Then the woman obligingly stepped into the pantry with some dishes, andquickly Jack gave a single tap on the window-pane. Boyle looked upinstantly, started, smiled, then nodded his head in the direction of therailroad. Jack held up the parcel containing the telegraph instruments,the detective nodded again, and in a moment Jack was off.
It was an exhausting run over the rough, little-used road, now darkenedby the overhanging trees; but at length Jack recognized the point atwhich he had been carried from the woods, and turning in, soon foundhimself at the railroad.
Hurrying to the nearest telegraph pole, he swarmed up to the cross-tree,and quickly filed through the wire on one side of the glass insulator.The broken wire fell jangling to the rails. Connecting an end of the wirehe had brought with him to the wire on the other side of the pin, Jackslid to the ground, made the connections with the instrument, and therelay clicked closed.
At once someone on the wire sent, "Who had it open? What did you say?"
"Alex!" exclaimed Jack, at once recognizing the sending; and was about tobreak in when the instrument clicked, "17 just coming--CX."
"Claxton, and 17! Just what we want!" Quickly interrupting, Jack sent,"CX--Hold 17! Hold her!"
Then, "To X--This is Jack, Al. I'm in the woods about four miles fromClaxton. We found the freight thieves, but they have Boyle prisoner. Askthe chief to have 17 take on a posse at CX and rush them here. I'll waithere, and lead them back. If they are quick they'll capture the wholegang."
"OK! OK! Good for you," shot back Alex. The wire was silent a moment,then Jack heard the order go on to Claxton as desired.
Twenty-five minutes later, waiting in the darkness on the track, Jack sawthe headlight of the fast-coming freight. The engineer, on the lookout,discovered him, pulled up, and a moment after Jack was off through thewoods followed by two officers and several of the train crew.
When they reached the farm, lights were still moving about in the barn.Stealthily the party made for it, and surrounded it.
"How would you like to lead the way in, Jack?" whispered the sheriff asthey paused before the door. "That would be only fair, after the trickWatts played on you."
Jack caught at the idea delightedly, and all being ready, boldly threwopen the barn door and entered with drawn revolver, followed by thesheriff.
The four occupants were so completely taken by surprise that for a momentthey stood immovable about a box of dry-goods they had been repacking.
"How do you do, Mr. Watts," said Jack, smiling. "This is my friend thesheriff, and the barn is surrounded. I think you would be foolish not togive up."
"Yes, hands up!" crisply ordered the sheriff. And slowly the four pairsof hands went into the air, and the entire balance of the long-successfulgang of freight thieves were prisoners.
It was Jack himself who rushed off to the house and freed DetectiveBoyle. A half hour later, with one of the robbers' own wagons filled witha great quantity of recovered stolen goods, the sheriff escorted hisprisoners back to the railroad, and before daylight they were in the jailat Eastfield.
Jack received considerable attention because of his part in the capture,and the affair still forms one of the popular yarns among trainmen onthat division of the Middle Western.