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could be seen above a bandanna mask. I think Mr. Simpson recognized Hutch by the scar, and what Mrs. Parker heard him say before he was shot was Hutch and not Butch. And Hutch, knowing he’d been recognized, had to kill Mr. Simpson. And if Mr. Pearson isn’t making his nephew’s gambling debts good, that must mean that the money Hutch is los-66
ing playing poker was stolen from Mr. Simpson.”
Uncle Mark turned to Sheriff Baker. “Tom could be right,” he said.
“It is a damn good theory,” Sheriff Baker said. “And while we are at it let’s get Calvin Whitlock to keep a record of all Kansas City bank notes deposited in his bank. If local people pulled this train robbery the money will start burn-ing a hole in their pockets, and they will start spending it. Simpson has always paid for cattle with Kansas City bank notes. About the only time they show up around here is when he is in town. And while we’re at it let’s send the Bruford Brothers a telegram asking them if they can furnish us with the serial numbers of the Kansas City bank notes Simpson was carrying.”
I guess I’d better explain about paper money back in those days. Each bank issued its own bank notes which were redeemable in gold at that particular bank. It wasn’t until 1913 when the Federal Reserve System was established that the Government of the United States started printing its own paper money and banks stopped issuing their own bank notes. Most of the bank notes in Adenville were on Utah banks.
I figured for sure Tom’s great brain had failed him when we entered the marshal’s office the next day after school. Both Uncle Mark and Sheriff Baker really looked down in the dumps.
“I was wrong?” Tom asked as if he’d just lost the ball game.
“No,” Uncle Mark replied- “You were dead right. We found out Fred Pearson hasn’t changed his mind about mak-ing good his nephew’s gambling debts. He thinks Hutch has got a lucky streak going for him at the Fairplay Saloon.”
67
Tom got a puzzled look on his freckled face. “But doesn’t that mean the money Hutch is losing came from the train robbery?” he asked.
“No doubt about it,” Uncle Mark said. “Bob Daniels, the proprietor of the Fairplay Saloon, told us that Hutch has lost over two hundred dollars. He still had the money in his safe and it was all in Kansas City bank notes. We’ve got leads on the whole gang. Sam Ludell is sweet on a dance hall girl named Rose at the Fairplay Saloon. He bought her several expensive dresses at Pearl Addison’s Dress Shop and paid for them with Kansas City bank notes.”
Tom nodded. “No wonder he tried to put the blame on Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.”
“That ties Ludell in on it all right,” Uncle Mark said. “And Herb Grant bought a new saddle from Jerry Stout’s place paying for it with Kansas City bank notes. Curly Davis, a cowboy Pearson fired a couple of weeks .ago, has lost more than a hundred dollars playing poker at the Whitehorse Sa-loon, all of it in Kansas City bank notes. Earl Eggerson who runs the dice table at the Fairplay Saloon bought an expensive watch and gold chain at the jewelry store with Kansas City bank notes. The sheriff and I are convinced that Hutch, Grant, Davis, and Eggerson held up the train and that Lu-dell was in on it.”
Tom stared at the three empty cells. “Then why didn’t you arrest them?” he asked.
Sheriff Baker cleared his throat. “Because District Attorney Vickers told us that he can’t convict the men just because they are spending Kansas City bank notes,” he said.
No wonder Uncle Mark and Sheriff Baker looked so down in the dumps.
Tom was shaking his head. “But don’t they have to
68
prove where they got the money?” he asked the sheriff.
“The law doesn’t work that way,” Sheriff Baker said. “To get a conviction we would have to have the serial numbers of the bank notes Simpson was carrying in his money belt. We got an answer to the
ing playing poker was stolen from Mr. Simpson.”
Uncle Mark turned to Sheriff Baker. “Tom could be right,” he said.
“It is a damn good theory,” Sheriff Baker said. “And while we are at it let’s get Calvin Whitlock to keep a record of all Kansas City bank notes deposited in his bank. If local people pulled this train robbery the money will start burn-ing a hole in their pockets, and they will start spending it. Simpson has always paid for cattle with Kansas City bank notes. About the only time they show up around here is when he is in town. And while we’re at it let’s send the Bruford Brothers a telegram asking them if they can furnish us with the serial numbers of the Kansas City bank notes Simpson was carrying.”
I guess I’d better explain about paper money back in those days. Each bank issued its own bank notes which were redeemable in gold at that particular bank. It wasn’t until 1913 when the Federal Reserve System was established that the Government of the United States started printing its own paper money and banks stopped issuing their own bank notes. Most of the bank notes in Adenville were on Utah banks.
I figured for sure Tom’s great brain had failed him when we entered the marshal’s office the next day after school. Both Uncle Mark and Sheriff Baker really looked down in the dumps.
“I was wrong?” Tom asked as if he’d just lost the ball game.
“No,” Uncle Mark replied- “You were dead right. We found out Fred Pearson hasn’t changed his mind about mak-ing good his nephew’s gambling debts. He thinks Hutch has got a lucky streak going for him at the Fairplay Saloon.”
67
Tom got a puzzled look on his freckled face. “But doesn’t that mean the money Hutch is losing came from the train robbery?” he asked.
“No doubt about it,” Uncle Mark said. “Bob Daniels, the proprietor of the Fairplay Saloon, told us that Hutch has lost over two hundred dollars. He still had the money in his safe and it was all in Kansas City bank notes. We’ve got leads on the whole gang. Sam Ludell is sweet on a dance hall girl named Rose at the Fairplay Saloon. He bought her several expensive dresses at Pearl Addison’s Dress Shop and paid for them with Kansas City bank notes.”
Tom nodded. “No wonder he tried to put the blame on Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.”
“That ties Ludell in on it all right,” Uncle Mark said. “And Herb Grant bought a new saddle from Jerry Stout’s place paying for it with Kansas City bank notes. Curly Davis, a cowboy Pearson fired a couple of weeks .ago, has lost more than a hundred dollars playing poker at the Whitehorse Sa-loon, all of it in Kansas City bank notes. Earl Eggerson who runs the dice table at the Fairplay Saloon bought an expensive watch and gold chain at the jewelry store with Kansas City bank notes. The sheriff and I are convinced that Hutch, Grant, Davis, and Eggerson held up the train and that Lu-dell was in on it.”
Tom stared at the three empty cells. “Then why didn’t you arrest them?” he asked.
Sheriff Baker cleared his throat. “Because District Attorney Vickers told us that he can’t convict the men just because they are spending Kansas City bank notes,” he said.
No wonder Uncle Mark and Sheriff Baker looked so down in the dumps.
Tom was shaking his head. “But don’t they have to
68
prove where they got the money?” he asked the sheriff.
“The law doesn’t work that way,” Sheriff Baker said. “To get a conviction we would have to have the serial numbers of the bank notes Simpson was carrying in his money belt. We got an answer to the
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