Here are highlghts of what happened in our last adventure…
Jack Kollrath and Louis Toadvine are drinking with Billy Rise the Medicine Man at the Hard Knocks Saloon (Dry Gulch, AZ). They learn that Glenn Townsend was murdered three days ago. Billy thinks the person behind the murder is Colonel William Cooley. Cooley found out that Glenn and Maddie have a sizable quantity of silver on their property.
Jack and Louis ride to the Townsend farmstead to learn more. They meet Mattie, who’s understandably saddened by events. The boys learn that Cooley approached Glenn awhile back to buy the farm. But Glenn and Mattie ultimately refused, wanting instead to mine the silver themselves. They just need money. Upon further investigation, Jack and Louis learn that Glenn had been poisoned. When found, he was pale, stiff as a board and had blue splotches on his face. Jack spies a small hole cut into the roof just above where Glenn was sleeping.
Jack and Louis leave, but then watch the farm for the night (fearing Cooley would come back to kill Mattie). But nothing happens. They go back into town the next day, sharing what they know with Sheriff Bill Meacham. Meet Doc Eugene Gordon, a drinker and the town surgeon, dentist and barber.
Billy Rise suggests that one way to bring justice to Cooley would be to liberate some money coming in to him via train.
Colonel Cooley gets a regular shipment of cash coming in via Atlantic & Pacific line (the Hollow Rock Route From Yucca to Sanders, AZ (West to East) with many stops in between, including Liberty, AZ. Liberty is between Billings and Navajo Springs). Money goes from Liberty to Dry Gulch via stagecoach as part of a wagon train traveling with US Army for additional protection.
After Kollrath, Louis, Meacham and a relatively sober Doc Gordon confirm Glenn had indeed been poisoned, Kollrath investigate a few leads. But don’t learn much. After some soul-searching, Jack and Louis decide it’s alright to relieve Cooley of his money. They catch the train at Carrizo and then make a plan to rob the train.
At the next stop, Billings, they buy equipment to separate the train cars. This plan takes advantage of Louis’s mechanical ability and Jack’s knowledge of trains. They send two other members of their gang, Shady McCoy and gun-for-hire Jobe Lackamp, to get horses. The plan is to separate the boxcar and caboose from the rest of the train. This is to be done about halfway between Billings and Liberty.
The boys make their way through the bar car, passenger car and viewing car. They get to the coupling between the viewing car and boxcar. Between the cars, the boys find the train to be loud, noisy and fast. As they begin uncoupling the train, Jack spies the back of someone walking down the top of the boxcar. Seems a robbery is already taking place!
Jack climbs the ladder and sees he and Louis are indeed not alone. They’re between two thieves. A gunfight ensues. Bullets whiz by Jack’s head as the train chugs along. Louis is successful in separating the cars. Forcing the thief on the top of the viewing car to make a desperate jump to the boxcar. He sprints and leaps…but fails. Landing close to Louis. He and Louis face off. While Jack has his hands full with a ladder, a pistol and the other thief.
As the boxcar and caboose begin falling away from the rest of the train, the four men fight. Louis shoots his man in the leg. But doesn’t prevent a grapple and then, surprisingly, Louis is thrown off the train. Jack and his thief exchange shots, Jack having the advantage as he shoots twice as fast as the thief. This thief is just as lucky as his associate, though, dealing grievous wounds to Jack. Ignoring these wounds, Jack shoots the man below him.
Things become very touch and go for Jack and Louis. Louis eventually gets back on the train. And with a final shot that finds its mark, kills the man on the platform, sending him off the train. Jack ends up killing his man, too, with a shot that blows a hole in the back of the other thief’s head.
The two men heal themselves. From the top of the railcar, Jack opens the trapdoor (a railcar feature we see in all western movies) and parlays with the lone man guarding a large strongbox. Hearing the gunshots from above earlier, the man (Lloyd Watsbough) accepts Jack’s offer to step away from the strongbox in exchange for his life.
Jack and Louis are met by their friends Shady and Jobe. The money is loaded into saddlebags. And the gang determines their next step…
Dry Gulch Bugle 