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Marshall Trimble is joining us here for special edition of Mysteries of the Superstition Mountains
we are going to take you out and about
in other areas of the this great state take it away Marshall
They went that-A-way... Burt Alvord
was the constable of Wilcox Arizona
in the late 1890's
and Burt had been a former Deputy for John Slaughter
when John Slaughter had been the Sheriff for Cochice County
and Slaughter pronounced him fearless
his fovorite hobbies were
Guns, and horses
and practical jokes and...
Beer
[laughter]
and just having a good time. but he was...
not the sharpest knife in the drawer
even he would admit that. in fact that is how he thought he could pull this robbery
ah! they will know...
they will not I am not smart enough to do that
but he was pretty clever
as is shown in this...
He concocted a plan with his friends
Bill Downing and Billy Stiles
and they were going to.. Matt Burts was there too
they were going to
pull a robbery here in
Rob the Train
while they were playing poker
here is how they were going to do it
they bribed the porter
at Sctener Saloon
and they were going to be in the back room
and the porter was supposed to
bring them some drinks on a tray and ah..
every so often.. pour the drinks out
of course while they were gone and they...
and he would go back in and everybody he would say
those boys are sure are drinking the boos tonight
and they do not want to be bothered
they are in s serious poker game and they do not want anybody to bothering them
so don't anybody go in there.
that is what he was bribed to tell.. to say
and mean while the boys had
gone out the window
got on there horses
and rode out to
there is a sharp incline out west of
Wilcox a few miles as it goes up to Cochise...
Cochise Station and..
So they that's were the train had to go real slow
so they....
they put there horses a couple miles ahead
Back down the tracks and when the train was going real slow
Burt and Billy jumped on
and
stick a pistol in the engineers face
and told them to stop the train
and they were going to separate the messenger car
the Wellsfargo car
from the passenger cars
and the mail car, so they did that
and they left the passengers setting down here
and went on up and got the engineer
to go up about two miles were bill Downing was waiting for them
and...they
they broke into the safe
they did not have to anything... blow it up
or anything they just. and the express guy
had jumped out and skipped
out when he saw they were being robbed
he went back down the track to the passengers and they broke in
there and got the money
it wasn't much
it is interesting they got about maybe two thousand dollars
2 or 3 thousand dollars
Wells Fargo was always reluctant to talk about how much was taken
they didn't want to advertise
it would be a target of opportunity for other outlaws
and so
it's funny because as the stories of this robbery
were told to this day
it's now 40..50 thousand dollars
that's how these things grow
and so anyway they got the money
they came back into town
stashed the money
god only knows were
Burt toke it he says. I don't want you guys
spending money around town
anyone who comes around Wilcox spending money that doses not usually have money
they are immediate
suspect and we do not want to arouse that
so he toke the money
and he stashed it I do not know where he put it
I often thought he went to the baseball field and dug up home plate
and put it down there and covered it up nobody would...think
the stash was under home plate
If I ever rob a train that is what I am going to do
I am going to the nearest ball park
[laughter]
and anyway
they went back and set down at the table
in the mean time
the train backs in
to Wilcox and they are looking
for ah hum
the Marshal
for old Burt
and Burt Alvord
by the way Dr Seal
who was one of my mentors
and Southwest Historian and he said
the reason Burt Alvord is not better known is he was so ugly
he was bald headed
so I later wrote a
story about him called the bald headed fox of old Wilcox
but any how
that is why he is not better known
anyway they are sitting there
the engineer said were is the
Marshal? he is back there playing poker
he does not want to be disturbed. well I am going to disturb him
we been robbed so he opens up the door
they the boys are causally playing poker
[laughter]
trying to keep a poker face
and
so
he said the train has been robbed
old Burt says Oh My God!
great Scott! we have to raise a posse
you and you he points to Billy Stiles
and Bill Downing and he Deputizes
the two other robbers
[laughter]
they get on there horses and says
we will run those outlaws down we will get those Scally wags and off he goes
he comes back the next day oh they got away
and suspicions are aroused
because people are naturally suspicious
it was too... where were Burt?
and the two Billy?
during this whole thing and Burt would just always say
you guys all know I am not smart enough to do that
and hum... and they just kind of brushed it off
but they are king of getting a little suspicious
but nobody can do anything
Burt believes that they have actually gotten away with it
Fast forward to February the 14 th
this was in late
1899
and February the 14th another part of Bills gang
Burt's gang I mean
and went out and pulled a robbery
at Fairbank that is between Bennison and Tombstone
and so this time it is
it was Matt Burt that was with them
three finger Jack Dunlap
love these names and Bravo1
and the Owens brothers
and they are on the deck
on the platform at the depot
pretending to be drunk cowboys
and making fools of themselves acting drunk. well
they em
the Train is coming in. now they have arranged
Billy Stilles is part of the planning here
they know
They wanted to make sure that a guy named Jeff Milton
former Texas Ranger
known as a good man with a gun
was the Wells Fargo Messenger
so the train was coming up from Nogalez
so they get on the phone and call
and make sure that
Milton.. Jeff Milton is not
on the train.. they are assured
he is not so well it
turns out at the last minute Milton had to be a replacement
the other guy could not make it. the other messenger so
Milton is on that train
and come rolling into fairbank
and the door to the express car is wide open
Milton is standing in the door way
nobody is expect anything to happen at a train station
with all the people around. but immediately
the train pulls in and these cowboys
sober up and draw their duns
and start shooting and they shoot Milton
right in a severs an artery
in his shoulder and it was permanent injury
Milton falls over a trunk
and they think he is dead
so they start charging in
into the express car and
Milton comes up with a ten gauge saw off wells Fargo shot gun
he just raises up
out of that from behind that trunk
as badly wounded as he is and he fires
and Bravo1 see it
he the first to see the shot gun and he spins around
and he has to take a load of buck shot right were.
a cowboy riding on horse does not want to tale a load of buck shot
there is a lot better place to be shot
the other barrell went into three finger
Jack
and it got him right in the mid section
and it was mortal wound
the boy get away they just take off
there is no money no nothing
and posse is formed and they go into pro suite
well they get out on the trail a little ways
and three finger Jack was holing them up
and they know he is going to die
jack you are done for you are holding us up
we can't take you. we can't keep you we got to
just wait here and so
I do not think Three finger Jack liked that very much being left by his buddies but...
he is lying there by the trail
and the others ride off
and here comes the posse. and there is Three Finger Jack
waving all three finger and says
Boys have I got a story to tell you and he spilled the beans
on the whole thing on the first robbery
They went that-A-way robbery
and this one the Fairbanks train robbery
got them on that one
he just told them the whole gang
including the leader Burt
Burt Alvord so..
Burt's Goose is cooked and they are all arrested
Three Finger Jack is Dead Bravo1 they are all caught
and they take them to the Tombstone jail
and Billy Stilles decides to
to be a rat, you know a stool Pigeon
and he confesses
to the whole thing
he verifies
that were all members of the gang
to the law so.. so now
Billy is released
he is running around and now..
these are crazy things
who could explain Billy Stilles walks into
the Tombstone jail one day
and he pulls a gun
on the jailer and he releases everybody but
Bill Downing
No body liked Bill Downing not even the other outlaws
he was surly, mean
and he will get his later on the streets of Wilcox
but that is another story but anyway
they leave Bill Downing in jail cussing him out
they take off and head to Mexico
so eventually the helped the Arizona Rangers
Burt Mossman Capture the Famous Mexican outlaw
Augustine Chicone
who had slain another lawman Pablo Solito up in Clifton
he was wanted for murder but he escaped
that escape is funny too
there are more loose ends to this story
he had..Chicone is very good looking
they called him Peludo
the Hairy one
he had a girl friend in every town
and he had one in Clifton and so
she comes to see him and she brings him a bible
and the jailers of course
think that is fine let Chicone get some region before we hang him
and there was a file in the spine
of the bible so Chicone
he is working on the
[laughter]
these crazy stories
there is a Mariachi band locked up in jail
and why they are there
being off key or something, but anyway they were locked up
in the jail so they start playing
an old scratchy fiddle
and start playing Mariachi music and uh
and Augustine Chicone is sawing the bars
and he gets them almost saw through
but when he is going to make his break. he has his girl friend come back
and flirt with the jailer
more than flirt she invites him on a moon lite stoll
she is such a beautiful woman
the jailer can not help himself
he goes out for a moon lite walk with her
and ..
I well not go into what her probably did to hold his attention but..
while there gone Chicone breaks out
and breaks jail and heads for Mexico
so he is in Mexico and Burt Mossman
he is terming out as the Captain of the Arizona Rangers
and he wants just one chance
one chance for one big catch
before he leaves office and that is to catch Chicone
because he had killed a lawman Pablo Solito
so they want to bring him in
he works a deal he knows
that Billy Stills and Burt Alvord
are in Mexico
probably in the same area were Chicone is
Chicone is kind of a Robin Hood because he does all of his stealing up in Arizona
so down in Mexico
they just leave him alone
but he is a very careful man thought
some how or other Chicone
Mossman is introduced to him
by Burt and Billy and so
they are in on the deal
Mossman is going to speak on their behalf
and lessen there jail terms
when they come back
they want to come back to Arizona
so they are willing to
betray Chicone now and they do
Mossman and Chicone
gains his trust
we are going to go up and steal some horses
at the green cattle company
at San Rafael Valley so
Chicone buys into it because
Green had some really great horses and
he agrees to go long with it will
Chicone never take his hand off
the butt of his pistal when Mossman is around
Mossman has to figure out how am I going to get this guy
distracted long enough to pull my gun
so early one morning
and they are having coffee. Mossman rolls a cigarette
and then he hands it to
Chicsone and offers to light it
so while he is lighting it
Chicone's hands come up
to light the cigarette
that is the break Mossman wanted
he pulls his pistol you are under arrest Arizona Ranger
[Laughter]
Chicone must have cussed him out in three languages
but he is had
and Mossman bring him across the border
it caused a furrier in
Washington and Mexico City because
because he had come into Mexico illegally
and illegally taken a Mexican Citizen
but um but my this time Col Green
who appreciated Mossman service
with the Rangers he has put him up in New York City
he is living high off the hog in New York City
and he says catch me if you can
so it all blow over
so in 1902 they did hang Chicone
but he know how to go out like a man
he comes out there and all the girls
that loved him were there to see him hang
all of his friends were there
he was very popular guy and handsome guy
he was kind of like a Movie Star
only he was a deadly killer
Mossman waves to him
and looks out at the crowd and says adios todos amigos time to hang
[laughter]
that is pretty much the end of the story but Burt
comes back they get a little jail term and get it done
then Burt
we never know were the money went because
Burt wound up in the Panama canal
area and he died of a
some jungle disease
and that was the end of Burt Alvord
that is a long long story but
there you have another special edition
right here at Mysteries of the Superstiton Mountains were we toke you out of the Mountains
into some of the other areas to explore
the Mysteries
of Arizona see you next time
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