then, with his black eyes dancing and a broad smile curling his
mustache around the dimple in each cheek, he went to the telegraph
office and sent to Thomson Tuttle a telegram which read:

"Get off the train to-morrow at Escondida and ride to Bosque Grande,
where you will find Missouri Bill with horses and instructions."
Escondida was the first station on the railroad north of Las Plumas
and the Bosque Grande was a river flat, covered with a dense growth of
cottonwoods and willow bushes through which the railroad ran, about
midway between the two towns. Missouri Bill was one of Mead's cow-boys
who had come in with the herd of cattle.

When it became known that Emerson Mead was to be taken to the
Silverado county jail to await the session of the grand jury and that
the Democrats would not object to the scheme, the war feeling at once
began to abate. The town still rested on its arms and glared across
Main street, each party from its own side. There was no more talk of
extreme measures and there were no more threats of blood letting. So
things went on for a few hours, until the matter of Mead's transfer to
the Silverado jail was finally settled. Then all the town looked on
while Judge Harlin strolled leisurely across the street, nodded to
Colonel Whittaker and Sheriff Daniels, and the three men went into
the White Horse saloon and clinked glasses together over the bar. A
little later Jim Halliday went to the Palmleaf and he and Joe Davis
joined in a friendly "here's luck." After which all the town put away
its guns and went quietly about its usual affairs.

The Republicans frankly gave out that Emerson Mead would be taken away
on the north bound overland train, which passed through Las Plumas in
the middle of the day. Nick Ellhorn decided that this was told too
openly to be true. He guessed that the journey would be made on a
"local" train which passed through the town in the early morning and
that Sheriff Daniels hoped, by thus secretly carrying off his
prisoner, to forestall any possible attempt at a rescue. Accordingly,
he sent another telegram to Tuttle to be in the Bosque Grande for this
train and started off Missouri Bill with two extra horses before
daybreak on the second morning after the fight.

With Sheriff Daniels beside him and Jim Halliday walking close behind,
Emerson Mead stepped into the rear coach of the "local" train with
none to witness his departure other than the handful of regular
travelers, and