Cossack Bandits of

The Crows

Nest

By
PHILIP H. GODSELL

F.R.G.S.

*

During Prohibition Days in Canada, when Fortunes Were Made by Trading

in Illicit Liquor, Three Russian Bandits Staged a Train Robbery to Relieve a

Bootleg King of His Bankroll—Their Plans Fail—The Reader Gets Many

Thrilling Details of Police Work Before the Curtain Is Finally Drawn on
one of the Most Outstanding Dramas of the Crows’ Nest

“SENTINEL .. . SENTINEL SIDING!”
With Conductor Sam Jones close behind
him, Brakeman James T. Hickie swung
down the corridor of Canadian Pacific train
No. 63 as it lurched through the rock-
walled Crows’ Nest Pass. On the three
Herculean cowboy-hatted bandits lounging
in the smoker the call acted like a signal.
Rising without a word, they scattered
through the train.

“Sentin— !” The bark of an automatic
and the splintering crash of mirrors and
woodwork froze the words on Hickie’s lips.
The quiet coach had suddenly been trans-
formed into a pandemonium of roaring
guns, screaming women and wild-eyed men
as the three foreigners herded the astonished
train crew to the rear.

PASSENGER TRAIN: HELD UP

A belligerent lumberjack lurched to his
feet, only to be sent reeling by a blow from
one of the Russian’s automatics. From the
gun leapt a spear of flame, splintering a
mirror and evoking fresh screams of terror
from the women.

While the burly Auloff prodded the train
crew down the corridor and Ackroff cov-
ered the cringing passengers with a couple
of wicked automatics, Bassoff, the third of
the train bandits, went through their clothes,
transferring everything of value to the
capacious pockets of his mackinaw.

Prodding Conductor Jones out to the
rear platform Auloff appropriated his watch
and money. Brakeman Hickie reluctantly
yielded a well filled wallet, while the fact
that Baggageman Joe Staples’ jeans were
empty evoked a threatening growl. Then,
as the train screamed to a halt beside the
Sentinel platform, Ackroff vaulted the rail
and menaced the trainmen with his Mauser.

“Make it start,” ordered the burly Aul-
off. Jones obediently jerked the cord. Then,
as the train commenced to gather speed,
Bassoff and Auloff leapt to the platform of
the flag station, whirled and sent a shower
of bullets splintering into the rear of the
coach before diving into the woods.

The train holdup had been a by-product
of the miscarried plans of the three Coss-
acks. Their object had been to shadow
Emile Picarelo* on his weekly trip to
Crows’ Nest Pass and relieve him of the
wad of money he invariably carried to

SUMMER EDITION

purchase his supply of bootleg whiskey.
They had shadowed Emperor Pic. to the
bank at Lethbridge that morning, saw him
leave with pockets bulging with greenbacks
and boarded the train behind him. Just
over the British Columbia border line at
Fernie he would leave the train to exchange
the money for another consignment of boot-
leg liquor to quench the thirst of the for-
eign-born miners who frequented the broth-

The moment word of the bold train rob-
bery was flashed over the wires from
Fernie, Superintendent Pennyfather of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Commis-
sioner Bryan of the Alberta Provincials,
and Col. D. Y. Macleod of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Police snapped into action,
sending squads of heavily armed officers
hurrying to block all exits from the Pass.
Upon the mining towns of Blairmore,

The rugged Crows’ Nest country, where a train holdup was followed by a tragic gun battle.
—Courtesy Canadian Pacific Railway.

els, wide-open bars and gambling hells he
operated on the Alberta side of the Crows’
Nest. ¢

But the cunning bootleg king of the
Rockies had smelled a rat and slipped
quietly from the train at Blairmore while
they were deep in a game of poker. De
termined not to leave empty-handed, they
decided hastily to stage a train robbery, and
for their pains had cleaned up a paltry four
hundred dollars and a handful of watches,
rings and trinkets.

Frank, Bellevue and Crows’ Nest de-
scended squads of scarlet-coated Mounted
Police and khaki-clad Alberta Provincials,
while every train and string of clattering
boxcars was thoroughly searched by detec-
tives and blue-uniformed C. P. R. police.
Yet, despite the intensity of the search,
and the appearance of dodgers in every
cafe, poolroom and post office offering a
reward for the apprehension of the bandits,

*See “Emperor Pic. and the Girl in a Scarlet Tam” in
the last issue of Tue Stoutper Srrap.

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