Gentlemen of Fashion Riding for Free
Waldo Emerson and Ross Fishbaugh, like Kansas Charley, were headed west. Like Charley, they also hopped a free ride on a train. Initially, they had paid for railroad tickets on a train that took them as far as Grand Island, halfway across Nebraska. Dutifully, they sent post cards home. One card mentioned that they had met another young fellow who was headed west. It did not mention that this younger fellow, Charley Miller/Kansas Charley, was also doing his train traveling free of charge.
A Hobo Camp and a Day at the Fair
As Waldo Emerson and Ross Fishbaugh sped through the days and nights secreted in a Union Pacific boxcar they made at least one stop at Julesburg, which was on the Union Pacific's westward route. In Julesburg, for some unknown reason, they spent the night in a hobo camp. There they met Charley Miller, who was now calling himself Kansas Charley. The following morning, all three boarded the same freight train. It was headed west for Sidney, Nebraska, and then Wyoming.
No Ticket to Ride
It was in Sidney that William Carley, a brakeman for the Union Pacific, discovered the three young men and kicked them off his train on September 26, 1890. Carley later recalled seeing one of the boys brandishing a pistol as they trudged down the tracks back towards Sidney. He also remembered that Ross Fishbaugh had been belligerent about getting off the train and had even attempted to bribe the brakeman in an attempt to stay on the train.
A Day at the Fair
In Sidney the county fair was in full swing. The afternoon wasn't too far along before Waldo Emerson and Ross Fishbaugh, well-dressed in contrast to Kansas Charlie's dirty and disheveled clothing, were wrangling an unsuccessful way of getting rid of Charley.
Deep in the night Kansas Charley, Waldo Emerson, and Ross Fishbaugh slept secure in another boxcar as the train sped westward. This Union Pacific train had left Sidney, Nebraska late in the evening and was headed for Wyoming.
The Measure of Untrue Friends
Some three-quarters of a mile across the state line the train stopped at Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. There Charley and his friends were seen creeping out of their boxcar and stretching their legs. However, it seems that only Emerson and Fishbaugh ventured outward to find something to eat: this fact was later revealed by Amanda Kauffman, the proprietor of a local Pine Bluffs' eatery. Kauffman noted that it had been about 6 A.M. when Waldo and Ross entered her establishment and quickly wolfed down a hearty breakfast each. Neither of them had thought to bring something back for Charley to eat.
Kansas Charley, while his companions filled their stomachs, waited hungry and alone in the boxcar until his friends returned and the train was once more on its way at 8 A.M.
A Deadly Slumber
Between Pine Bluffs and the next stop Emerson and Fishbaugh slept soundly. Before settling down to sleep, they had removed their shoes, their cardboard collars, and their cuff links. They had made a neat pile of their belongings. Beside it rested a whiskey bottle that held enough for several stiff, and possibly deadly, drinks. That is, deadly when consumed by a starving boy who had now had nothing to eat for nearly twenty-four hours. Not deadly to himself, perhaps, but possibly deadly to two other young men.
A Deadly Double Deed is Done
As the train sped on towards Hillsdale, Wyoming Charley lifted the whiskey bottle and, on a very empty stomach, began to drink. What happened next, Kansas Charley later could never entirely explain.
Kansas Charley, with pistol in hand, climbed over railroad ties to where Emerson and Fishbaugh lay sleeping. At close range, he shot Waldo in the head, through his right temple. The sound of the shot caused Ross to stir and Charley turned and shot him, almost in the exact location that Waldo had received a deadly bullet.
Ill-Gotten Gains Gathered
Charley then went through the two young men's pockets. Charley only went through Emerson and Fishbaugh's pants pockets. He entirely failed to check the pockets of their coats. From Waldo, he gained a knife and a silver pocket watch. From Ross, who was still alive though barely, Charley took forty-five dollars in paper money, two silver dollars, a knife, and the .38 revolver the young man had been flashing about back in Sidney, Nebraska. The pistol taken from Ross was far superior to the one Charley possessed, therefore Kansas Charley left the actual murder weapon tucked beneath Emerson's lifeless body.
Murder on the Union Pacific continues with Kansas Charley A Deadly Outlaw.
Previous: Kansas Charley Becomes the Victim A Disaster for Charley Begins in St. Joseph.
