A Hot Stash

A savvy messenger put the loot in the stove.

On the evening of April 27th, 1887, the Sunset Express was making its run toward Tucson when a man appeared waving a red lantern. Shots peppered the boiler with holes. Two masked men stepped out and ordered the crew down from the engine.

 The Wells Fargo messenger, sensing a holdup, removed several thousand dollars from the safe and stuffed it into the cold pot-bellied stove. The robbers climbed in and found only a few scattered dollars lying on the floor. They gathered in their meager haul, separated the engine from the rest of the train, and headed for Tucson.