The Great K. & A. Robbery

In this lively first‑person tale, a seasoned railroad superintendent sets out to separate fact from folklore about the infamous Kansas & Arizona train robbery. He confesses that countless versions of the event have twisted the truth, and he intends to give listeners the story as he actually lived it. The narrator’s tone is witty and self‑deprecating, hinting at his colorful past while promising an honest account of the chaos that followed.

He traces his path from a football star at Yale to an engineering graduate at the Sheffield Scientific School, then quickly up the ranks of the railroad industry, eventually overseeing the K.&A. line from Kansas to Arizona. Stationed in Albuquerque, he receives a telegram announcing the arrival of a powerful rival’s vice‑president and his family, who plan to attend the annual election at Ash Forks and tour the Grand Canyon. This seemingly routine summons becomes the catalyst for the drama that will soon erupt on the desert tracks.