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DENVER TIMES, AUGUST 13, 1876
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SHOCKING WELLS-FARGO STAGECOACH FIASCO!
A Sordid Affair, Betrayal, Murder and Robbery!
Outlaw “Mad Maddy” and Accomplice Wanted!
There’s a new outlaw terrorizing the plains, but this one’s prettier than Jesse James. She goes by the name “Mad Maddy”; she’s a bandit, a seductress, a crack-shot and a killer, and she could still be in the Denver area!
The robbery took place on August 8th, 1876, on the return trip of the Wells-Fargo stagecoach to it’s home branch in Denver, but the tawdry tale began perhaps more than two weeks previous, according to Bank Manager Louis Hutchens. On July 22, a young lady gunslinger by the name of Madisson Maxwell entered the Denver branch of the Wells-Fargo bank and promptly asked to speak to the Bank Manager. After checking her pistols at the door, she was led to Mr. Hutchens’ office where she introduced herself “very pleasantly”, asking to be called Maddy. She told the gentleman that she had overheard that they were in desperate need of stagecoach guards and offered her assistance. He told her of the 10-day journey to several outlying mining towns in which the coach would be picking up payments of gold and silver. Though the position had never officially been posted, Hutchens told the Times that he’d originally thought nothing of it. “She seemed to be a nice young girl out looking for work. I had no reason to suspect otherwise.” He said, “In hindsight, it’s quite obvious that she knew exactly which job she was applying for. She even told me she was going to ‘make the trip exciting’.” He admits now that his decision not to look further into her credentials was a tragic mistake, but due to the time crunch he hadn’t much of a choice; the stage was due to leave Denver in only three days. “When she said it would take a while to present her references, I took her outside so I could see how good of a shot she was. I admit to being impressed at the time. Then again, I thought she would be on our side.” Says an embarrassed Hutchens, who was even more red-faced when we revealed that “Mad Maddy” was also wanted by the Confederacy for stagecoach robbery at the time he hired her.
Aside from the driver and Mr. Hutchens himself, the other members of the team were long-time trusted, loyal and respected guard William Starke, along with returning guard James Miller and his childhood friend, a gambler by the name of Aaron Fowler. Madisson Maxwell was riding shotgun on her own horse and slept in separate shifts, so none of them mingled much on the trail. It was at their first stop that Mr. Miller recalls speaking to her. “Aaron and I were trying to be friendly because we had to work together and rely on each other,” he said, “but it was rather awkward. It seemed that she really was trying to make friends. She said that she was lonely and had nobody to talk to on the trail so we let her join us. Besides, she was very pretty and Aaron had already taken to looking at her.” The ice was broken a bit when cardsharp Fowler was accused of cheating at a game of Poker. Miss Maxwell stood up with he and Miller and the men backed down, he said.
After that, she made a habit of riding past them every morning to make amusing comments about either Mr. Hutchens or Mr. Starke (whom she’d come to call “Stone Face”, referring to his stern demeanor). The two came to look forward to her morning tirades, but it wasn’t until their last stop in Pawnee Rock that she had cemented herself into their ranks.
Miller recalls that on the first night in town, Miss Maxwell had asked Mr. Fowler to stay at the Sheriff’s office with her while she collected on a bounty. “I overheard her offer to buy him a drink if he stayed with her.” He said. Later that evening, the three sat around a table and watched him play cards. Once the saloon had emptied out, she moved close to Fowler and began to ask what in hindsight seem like suspicious questions. “It didn’t come off too odd at the time.“ Miller said, “I figured she was just musing and there was no harm.” Maybe then that’s how it came across, but as he explained what she said to us, her intentions seemed very apparent. “She asked him how much money he thought we had collected and what a person could do with that amount.” He said, “She brought up that he was a gambler, and something about three-to-one odds. I found that to be a strange question, but she wasn’t exactly talking to me. When Aaron asked her to elaborate, she replied by asking if he was married. When he said he was not, she asked to speak with him privately.” Miller took that as a hint that they wanted to be alone, so he went to bed. He noted that Mr. Fowler did not sleep in his room that evening, but in hers. That was presumably the beginning of an indecent partnership between the two. It can further be supposed that that was when they began conspiring to rob the coach together.
From that night on the two were rarely apart, spending both days and nights in each other’s company. When Jim next saw his friend she was at his side, referring to herself as his “Lady Luck”. “He became a bit distant and cagey.” Mr. Miller said, “At first I figured it was because he had a girl, but it didn’t take too long to seem like he was up to something more. He began saying that he had something ‘in the works’, but he wouldn’t explain. I guess now I know what he meant by that.” Aaron Fowler had always been somewhat of a troublemaker and rather irresponsible, his friend recalls, but until the heist he had never committed a crime. James had helped him acquire the job of Stage Guard as a means of responsible work, but now he fears that it was a mistake and that meeting “Mad Maddy” was the worst possible thing for him. “I suppose I should have known to worry when he took a liking to her, being as impulsive as she was and having a very open reverence for the James Gang. I just figured she’d keep him busy and out of trouble.” Instead of keeping him out of trouble however, she encouraged him down the path of villainy, or as Miller added, “He may not have been a criminal at the time, but he’s had occasions where he’d get tempted. No doubt he didn’t need much of a push to go over that edge. He’s no dupe, though. I think he knew exactly what he was getting into with her.”
Mr. Hutchens admitted to being shocked about Fowler’s betrayal as well, “Mr. Miller has been a reliable and responsible guard. When he suggested his friend, I was delighted. I had no idea that his friend was such a questionable character.” When asked about the affair between the two guards, he denied any knowledge. “I saw to it that Madisson had a separate room from the men. Had I known that that kind of lewd behavior was going on, I certainly would have dismissed them both at once. As it is, I’m disgusted by the entire situation.”
During the Battle of Pawnee Rock (see page 10) Madisson Maxwell, Aaron Fowler and Jim Miller joined forces to protect the town from a deadly clash between Union and Confederate soldiers. The town was practically decimated and Miller was badly wounded, so the coach left with one less guard to defend against the bandits.
On August 8th, the group stopped to rest for the night. As usual, the seasoned guard, Mr. Starke, and Miss Maxwell took second watch together. Nobody truly knows what happened next, but Mr. Hutchens recalls waking to the sound of an exchange of shots followed by a man’s commanding yells. Next thing he knew, the stage door flew open, revealing a pistol-packing Madisson. According to Hutchens, she thanked him for his generosity and hospitality before demanding that he remove his clothes, which he reluctantly did at gunpoint. He was then forced out of the stage and watched in horror as she and Mr. Fowler revealed their treachery with a kiss and rode off with the coach. Cold and bewildered, Mr. Hutchens made his way to the campfire where he found the driver tied up and equally as undressed, and the corpse of the long-time loyal guard where it lie riddled with bullets. “Starke will be missed. He was a trust worthy man and an excellent shot. He was our best.” Hutchens remembers, “That being said, it is only a testament to how dangerous and despicable this woman really is.”
It took the two survivors four more days to arrive in Denver, and when Mr. Hutchens arrived back at his office after the ordeal, he found an envelope from her waiting on his desk. Inside, she’d included a signed photograph with a note thanking him again for his generosity. “I’ve never been so humiliated in all my life!” The Bank Manager exclaimed after sharing the photo, and followed his outburst with a promise to do all he possibly could to see to it that she and her accomplice are brought to justice.
In the end, the bandits made off with what Wells-Fargo estimates to have been well over $15,000 in gold and silver bullion. “Mad Maddy” and Aaron Fowler are wanted for four counts of horse theft, one count of murder, and one count of stagecoach robbery. Wells-Fargo and Co. and the State of Colorado are offering a $500 Reward a piece for their capture and conviction, as well as $1500 for the return of the stolen money.
Madisson Maxwell a.k.a. “Mad Maddy” is a Half-Breed; Indian in build with waist-length black hair, but fair in complexion with blue eyes. According to all sources, she always wears a red feather in her hair. She is in her late teens or early 20s, approximately 5’5 and 125 lbs. Her horse is black with white speckles and goes by the name “Stardust”. She was last seen in Denver on August 10th, unaccompanied by Mr. Fowler, & her whereabouts are now unknown.
Aaron Fowler is Caucasian with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes. He’s known to wear a well-trimmed moustache and goatee. He is 24 years of age, approximately 5’10 and 170 lbs. He was last seen at the time of the robbery, about one day’s ride outside of Denver. His whereabouts are also unknown.
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