With the telegraph only recently established in Park County in 1879, the first arrests were certainly a surprise for some unprepared robbers.   This FLUME article of June 10^th  , 1881 gives a look at the ‘all points’ bulletin of over a century ago.  

“Capturing Horse Thieves 

            Sunday night about nine ‘clock, Sam Blair, the city marshal, received the following telegram: 

                        COMO, CO., June 5^th 1881 

            To Abe Larkin or S. Blair: 

                        Please stop and arrest two men on the way from here, were last seen on  

road between here and top of range, about seven p.m.  One man wore large white hat and red jacket, short, slim, with long black hair and unshaven, rode sorrel bald faced pony.  The other rode a gray mare with harness marks on her.  Can easily meet them on the road before they get in town. 

                                                                                                                CHAS LAVACK 

                Soon after receiving the above message Mr. Blair discovered two men who answered to the description.  One of the men, said to be Jack Moore, entered Scott McLarren’s saloon armed with a Henry rifle and a revolver and called for a drink.   Blair, accompanied by Pat McCarty and George Reeder, accosted the men at the saloon and read the telegram to them.    

They allowed themselves to be disarmed and volunteered to go with their detainers to the telegraph office and show that it was all right.  Just as they reached the South Park telegraph office, Moore jumped upon his horse and started across the  block to Washington avenue.  Blair started in pursuit, firing at him with his revolver, but without effect.  He then tripped and fell, which enabled Moore to make good his escape. 

Brown was taken to the county jail, and stated this morning that he and Moore had been drinking heavily in Como yesterday and that Moore proposed the robbery intending o take the animals to North Park where he is acquainted.  

Moore has been working at R. Spottswood’s stable in Como, and Brown for Lavack for the last three months, on his ranch about three miles from Hamilton.- Breckenridge Journal”