Dutch and his group saw Sheriff Malloy from a distance, still standing outside the Valentine Police Station, smoking a cigarette.
"Oh ho ho ho, Mr. Malloy certainly has good taste," Dutch said with a smile as he walked over.
Hearing Dutch's voice, Sheriff Malloy quickly turned his head.
Seeing it was Dutch, he immediately threw down the cigarette in his hand, then quickly jogged over with a fawning smile.
"Oh, it's Mr. Arthur! Mr. Arthur, have a smoke, Mr. Hosea, you too, Mr. John, you too!" The sheriff jogged up, quickly pulling out his cigarettes from his pocket and offering them to Dutch, Arthur, and Hosea.
He even pulled out matches from his pocket to respectfully light them for the three of them.
"Oh, Mr. Arthur, I haven't seen you in a while. I've recently acquired a batch of moonshine; I'll arrange a carriage to send it over to you later. Come on, Mr. Arthur, come into the police station and rest for a bit! Jack! What are you waiting for? Get over here and serve tea to Mr. Arthur and the others!" Sheriff Malloy's compliments grew as he looked at Dutch's elegant clothing, his face smiling as brightly as a chrysanthemum.
"Oh, moonshine? Hahaha, then thank you very much, Sheriff Malloy! I went to Saint Denis these past two days and discussed some matters regarding the opening of the clothing store with the ladies of the Heidi Family, the Lemieux Family, and the Wicklow Family. You know, with the support of their three families for my clothing store, it's only right to inform them."
Dutch chuckled as he followed Sheriff Malloy into the police station.
Hearing Dutch's words, Sheriff Malloy's already bent back became even more so, and the fawning smile on his face grew even wider.
"Oh, I see, Mr. Arthur must be exhausted, come, come, please sit!" Sheriff Malloy quickly pulled out the chair from behind his desk, respectfully placed it behind Dutch, and helped him sit down.
Dutch smiled, extinguished the cigarette he had just lit, then looked at Sheriff Malloy and chuckled, "Not too tired, Mr. Malloy. When I returned from Saint Denis this time, those three ladies sent me a lot of tobacco and alcohol. Mr. Malloy is my friend, so of course, I must send you a portion.
Hosea!"
Dutch called out to Arthur, and Arthur, understanding, handed over a carton of high-grade cigarettes and two bottles of exquisitely packaged high-grade fine wine that he was holding.
"Oh ho ho! This is too precious, Mr. Arthur!" Sheriff Malloy looked at the exquisitely packaged, extremely high-grade cigarettes and fine wine that Arthur handed him, items he had never seen before, and was so happy he could barely close his mouth.
He even felt a sense of honor welling up within him.
These are cigarettes from a big shot! These are cigarettes from a big shot! A big shot whom even the families of Saint Denis curry favor with, actually came specifically to give me cigarettes! And acknowledged our friendship!
Sheriff Malloy looked at the high-grade tobacco and alcohol in his hand, almost overheating with excitement.
The packaging of these high-grade cigarettes was exceptionally exquisite; the box was actually made of wood, lined with golden brocade, and the carvings on the box were delicate and beautiful. The box alone was a high-end work of art!
The wine's packaging was even more exquisite; the heavy wooden box looked substantial, and it was even adorned with a layer of gold dust to embellish the carvings.
Where would a small officer like Malloy have seen such high-end items? His eyes were practically glued to them!
He even held them carefully, afraid of damaging these precious treasures.
Dutch was very satisfied with his reaction, and only then did he state his request.
"Mr. Malloy, Miss An from Saint Denis has arranged a train for me to transport goods free of charge, but as you know, Hope Happiness Ranch is a bit far from Valentine. It will take a long time to transport these goods back, and it requires repeated trips. I'm afraid the O'Driscoll Gang or some other gang might pose a threat to my transport team along the way, so I was wondering if it would be possible..."
Before Dutch could finish speaking, Sheriff Malloy suddenly stood up, his face full of serious expression.
"Sh*t! Mr. Arthur, your goods cannot suffer any losses! A great businessman like you absolutely cannot be harmed! These damn gangs, these damn bastards, oh, Mr. Arthur, they will definitely try to seize your goods at the first opportunity!
Sh*t! Jack! Jack! Call the deputy sheriff, gather thirty of our Valentine officers, and get to the train station immediately to escort Mr. Arthur's goods!!!"
Sheriff Malloy's face was solemn, and he looked like a drawn blade, full of murderous intent.
Dutch also stood up solemnly, extended his hand, and shook Sheriff Malloy's hand, saying, "Thank you for your help, Sheriff."
"Nonono, Mr. Arthur, it should be me thanking you for your trust in the Valentine Police Station!"
Dutch and his group emerged from the police station, led personally by Sheriff Malloy, with thirty officers on horseback carrying various rifles, patrolling around the train station, awaiting the escort of the goods.
But this was still not enough.
Each sewing machine cost one hundred dollars, totaling one hundred machines for ten thousand dollars. Even sold on the black market, each would fetch eighty dollars. This amount of money was completely sufficient for the O'Driscoll Gang to mobilize on a larger scale.
Even the Van der Linde Gang, if they hadn't changed their ways at this point, wouldn't have let such a large influx of funds and goods go unnoticed.
Therefore, necessary security measures were inevitable.
Not only were thirty officers responsible for the escort, but twenty gunmen recruited into the gang's camp also followed with their guns. At the same time, some of the newly recruited female workers had husbands with good marksmanship, and they were also given jobs and slots as gunmen, and provided with a rifle to help transport the goods.
Furthermore, the Van der Linde Gang personally led the escort, with Arthur John and David overseeing the rear, ensuring the smooth progress of the transport.
The total number of escort personnel had reached eighty to ninety people. An escort team of this scale undoubtedly revealed the power of the owner of these goods.
At the very least, the small gangs and factions within Valentine dared not entertain any ideas.
And the O'Driscoll Gang might have received the news as well, but ultimately they did not show up.
It took a full day of extensive transportation to finally deliver all one hundred sewing machines back to Hope Happiness Ranch.
Five large sheds were enough to fully house all one hundred sewing machines and ensure the female workers had ample space to start work.
"Arthur, go give each of those officers a one-dollar tip, son. People will only rush to help you if there's profit to be made. If there's no gain every time, even if they help you out of respect for your status, they'll only go through the motions."
Dutch instructed Arthur.
"Okay, Dutch." Arthur nodded, then took the money bag Strauss handed him and walked towards the group of officers resting outside.
"Ms. Grimshaw, please take our ladies to arrange accommodation for all the female workers and register them. Their meals will still be the responsibility of those gunmen's wives. Oh, Pearson, Uncle, and a few ladies, you all should take charge of purchasing supplies for now, especially you, Ms. Sadie, pull yourself together, you still have revenge to seek, lady!"
Dutch spoke up.
"Okay, Dutch!" Ms. Grimshaw led the women of the gang towards the accommodation.