The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-05-04
Tho duerrillas in Iowa!
Too IF the Western Stage Co.'S Coaches
Mails and Passengers Robbed, Nine
Miles Wtst Of Centerrille, Appa.
moose County, on Saturday,
hpril 10th, 1865.

\
We are indebted to Mr.. FL. Leach,
driver in the employment Of the Western
Stage Company. for an secount Of one Of the
most daring and successful robberies that
we ever heard Of. Mr.. Leach was driving
from Cory don to Cen,erville. At Corydon
1--WE passeng RS, one Of them n citizen, four
Of them strangers. go, aboard the coach.
paying their fare, two of them to Promise
City, the first station out, and two to Cen
terville. At Promise City two more stran.
gers got aboard and the two who had paid
to that place continued on. making six pas.
| s-ngers, one riding on the outside anil the
Others inside. The citizen left Mt Pro Mise
Just as the coach or hack was winding on to
the bridge at Walnut Greek. Q miles west
of Centerville, the passenger on the box
suddenly presented a revolver to the left
breast Of the driver, exc'aiming: "Hold on!
turn out here, Cd d-n you! You have
gone far enough. You are in the hands Of
the rehe's now! will put hole right
through you If you don't stopl' Looking
around the driver saw the inside passen.
gers looking ont Of the window, each one
holding revolver in his hand OF course
| there Was no alternative but to submit, and
side Of the road. Tho six passengers in.
stsntlv jur ped off and out Of the coach
and ordering the driver to keep bis seat, pro-
ceeded to unhi,ch the horses End tie them
to the stage and to trees near by. They
then took out the mail sacks ripped them
open with knives, and deliberately exam
ined Il c contents, putting most of the pack
| ages containing more than one letter in their
pockets, tearing single letters spen and an.
propriating money found, so far as TIE dri-
yer could judge. He saw them take some
money from letters. Esq.,. .-...
While thus employed. wagon was heard
approaching from the direction of Center
vile. Four OF the robbers arted over the
bridge, met the team, which proved to be-
long to Mr.. A. Sayger, of Promise CITY.
no with his son, young man of about 90,
was returning from Centerville with two
horse wagon. The robbers met them, fetched
them over the bridge, unhitched their horses.
embarrassed them, and then demanded of
Mr.. S. ard his son their money. The old
gentleman had no money. The young man
hod $50; they took $25 and handed him
back SIS. ..-... ...... ...
After this they waited about twenty min.
utes for the western bound stage to come up.
When they heard it coming. four of the
party went out and met it, took possession
and piloted it over the bridge to the place
where The other coach was, and went thro'
the same process of unharness ing the horses
and robbing the mails as they had done with
the other coach, occupying in doing so about
half an hour When this was all done, they
selected six Of the best horses, three ont Of
each team, mounted them and rode off to
ward Promise City, exclaiming, as they LEFT,
Coon evening, gentlemen .s-
1t was now after sunset. The two drivers
made up team of the two horses, and
drove into Centervie. the other passengers
went on west with Mr.. Sayger The next
morning party from Ccnterville went out
and gathered up the broken letters, express
matter, &c. They heard Of the robbers
some distance from the scene of the robbery.
on the road to Promise City. They robbed
two houses, taking a saddle from each.-
This is the last that had been heard from
them up to the time the drivea left Center.
vile Tor Ottumwa. ~. ..w .. .n
The agent Of the Western Stage Compa-
ny. George Pratt. offers reward of $25 for
each horse, and $50 for the arrest of each
Of the robbers. The following is descrip-
ton of the robbers as given by the driver:
and shingled short, dark clothes, gaiter
shoes, and cloth or cashmere hat. Anoth-
er, medium sized man, rather heavy built.
very red face, bad a very light goatee, hair
light colored, had on broad trimmed white
hat, and ovsrccat Of heavy corded goods,
made the style of soldiers overcoats. with
large black buttons, and gaiter shoes. An
other tall and rather heavy built man, dark
complexion and dark whskers and nous
tache. had on citizens dress, black over
coat and a black hat; when he had his hat
off his hair stands up busby in front. An
other, medium sized man, has no whiskers,
hair dark but not black, had on green and
black barred pants and black hat. Another
rather small man, blue eyes. light hair, curly
and rather bushy, had on light colored nat.
The other man cannot be described. ~
The horses are described As follows: Two
roan horses, one about 10 or IL and the
other about 7 or ears old, the latter had
the hair rubbed off his hlps by the breech.
ing. One white horse about I years old.
One light gray about years old. Two bays
one has star in the forehead, and light
hind foot, and the other has sore or weak
eyes, and bis near hind foot at the gambrel
joint is swollen. " .
| ....- r..... New York. May 2.
! The steamer Scotia from Liverpool, 22d,
Queenstown 23d, has arrived, bringing Liv-
! erpool dates OF the 23d .....r........-. a.
| Cotton buoyant, adyanc, I'D, and in