The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-23
SINGULAR TRAOEpY oN INE PLAINS.
Attempt tO Murde Ihe Passengers Of AN
overland StUge--r rne AssassIn and one
Passengers Kiiled Aod TwO Wounded.

item, copied from an Avchson (Kansasl paper, in
relation 20 uaeedy on Q Plans, tho sum OF which
is given IN the caption OF tnis article b, the arri.
va OF several oil tue participants, VINO reacned tbe
full parcu ars The affair S' ia sinGuar Snd dos
perate be> ond any II has ever been our lot to
The Overland Mail age on the Donver City and
Atchson route leat the former place the 1lt nst
Will hVe passengers, name VI. Dudeshslmer of
Sal l-lLlaj Augustus Stetz, Of st. Louis; e. Kim.
pail, o. Central CITY, TO orado; w. w. Barlow, OF
DehYer and ole Frederick Henshid, the last beinga
Oerh an VINO spoAe EnglIsn we'll, but whose proper
phce VI hboue cOuiu no, Oe ascertalned. TO one OF
the passengers he assumed 10 be merchSnt route
10 St. LOUIS 70 tuY goods; to another h. asserted
thar lac was under a charge at Denver If
having stolen several head of cattle some
where IN GO GRADE, and that ne was on tue way
10 AlcLlson 20 procure testimony that wou d
demos late his innocence OF the charge. Az juno
ton o'aion, ON the night alter starting, two r9Ore
persons took tie coach, Lewis a. Rice and Robot
bOl d, who were originally from the STATE of New
YorS, bul who hao owned and occupied rauch in
Color odo slnce 1859. At five O'Clock on Monday the
18th lns ant, Mr. McCau from about Chicago, but
who has been IN Government employment as Master
OF The Forage department at Fort Laramie, also be.
can't Ia senger Wnre at JuesburR, 1t became
apparent that Mr. Barrow q deputy u. s Mar.
sUal lie conferred with the officers at the garrison
there, forwarded some lelegraphic dispatches TO
other mil tary stations, and announced that he was
in pursuit oI criminal, whose arrest he hoped
nous passenger, HeDsmd became very uneasy.
He enuobed 10 one OF two OF the passengers
that ne Marshal intended TO arrest him, and
nqmr II ,hey did not think so TOO. This suspi
con Increased III hls miu hourly ana he regarded
wlihsiandIng the efforts OF those TO whom he spoke
to Ieassure him. Barlow himself at last told HIM to
be at his case, 'hat he hau no warrant and no accu
sstIOh 0gaIL st nlm, and that if he had ever done
aLyth M wrong be was under no obligation TO
crlmlLate h mset by a lreseni confession: Hen
shtld however, continued TO talk in riddles, aud
worry the passengers w maniiesting to them his
fear Of that official. When rope which was
dangling from the top OF tine coach was put back
its piace by some one, ne exclaimed "Gentlemen,
hope you amt going TO hang me" AT Alkali Sta
hon Barlow sent other dispatches which again
the fears of Henshid
The reader must here understand that, during the
day, the Passengers once or twice conversed about
the possibility OF an attack upon the stage by
Indians, and their unprepaIed condition. Most of
those who owned pistols had them In their carpet
bags. Messrs. Rec and McCaul only had such
weapons upon their persons; but as no one thought
serious mat danger was imminent, the Others did
not take the trouble TO get out their revolvers.
HeDshIld haG nothing to say those conversations,
but, as the sequel shows he soon made fearfuI use
BeyOud AlkalI the coach was occupied in the
following .order-Hensnl. d, McCaul, and Bar
low on the back seat; Rec and Boyd on
the miCde seat, and Steltz and Deidesheimer on
the trOnt seat, with KImball the top of the ve-
hicle. The latter had exchanged places with Mr..
Selz quarter of an hour before the opening of the
tragedy. lie time was between two and three
o'clof k at night, and ali excepting Henshd we're
sleeping The assassin, upon whose guilty con-
science the weig,t OF previous crimes was doubt
pressing heavily heard, far to the rear The clatter
oil horses hoos. IL was the two cavalry guardsmen,
who ordinarily accompany the overland coaches
IN the journeys, approaching from Alkali stlon
His coward ears, it is believed caused him to think
rest him. and he at once legan his work of murder.
With the right hand ne discharges pistol, the ball
nom which entered the back and passed out at the
breast of Mr.. Rice Xxi ling HIM instantly Che same
ball he expected would XII Mr. Steitz who sat in
Line with and directly IN front oi Rice, but 1T only
grazed the hand against VIII ch he was leaning his
head while seep'ng With the lett smu taneously
he thrust butcher knife at the bre st of The other
armed passenger, Mr., MeCauI. 1t penetrated the
apels OF three coats which the latter had at the
moment. and also his wastcoat and coat, Wounding
him lightly. SITTING next to the assassin, he COM
woke up, and instantly Rrapped with him. B ing
incumbeied with clothing, and his great-cOat beng
pisto but he so 20 resoIutely III held the ar arms &C" Of
ms ADVERSARY that be was enabled to stop fur
ther murder. In the struggle Henshild's
tol went on three more times; of the balls went
thu ough the brain of the already dead Mr. Rice, and
was but the work OF an instant. The inmates, on
being reused by the shots, thought the stage was
attacked, and there were exclam atoms OF "Dnve
on!" and stop" impulsivey uttered. The driver
stopped and all Ptcned out, the body of Rice fall
held be- o on OTOr TO 6e az %e
but, encumbered as he was and liable to be over
powered, he let 90 his antagonist and leaDed out
alter the Others. The case was now fully under
Stood and the two soldiers were called upon to
arrest HenshiId, who had become sole tenant of the
vehicle. They declined to taEe the risk, on the
ground their duty was to protect the stages from
outs.d attacks only The driver approached the
door, when HenshIld thrust at him with his knife
sRvagelY
A conference was then held, at which Mr.. Steltz
sugges ed that he should be captured unharmed. as
ridden outside during the preceding time, and did
not know of facts of which his companions were cog
infant, that proved the existence OF method in the
rufhan's madness. He therefore, sur eBdered his
opinion, and agreed with the others that Henshild
should be thoroughly disabled. carblne was
borrowed from the guard for the purpose, but
It snapped on pulling trigger. Mr.. MoCaG
then discharged o pistol three times through
the side oil the stage The fellow exclaimed,
"oh! You have shot me in three places" and
became mohonless Barlow approached and took
hold of his feet TO pull him through the door, when
the latter and thrust at him with The knife with
such effect that Barlows side. face and cheek were
open. The assassin next proceeded to repe further
attempts by whetting his knife on piece OF iron.
NcCaul now fired the contents of hls pistol, but
owing TO the darkness the effect was not fatal He
thereon took the pistol OF the deceased, Rice and
guided by the stage lamp, which was lighted and
held by Stez, he fred several more shots with bet
ter aim.
The body. still breathing, was dragged out by the
side, and of the guards instructed to carry
word OF the affair back TO Alkali Station. Henshlds
knife and pistol were retained by McCaul but there
was examination OF his pockets or search for
papers. The travellers had seen enough OF so des-
perate and dangerous VILLAIN. Mr. Rices body
carefully placed on top OF the stage ana carried
forty miles ahead to Cottonwood Post, where Mr..
Boyd (who was wounded in the hand Dy shot
during the bloody events OF the Dightl remained 70
to Its proper disposal Messrs Deiaesheimer and
Kimbal escaped unnurt. Henshild, "a II inbued
with the desperation OF resisting death itself,
did not expire until twelve hours aiterwardsso the
passengers earned by telegraph sent nom Alkali TO
Cottonwood
Colonel Brown, commanding the troops at Cot
tonwoOd, took the travellers into custody on their
arrival, On the faith of report whlcn had reacheu
him u at fatal tracas had taken place among them
but when they gave him the facts he prompt re-
leased them and took their statement IN writing ioI
the information OF his military superiors. BarloW VS.
wound was dressed there and he resumed his jour-
ney, but stopped of at Fort Kearney.
The crime of Henshild becomes The more heinous
since the passC ngers treated him, previous to his at
tampt uDOn their lives, with marked kindness, gave