Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-08-01
From Hsrper's Weekly.
An Amateur Detective.

Inc SUBJECT OF LnlS SkeIcD, Stepnen
Venard, was born at Lebanon, Warren
County, Ohio, in 1924. He was once
elected Marshal Of Nevada City, Cal
ifornia, and for several years past has
been policeman at that place, where he
acquired an enviable reputation as a
man of courage, nerve and Judgment in
everything pertaining to the ferreting
out and capture of desperadoes, such as
infest the mining localities of California.
But it was on the fifteenth day of May
last that Venard succeeded III accom-
plishiDg one of the most daring exploits
that ever have been recorded.
Nevada County, famous for the pro
ductiveness of its gold mines, has for
years past been infested with a number
OF daring highwaymen, and scarcely a
day passed but that the papers chron-
icled some robbery on travellers, and not
unfrequently the stages plying between
the mountain towns were stopped, and
express treasure and passengers robbed
of thousands of dollars. These ''road
agents." as they were called, collected
more toll than the toll-keepers, and they
made toll roads of free roads.
At four o'clock on the morning of May
18th, as the San Juan stage was within
five miles of Nevada, three men armed
with reVolvers appeared in front of the
horses and ordered the driver to halt
The passengers, eight in all, were COM
PEELED to get out Of the stage, searched
for their arms, marched to one side of
the road, and were guarded by two of
the bandits who covered the party with
their revolvers. Wells, Fargo & Co. had
$4,000 in treasure on board, which was in
an iron safe, built in the coach under
the drivers seat This safe they attemp-
ted to break open with a sledge but failed.
They then used powder, and after trying
twice, succeeded in blowing the safe open.
After taking out the treasure they Or
dered the passengers to get in and the
driver to drive on. In thirty-two min
utes from the time of starting the stage
arrived at Nevada City, and the news of
the robbery was made known. By six
o'clock Sheriff Gentry, Venard, and four
others started for the spot, which was on
the down grade near Blacks Bridge, on
the South Yuba. The party divided in
order to scout the country. Venard, and
a man named Lee, found the trail of the
robbers, which seemed likely to lead to
another road crossing the Yuba about
three miles below the road aboVe-named.
Lee went back to take their horses around
to the other road, and give information
to others of the party if he should see
the robbers, and of the course they ap-
peared to be taking. Venard followed
the trail alone till it struck the Yuba,
near the mouth of Meyers RaVine. On
examination he found that the robbers
L. o,o-cnI 4ho The
The face of the country at this point was
exceedingly rocky and precipitous and
rapid progress was impossible. Venard
was impressed with the fact that he was
in the vicinity of their retreat and pro-
ceeded cautiously. With his sixteen
shooter rifle (Herrz's patent) in his hand
cooked, he stepped few feet above him
on a rock. Huge rocks were above and
around him, and smaller ones between.
An opening or fsure in the latter led to
the larger ones, and sitting in the base of
the latter, and within IA feet of him, he
saw two of the robbers. Their eyes were
upon him, their hands even grasping
their reVolVers. Not a second was to be
lost, and to attempt to retreat was death.
Venard had no wish to retreat and no de-
sire to die, and so he shot one of them
through the heart. The second robber
slipped into a cleft in the rocks, while
his hand and pistol showed over the top,
pointing at Venard. The latter had his
trusty rifle at his shoulder, aimed at the
very spot where he anticipated the rob-
ber's head would appear in order to take
aim. The instant his head came partly
above the rocks Venard sent ball crash
ing his brain. And here was another
wonderful instance of coolness.
Vena1d was aware that there was still
another close by, and for aught he knew
might be concealed behind some rocks
and might fire upon him at any moment.
He was alone. None of his comrades
were with him. The thought flashed in
to his mind that if he should retreat from
his position, the third robber land for
aught he knew, there might be half a
dozen left yeti might take the treasure
and escape with it, in which case he
might be charged with numbering two
innocent men. Acting upon this thought
he went to the spot where the men were
shot and found the treasure-the best
evidence of their guilt. Taking this and
their reVolyers he hastily covered them
with some leaves near by. He th6n pro-
eeeded with cautious steps up steep
point on the other side of a torrent of
water that was pouring down the raVine
to discover, if possible, the remaining
robber. About loo yards above he saw
him clambering up the almost inaccessi-
bic side of the mountain. He fired, and
the man fell for an instant, and then con-
tinued on his way. Another shot and
the robber stopped his course, stared at
Venard a moment, and then his head
fell, and his body rolled down the hill
about forty feet.
Shortly after this Sheriff Gentry and
his party arrived, the dead bodies were
visited, and the bags of money brought
to Nevada and delivered to Wells, Fargo,
& Co., before one o'clock on the same
day the robbery was committed. Du-
ring the afternoon a coroner's jury was
summoned and went to the scene Of
death, accompanied by a large number
of citizens. A more lonely, rough and
inaccessible spot could scarcely be con-
ceived. The bodies were carried by hand
with great difficulty for three-fourths of
a mile, and then brought to town in a
wagon. 1t is needless to add that the
coroner's jury rendered a verdict of JUS
ti6able homicide, and exhonorated We
nard from all legal responsibility for the
commission of the act. Immediately
after the robbery was made public Wells,
Fargo, & Co. offered a reward of $4,000
for the recovery of the treasure, which
Venard obtains. When we consider the
circumstances of his following alone on
the trail of four desperatemen, fully armed
and on the alert for the avengers of the
law, that they knew were on their track,
tracing them to their den, miles from
any human habitation, and by GOODNESS
and celebrity of action saving his own
life and killing these Ishmaelites OF the
chaparral and mountain jungle, we con-
fess our admiration of such herosim. No
romance could depict greater bravery.
The following closing notice Of Stephen
Venard we take from a copy of the Ne
vada Transcript, published Immediately
oftor tho Oao11rraOoa.