National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1870-09-09
The Robbers Of the Plains.

plains by the stage coach gives his ex-
perence OF meeting with the highway
men who lntest some of those roads.
his letter Is dated at Corinne
" Nothing special occurred on the tip
until the second day out, when it began
to be vaguely whispered at the several
stations that We would probably he at
tackled at Pleasant Valley. The reasons
We're, that twenty or thirty head of hors-
es and mules had been stolen the pre-
vlous day, and that three horsemen had
been driven OFF by Kirkendall's men
while prowling about their camp. Reach
ing Pleasant Valley about 8 o'clock on
Thursday evening, l saw indications of
some anxiety on the part of the driver
and guard-both of whom were ar ned
with-shot guns and revolvers We pass
ed the first station south of Pleasant
Valley safely, but it was between this
and the next that we expected the fun.
Lieutenant Hamilton, OF Fort Ellis, was
with me and the three Cinnamon.
only had one weapon Of defence. We
were all now watchiul, and as the coach
assembled from the bed of Dry Creek,
this is what caught our ears Click
click click click Halt / And like
an apparltion the road agent sprang
from the rocks a few feet from the coach.
One drew his Henry rife ON the leaders,
the next on the driver, and the third paid
his compliments to the Lieutenant and
myself by placing the muzzle Of his nee
dlegun Ill rather uncomfortable proximity
to our ears, and, as the driver pithily re-
marked, the muzzles of them rifles ap-
peared AS large as IL nine-inch stove
pipe. | instantly seized my navy, but
IA touch Of caution from Hamilton ad-
vised patience. Not knowing what the
issue of the affair might be, | concealed
my money III the cushion of my seat by
cutting hole III the leather My COM
panion had previously placed his i'll the
band OF his drawers.
The Cinnamon had by this time
awoke, and begun their gibberish.
silenced them, and then noted the pro-
gress of affairs outside. The driver put
ON the brake the moment they challenged
} nm. He asked what they wanted.
The treasure boxes said they
All right, said the driver there
they are, and threw out the light one
from Virginia City, l bclieve).
LOU DiNt dllOllltI Oh illtSt IlSIl
2 said the leader.
) Yes, WAS the reply.
p " Throw ii out, was the command.
; This was done, and stepping aside
he picked up an axe and began cliopplne
; the light one open. 1t took him ful
fifteen minutes, and hard work at that
lie emptied its contents
"Ihere's nothing III that id box,
he said, evidently y much enraged.
He next attacked the Helena box
l which contained about SIX thousand dol
lars, | believe He remarked to til,
driver during the progress of opening
the boxes, that he was sorry to detail
us SO long, but it could not be helped
that these things would occur in the best
regulated families
Are there any passengers aboard y
he sad, when he got through with the
boxes.
"les, said the driver " three China
men and two white men.
Get out, john" Ill II voice that
could not be mistaken. We told the
boys to get out, they We're very unwill-
ing to-hut they finally turned out, The
leader held his rifle to their heads and
demanded their money With many
protestatlons of poverty they SAID
they had none one said two dol
lars hap alice, no more They would
not be satisfied, but with fearful impre-
cations they told them that they would
shoot them where they stood If they did
not disgorge. One by one he stripped
off Their TUNES and boots, and took what
they had. The third and last, who had
the largest amount of money, (S3, 700,
strung around his neck or i'll belt, he
handled very roughly. He took his long
knife about twelve inches), and ripped
shirt vest, and coat, from top to bot
tom, and the gold fell out with Il heavy
'thud to the ground. Having finished
they ordered them into the coach, and
told the driver to go on, much to oul
relief indeed, for | fully expected that
we would be next We cannot explain
their partiality III our favor, but think
that they were afraid to attempt to force
|, us out
Il could have killed two of them, but
it would have been ut the expense Of the
life of one of the men on the box, IN
issue which did not like to force. The
hind curtains being down, none of them
could observe our movements hence
had the drop on any one OF them ex
ccpt the man who covered the driver
who was little too far. Thus ended my
! experience with the road agents of Mon
tnna, of whom | have heard and read sc
much about.
at j. reported here that the Boise
coach was robbed the same night as ours
, $40, 600 lost.
GENEItAL GACoN of the Prussinn arm,
I is kind to his men, but inlexible on Tia,
8 point Of dicipline. In his division ther'