The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-15
THE ROAD AGENT.
An Incident of stage Riding in CaIifor-

1
Three San FranciScanS-Me MesSrS. w.
| A. Won Schmidt and son and Robert J.
| Titfany-Were the heroes of a rather rO-
| mantle adventure in the mountains the
other day. The time was two o'clock
Monday afternoon, the place eight miles
beyond OrOyille, at a locality famous, or
rather infamous, for stage robberies and
| lawlessness generally. The gentlemen
named, in company with five Others,
were proceeding by the Quincy stage
toward Oroville, and in course of CON
versation Won Schmidt said he had a
presentiment they would be stopped by
a road agent before reaching town. He
had hardly got through with his uncom-
! Portable remarks when they heard the
word q Stop!" accompanied by the click
of q gun-lOck Whoa !" said the dri-
yer, as he brought his horses to their
launches, and then the expostulation,
| can't well stop here, the stage was
slipping back 60 on to the rise Of the
hill " Hold your iaw" said the first
voice, ''and throw off that treasure-box
quick" There's the robber :" said
Won; 81 told you we'd meet him."
And a little Spanish woman on the front
and fell in a dead faint among the straw.
Tiffany looked out the side Of the mud
wagon and saw an individual-a pitt
able-looking chap, dressed in tattered
canvas clothes, with his head cncased in
piece of blanket that served the pur-
pose of mask-cOvcring the driver and
the two trembling passengers who occu-
pied the boot with double barreled
shotgun. " Is that robber said he;
"why, he's not formidable looking
scOundTCl.'
1t was Tiffany's first experience in
road agents, and he thought to see
Claude Duval or Il Paul Clifford on
black horse. Meanwhile Won Schmidt
had dropped from the rear of the stage
with a tousty large-sizcd Colt navy re-
volvcr, in his hand, and drew Il bead on
the highwayman. Finding it necessary
to defend himself from this unexpected
attack, the latter withdrew his attention
from the driver and covered Won. The
driver whipped up his horses and was off
like a shot, leaving Won and the robbcr
to fight it out alone. The stage drew up
about a quarter of q mle from the place
when Mr.. Tiffany and Mr. Won Schmidt's
son both jumped out and FASTENED back
to the assistance Of the gallant engineer
The latter was armed with a bowicknite, |
and Mr.. Tiffany depended on IA fence !
rail. They had not returned many steps |
before they met Won coming along with |
his pistol still in his grasp, and Keeping Il |
bright lookout for the probable compan-
ions of the blanketcd thief. Where's |
the robber?" WAS the anxious question.
% Gone !" was Von's calm reply; 'in
full retreat up the canon" On reaching
the stage, the Col. addressed some re-
marks to the stage-driver, more forcible
than polite, for running off and leaving
him in the manner he did. 81 would
have had that fellowin OroviIle tonight"
he said, "if you'd only held yourhorses"
But. perhaps it was better for all sides
that the shooting was 50 slow. The
treasure box that contained $4,000 was
saved and no blood spilled. The Colonel
and his kartY were heroes I'M Oroville !
on their arrival, and a special dispatch
of thanks was received from Wells
Fargo's office in this city. The COM
pany offer reward of $500 for the ar
rest and conviction of the would-bc-rc5
FrGncisco Chronicle.