The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-10-16
THE ROAD AGENT.
An Incident Of Stage Riding in l.sIifor.
mia.

An Incident of Stage Riding in lsIifor
Three San Franciscans -Messrs. w
| A. Won Schmidt and son and Robert j
| Tiflany-were the heroes of rather TO
mantle adventure in the mountains the
| other day. The time WAS two O'Clock
Monday afternoon, the place eight mile.
beyond Oroville, at a locality famous. OF
rather infamous, for stage robberies and
lawlessness generally. The gentlemen
| named, in company with five others,
were proceeding by the Quincy stage
toward OrovilIe, and in course of CON
versation Won Schmidt said he had a
presentimcnt they would be stopped by
road agent before reaching town He
had hardly got through with his uncom-
Portable remarks when they heard the
word Stop!" accompanied by the click
of 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 go on to the rise of the
hill" Hold your jaw said the first
voice, "and throw off that treasurc-box
quick" "Thcre's the robber!' said
Won; 81 told you we'd meet him."
And a little Spanish woman on the front
seat cried out, -" Misericordia, ladrones.'
and fell in dead faint among the straw.
Tiffany looked out the side of the mud
wagon and saw an Individual pitt
able-looking chap, dressed in tattered
canvas clothes, with his head encased in
a piece of blanket that served the pur-
pose of Il mask-covering the driver and
the two trembling passengers who occu-
pied the boot with double -barreled
shotgun. g Is that a robber? ?" said he;
why, he's not a formidable looking
1t was Tiffany's first experience in
road agents, and he thought to see
Claude Duval or Paul Clifford on a
black horse. Meanwhile Won Schmidt
had dropped from the rear of the stage
with tousty, large-sized Colt navy re-
volver, in his hand, and drew 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 shot, leaving Won and the robber
to fight it out alone. The stage drew up
about quarter of mile 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 bowie-knife, |
md Mr.. Tiffany depended on a fence
rail. They had not returned many steps
before they met Won coming along with
his pistol still in his grasp, and keeping a
bright lookout for the probable compan-
ons of the blanketed thief Where's
he robber?" was the anxious question.
Gone ~ was Von's calm reply; Gin
ull retreat up the canon" On reaching
he stage, the Col. addressed some re-
marks to the stage-driver, more forcible
han polite, for running off and leaving
lin in the manner he did. 81 would
lave had that fellow in Orovillc tonight"
lie said, eff you'd only held your horses"
3ut!perhaps it was better for all sides
hat the shooting was so slow. The
reasure box that contained $4,000 was
aved and no blood spilled. The Colonel
md his party were heroes in Oroville
N their arrival, and a special dispatch
# thanks was received from Wells
Eargo's office in this city. The COM
,any offer a reward of $500 for the ar
est and conviction of the would-be-rob
,er.-,Sdn Francisco Chronicle.