The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-15
Exciting and Amusing Incidents of
Life in the Black Hills.
A STAGE DRIVERS QUAINT STORY.
How the Overland Coaches Are Dubbsd--An Extensive
Conspiracy Funeral Wit-Raugh on the He
hsvs--A Thrilling Story.
PHILADELPHIA. August Il. 1877.


He has just quit driving the overland stage TO Dead.
wood, which place no emphatically pronounces tho
most dabolical earth and beyond question the
wickcdest spot this side OF the Internal regions. He
has come back TO Goods country" as he calls the
East 10 get little money that has been left him and
his old home before he goes back TO get some
holes sho. through MIN, as he puts It, The man
from Dcadwood Is OF those quaint, original char
tnat essentially American ana only found IN
all their Internationally the great West. After
You have conversed with him five minutes
you will md him to DO a shrewd, observing sort
Of Q man, QUICK and keen o razor with
q dry humor and u peculiarly expressive vocabulary;
rather slangy 1t is true aud at and pro-
fame, but always vivdy picturesque apt and striking
AN KvgyTFUL HISTORY.
The man from Dcadwood has history. Tho nephew
OF one of the richest and best known men in Brook
lyn and OF one Of tho Empire States most distin-
gushed United States Senator's, he comes OF good
stock But he has always boon rolling stone, and his
tondness and change OF sccne have taken
him nearly all tho world into many occupations
and professions, and fully initiated him into the ups
and downs Of q rowing life. AZ a Snowman ne has
travelled through the North and West soldier in
the rebellion he went through tho South, and as
sailor be has crcumnavigated the globe His fondness
for horses kept him In tho circus business for
Dad stickney and John Robinson to Barnum and tho
Hppodrome people, OF all of whom he is full
OF anecdote. With the circus no has been
engaged In various capacities, but generally in
charge of the stock and he Is justly proud
Of the fact that he Is one OF the few drivers in
tho business who can successfully handle sixteen;
horse golden circus chariot with brass band Lately
has been roughing it In the West, the shooting
oil Wild Bill and the hanging Of the assassin and has
more recently, as an overland stage driver, expe-
rienced lie in Deadwood City the new mining in
the Black Hills that has already earned tho reputation
OF being the depraved munity under the sum-
In OF tho interest that attaches to this phase of
American border life have tried to jot portion
OF what the man IRON Deadwood told me about this
typical mining of the tar West Between expecto
ra,ions Of tobacco juice my ques-
tions given by tho man from Deadwood, whose manner
OF speech had peculiarly solemn draw that was very
odd and amusing
NO SUNDAY.
"Is Deadwood as rough and lawless place as we
told by the Western nswspapers2"
"Worse. l don't know what the papers say OF 1t,
but know It's worse'n any language tell It's the
orneryest place this side OF hell There's no law an
no SUNDAY. Every mans his own court an his re-
volver is lawyer, judge jury an executioner-cspe
cialy executioncr. AM the gamblin', drnkin' an
nghtin' goes on all the time, day am night. You
wouldn't know when sunday comes around II you
didn't put " down IN book.
soFT THING FOR CoROSERs.
"Nurdersf On, yes, there's plenty O. them, but
they don't call 'em that. AZ least three day on
average some fellow gets the oil argument am
is aid out It's putty duli IN town them days when
SOM body don't get Killed. AM they do have the
queerest corOner's inquests out there ever
Why jury sun there not long ago, an they
hcerd the evidence AN found that Bill Jones came 10
his death by calling redhsaasd Marss lar Marks
jury on poor devil VINO had dineroncc oil opinion
with notorious rough character, au although seven
OF the jurymen shootin am the man what aid
H. an Notwithstanding this fellow went around bossn
OF this jury brought in verdict OF murder by some
person TO Us unKnownl' lnterestn', wasn't 1t T?
TIERS funerals every day, but most OF EN- quiet
like don't 30 mucn style. But just lore KEN
away leadn citizen died-kep' Tue biggest s'loon in
town-a lit.le matter ut keerds, b'leeve-an' they
wanted TO gvc MIN good send or SO they
GOT three Or four Wagons an some men an women
'em down the street in procession Ike was stand
i'm, lookiu' ou when iei!er beside me says TO me,
Hello there's picnic, ant tr Cold meat III the lust
wagonp Do you know that kinder dsyusteu me.
HIGH PRICES
Eyes; prices pretty h'gh, too Nothn, iessn two
in drug store TO g dose o. salts au' they charged
me four bits (hi,y cents in silverl says Cum crops
tha.'s awful price. In God's country you KIN git !,
dose or BIT .We,' says he that's our price for
salts; KIN give you bits worth o. anti appetite
family
"What did be mean by antiappctse pillss" inno-
Gently asked tho man from Deadwood.
"Why, pizen, spose, SAID he, grlmy.
"Any man wilIln' " work KIN GIT hvo or SIX dollars
a day in gold workin' IN tue mines pays SIX dollars
a day reg'ler. Some OF 'em gifts SIX dollars u
day and iound-iound dead III the mornin'!"
He uttered this CHASTITY wittcism in tone even
more solemn than usual He seemed utterly uncon-
sclous how cxqusitcly funny IL was, aud when
laughed he looked AT me with an injured expression.
mo, iivin amt SO dear II you mess together an
cook i0r yerseves. You Kin live that way for about
Six dollars week, reckon, OF you DON'T get killed
oil III the middle o. the week.
mo, never worked IN the mines; preferred stage
drvin' was well PAID. got hundred doll RS a
month in dust have been dr,vin' the stage between
Custer C,y an Deadwood have stuck at 1t tor tho
pasL three months, Dut now I've stopped"
lie paused, but there had been sach singular en-
phasis his last word mat le sure there was some
why he stopped driving Wcil," SAID lie, quletiy aud
inaiicreniIy ''pd been dead man in lew hours ei
l hadn't"
Something in his manner told that he did not
care to NC that subject any urthor SO dropped
1t for inc present. aud asked "Are tns stages roDood
HOW STAGES ARE ROBBED
Eyes; they are nearly always robbed when they
carry treasure or when any OF the passengers have
varoles. The stagcs have an iron box secured the
bottom OF the INSIDE oil lie coach, where gold dust and
money carried by expess when THIS box Is iuii the
roud agents always know IT. +"
show eau they und OutY'
"Why, this rouuin' OF tho overland stages is a
reg Ter business aud Is systematic. lbs managed
la This way:-Tnc cei KS IN the banks an tho stores
an Offices In Dcadwood or Custer can easy mud out
when there money ~ 20 in the Stage, au' they NO
| MY the thieves. they are IN with en an navo
reg Ter partnership Astonishes you, does IL We'll,
| I'M surprise you stlli more Wnen say I've even
known The agents Of The Stage companies TO help roD
| the box. lbs extensive conspiracy, an' could
pint dozen men on the streets of DcadwQod any
day walkp' about sassy as you please, VINO prob
ably ruubed the stage the night before. The thieves
are always posted an never make mistake an stop
| stage without money IN the box. I've boon stopped
| good many times an never when there wasn't some
| thiu' worth takin.'
{" How do they stop your Why, they hail you IL
n dark place ON The an they never ask man tt
| come down of his box but once Did always como
You BET 30 would any man II he WASN'T DAMNED
tool. When a man sits up there tarsit Tor may bt
| fifteen or twenty men, he can't hight much with iouI
| horses to drive"
| AN sAMusISG" ROBBERY.
| "Thc last time but ono my stage Was robbed was
| amusu,. ihcr' was two Jews inside who was agoin
to Deacwood 10 open u Jcweiry store lThose Las
words with peculiar uncton, as though no enjoyed
| the Iokel They hed n nice lot o. things with 'em All
| Que on cm he'd "a bunch y diamonds as big as ye
fist tied up IN tho corner OF his shirt tail now TIT
| Jew dJ beg Ior them diamonds The thieves nevc
stopped 10 untIe Tho knot IN ms shirt out made th'
Jew up an cut the hind part OF ms shirt taI
of while no cred an wiped his muse on the 'front.' an
bolu of 'cui bepued Ike babes Tor The diamonds an