The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-10-12

How a Rocky Mountain stage Robber Of
the Oid-fashioned Kind Was Killed.
ssBah, on these third-class stage rob-
bers!" contemptuously exclaimed the
grizzly-headed old mountaineer, as he
felt around to his hip to see if his revolver
was still there. folks try to make out
that this Black Hills excitement Is the
equal ofthe rush 70 Cariforny, but it's
all bosh. There's lots o. greenhorns,
heaps o. gamblers, and few footpads
and stage shoppers, but they ar all
third-class. Ye ought to have lived on
the Slope when the old Nugget State
was panning out the dust from ten
thousand diggings, an when stage rob-
bling an throat-cuttin' was did up in
first class style, day or night
Being invited to relate something, he
spread out his big feet, braced his back
against the hind wheel of a prairie
schooner, land said: "Waal,it just makes
me sick to hear these recruits take on
an see EN- grow pale over reports that
some Of the stages has been stopped, an
the folks robbed Of few dollars. Why,
sir, I've seen the time when single
man, an not big man at that, stood in
the center Of the trail, halted a coach
full o. men, each one armed, an made
'em hop down and hand over dust
enough to set any body up in the bank
in business an plenty left over to start
a circus on! That was bizness, that
was, an the victims couldn't help but
feel like pattin' the teller on the back
for his nerve Ye've heard o. Hank
Monk, / reckon?"
ssYes.r
'sWaal, there's fifty just as good
drivers as he was, and fifty Drawer men,
but Hank got into the newspapers,
and folks thought him a preacher, a
driver, grizzly, buffalo, an rattle
snake all rolled into one. Mind ye,
/ amt sayin' word agin' him, but
was just thinkin' Of how 1 was passen-
ger in his coach once when 1t cost me a
bullet through the shoulder to do what
he could have done without even stop
ping the stage. Thar was a chap call
ed Prince Charlie, who used 10 imagine
that Fargo's coaches were put on the
line on purpose 10 bring him dust. He
was fine lookin' chap, standin' about
six feet high, half Texan an half Mcxi-
can, an he had eyes like Goals o. fire.
That chap hung alcng the bad spots in
the Rocky Mountains for one hull sum-
mer, an | guess he collected hard on to
hundred thousand dollars. He didn't
have any partners in the bizness, but
PLAYED lone hand every time, an allus
raked in the stakes. He didn't stop cv-
cry stage-oh, no. He'd halt an rob
one to-day or tonight in Apple Blossom
Canyon, and then, two, three, Or four
weeks arter he'd turn UP on SCOTS
Hill, or Betsy Jane Gulch, Or fifty miles
from the other spot. Folks thought he
had Just about time to dig down into
Mexico, put his dust inter safe hanls,
an then return, an p'raps that was the
game.
"a reckon we've read about dozens o.
these chaps, and therefore We don't re-
member this one; but tell We he got TO
be terror. A. nobody could say when
he'd cry Haiti TO a stage, even brave
men hated To travel In that fashion
Prince Charlie was dead shot
wouldn't take word o. chin music an
sometimes he shot down passenger or
two, jn-t TO increase the respect 81 the
rest. ! was kinder spcculatin' around
ia those days, an III was poor mornin'
when ! couldn't show up the half Of
$1,000. was gittin' ready TO leave
the country an 20 back TO Illinoy, when
one u Fargo's agents dropped in on me
one day, and ser he: Jim, why don't
W 70 10 work an lay out that Prince
Ihailir9' says \ III bet yc fifty TO