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 Robbed--A Extensive
Conspiracy Funeral Wit---Dough on the He
bDws--A Thrilling Story.
PHILADELPHIA, August IL, 1877.

tho Black Hills, passed through here the other day.
He has just quit driving the overland stage to Dead
wood, which place no emphaticay pronounccs tho
most dabolical earth and beyond question the
wickcdcst spot this side OF the informal regions He
has back to GOODS country" us he calls the
East, TO got little that has been left him and
to hts old home before he goes back to get some
moro holes sho: through him, as he puts II. The man
from Deadwooa is Of those quaint. original char
TINT essentially American ana only found in
all their uncouvcntionalty IN the great West. After
you have convcrsed with him five minutes
you Will ind HIM to be shrewd. observing sort
OF man, quick and keen as razor, with
dry humor and peculiarly expressive vocabulary;
rather slangy 1t Is true and at times coarse and pro-
fane but always vivldy picturesque apt and striking
AN EvEyTFuL HISTORY.
The man from Dcadwood has history. The nephew
OF Of the richest and best known men in Brook
Ign aud OF ono OF tho Empire State's most distin-
guished United States Senators, he comes OF good
stock. But has always been rolling stone and his
iondness and change OF scene have taken
MIN nearly all over the world into many occupations
and professions, and fully initiated him into the ups
and downs OF rowing lie. AZ Snowman no has
travelled through the North aud West, q soldier In
the rebellion he went through tho South. and as a
sailor has crcumnavigated the globe His fondness
for horses kept him In the circus business for
Dad Stckncy and John Robinson to Barnum ana the
Hppodrome people, OF all of whom he is full
OF anccdote. With the circus ho has been
engaged In various capacities, but generally In
charge of the stock aud he is justly proud
oil the fact that no Is one OF the few drivers
the business who can successfully handle sixteen
horse golden circus chariot with brass band Lately
he has been roughing 1t in the West tire shooting
Wild Bill aud the hanging Of the assassin. and has
more recently, overland stage driver expc
renced life IN Deadwood City, the mining town in
the Black Hills that has already earned tho reputation
oil being the most depraved community under the sun.
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 fur West Between expecto
ralions Of tobacco juice answers 10 my qucs
tons given by tho man from Deadwood, whose manner
OF speech had peculiarly solemn drawl that very
odd and amusing.
sis Deadwood as rough aud lawess place as we arc
told by the Western newspapers?''
"WOrse don't know what the papers say OF 1t,
but know IT'S worse any language tell It's the
orncryest place this side hell. There's law an
no Sunday. Evcry mans his own court an his re-
vovcr is lawyer, Judge, jury an executioner-espe
cially cxecutioner. An the gamblIn', drnKin' an
hghtin' goes on all the time, day an night. You
wouldn't know wncn sunday comes around II you
didn't put IL down u book.
CoRoSERs.
''Murdert? Gu, yes, there's plenty o. them, but
they don't call 'em That. Al least three day on u
average fellow gets the oi argument am
Is Iud out It's putty duh IN town them days when
sorncbody don't got killed. An they do havo The
Why, jury a stan there not long ago, an they
hcerd the cvydence an' found that Bill Jones came "
his death by calling red headed MARKS liar !! Marks
urresteuY Not much. They darsn'L An' another
Jury sol poor devil who had difference OF opinion
with Notorious rough character, an although seven
OF the jury men snootin' am the dld
IT, an Notwithstanding this fellow went around b0ssn
person 10 us unKnown! lnterestn', wasn't III
TIERS funerals every day, but most OF EN- quiet
IKE an aon =" " 6uScs. so Me
town--a little matter Ut kecris, b'leeve-an' they
wantod TO g've MN good send off, SO they
got three or TOUR wagons, an some men am women
no. they want 'zactly ladics-was rum IN
'em down the street in PROCESSION ike was stand
in, lookin' on, when ieer beside me says TO me-
Hello there g picnic ain't Cold lust
wagonp DO you know that kinder Disguised me.
HIGH PRICES
eyes; prices pretty ugh, too Nothn' lessn two
bits, an no SOFT money. Drinks Is Two bits. went
drug store 10 glt dose o. salts an they charged
Tour pits (ifly ccuts in svcrl suys Gum drops
tna.s AN awful price la God's country you KIN git
dose :or one BIT Wei, says ho that's our price for
SALTS Out KIN give you bits worth y ami appetite
pills, am they'll DC enough TO take tho edge off whole
family
~ hat did be mean by anti appetite pIlls?r inno-
Gently asked the man from Deadwood.
'Wny, pizen, s'posc, " sad lie, grimly.
'Any man wlln' 10 work KIN GIT ivc or SIX dollars
u day gold Workin' IN the mines pays SIX dollars
day IN aust reg'ier. Some OF 'em gts SIX dollars u
day and iound-ound dead III the mornin'!"
He uttered this gnastIy wittclsm III a toDo even
more solemn thau usual He seemed utterly uncon-
sc,ous how cxquisi,cly funny IL was, ana when
laugu led he looked ut with injured EXPRESSION.
mo lvin' amt SO dear u you mess together am
cook yerselves. You Kin live that way TOR about
SIX dollars a week, reckon, OF you don't get killed
OIL IN the middle u the week.
mo- never worked IN the mines; preferred stage
drWin. wus well PAID. got u huhdrci doll RS
hrNo laou nf I,nu
Custer Ciy am Deadwood. have stuck ut II Tor the
past three months, out now I've stopped"
He paused, but there had been such u singular
phasis his last word that iet sure there
thing Of interest TO come so promptly asked him
indilicrcnty, 'Pd been dead man In few hours ef
hadn't"
Something in his manner told mo that he did not
to CONTINUE that subject any urthor; so dropped
IL Tor inc present. and asked Are thc stages ro0Vcd
very oltenf"
HOW STAGES ARE ROBBED
Eyes; they are nearly Always robbed when they
carry treasure or when any o. the passengers have
va'bles. Tho stages have an IRON box secured to the
bottom OF the inside OF coach, where gold dust and
money Is carried NY express; when this box Is u the
road agents always know IT. "
'HOw they nnd out ?"
"why. this ronoln' OF tho overland stages is a
reg Ter business and Is donc systematic. It's managed
iu this way The cei KS IN the banks an tho
an offices IN Dcadwood or Custer Can easy mud out
there Is money ~ 30 In the stage, au' they no
tiy tue thieves they arc IN with 'cm an havo u
reg Ter partnership Astonishcs you, does itS Well,
I'm surprise you still more when say Pvc
known tue agents Of the stage companies 10 help ROB
the box. It's extensive conspiracy, an 1 could
pint dozen mon ON the streets Of Dcadwood any
day, wulkip about sassy rs you please, who prob
ABLY robbed the stage the night before. The thieves
are always posted an never make mistake an sop
stage without money IN the box. rve beon stopped
good mauy times an never when there wasn't some-
Thin worth takIn'n
g How do they stop your Why, they hail you In
a dark place o The an they never ask man 10
come of his box but once Did always come -
You pct 80 would any man II he wasn't u damned
fool When n man sIts up tncre a tarIit Tor maybe
nm ran Hph VVtth faur
horses TO drive"
AN AMUSING ROBBERY.
"Thc last time but my stage was robbed was
amus,u, Iher' was Two Jews nsdc who was agoin'
TO DcadwUod TO open Jc~ery store. Tucse last
words with peculiar uncton, as though ne enjoyed
the lokcl They lot o. things with ZEN, an
one on en- he'd "a bunch u diamonds as big as yer
nsi tied up IN tho oil his shirt tail How tho
Jew diJ beg Tor them dianondsl Tho thieves never
stopped TO unto tho knot IN shirt, but made
Jew NJ, au' cut the nind part o! his SHIRT tail
of while he ,r,ed au' wiped nis nose on the 'front.' an