Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-09-26
NEVADA HIGHWAYMEN.
Successful Resistance of two EXPRESS
Messengers.


Messengers.
The Eureka (Nev. J Republican contains
the following thrilling account of an at
tempt to rob one of Wells, Fargo &
Co.'S coaches, which was successfully
resisted by the messengers, one OF
whom-Brown-formerly run in and
out of that city. The stage that left
Eureka for Tybo on Monday afternoon,
the Sd inst, containing Professor T.
Prince, the mining expert, and j. NJ.
Haskell as passengers, the driver, Jat k
Perry, and an employee of the stag
company, was accosted about 3 O'Clock
ut night as it had drawn up before the
Willows station forty miles south OF
Eureka, by three masked men, one of
whom called upon Blair to surrender,
saying: Eugene Blair, get off that
stage and surrender" Believing that
the men in the station had got drunk
and that one of them was playing a
bluff game. the demand WAS not I'M
medately complied with; besides. the
night was so dlrk that the speaker
could not be distinctly seen. The de-
man |, however, was more peremp-
torily repeated, when Blair prepared to
dismount leaving the driver and Jimmy
Brown on the seat Blur had hardly
reached the ground with his trusty
shotgun. when he was greeted by Il
double discharge of shot one from the
rear of the stage and the other from
corner of the stable, both passing so
near his head that the powder of one
warmed his face. Blair returned the
fire almost simultaneously, but being
partially blinded by the smoke, and
not seeing his object plainly, evidently
without effect. The report of his gun
had not died away before the cold
muzzle of u gun WAS placed against his
breast by one of the robbers with the
intention, no doubt, of making sure
work of the brave messenger Blair
caught it and chucked it aside, and
turned the robber, who was pulling the
wrong trigger, half round, when Brown,
on the seat watching his opportunity,
raised his shotgun as quick as flash
and gave the road agent the full con-
tents of one barrel square in the back,
and he fell over MORALLY wounded, load
ed with eight bu kshot. Almost simll
taneously with this deadly shot, Blair
had placed his shotgun squarely against
the fellows breast, and would have
blown hole through him as big as
the moon had not his brave companion
performed the service Brown, after
firing the shot, jumped from the stage.
but had not fairly reached the ground
when he was shot In the calf of the left
leg, infiicting a painful but not seriou~
wound. The other two robbers then
fired four more shots at the messengers
ut close range with shotgun and re-
yolver, none of which, however, did any
harm, though they came uncomfortable
cl Sc, an disappeared IN the darkness
The firing having ceased, the passenger
got out of the stage cautiously and tDoK
a look at the Wo1n led roooer, who Wa,
writing IN mortal agony. and implored,
beggel and prayed t. be killed. A
noise in the station now attracted thei
attention and on proceeding thitler ii
rancher, who were in charge of the
place, had been bound securely, anu
threatened with instant death by the
robbers if they would give any alarm on
the approach Of the stage. The robbers
had come TO the station about an houl
previous, compelled the inmates to sur
render, cooked mell and ate it, III ;
ha,nessed the horses that had been Or
pared for the incoming CO ten, AMI tlen
proceeded to Law their plans of attack
A small fort WAS built with boards at
the corner of the stable, and an old axe
placed tandy for the purpose Of open
ing the treasure-box. The wounded
rOhber was taken into the station Where
all the parties remained during the
night. Yesterday morning Messrs
Prince and Haskell continued on their
journey to Typo, while the two messen-
gers, the driver AMI the dying rJbber,
who had suffered excruciatlng torture>
through the night and was very low,
proceeded to return to Eureka
Every effort was made to induce the
robber to reveal the names of his asso-
ciates, but to no purpose, AMI when
nearing Pages place, a few miles from
Eureka, began to breathe his last Just
before expiring he gave his name as
Jack Davis. The party arrived in town
with the corpse on Tuesday evening at
Z O'Clock, and stopped before Wells,
Fargo Il Co.'S office
James Brown and Eugene Blair de-
serve the greatest gratitude of the peo-
pie of this state for their matches
heroism. They have fought one of the
greatest battles that is recorded of the
highway, and their miraculous escape
against such large odds, covered with
double-barreled shot-guns and dark
night, can only be attributed to their
untiinching bravery.