Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-08-05
~ CAPT. SMITHS f)axr. II
The yeos, Courage 81 a Slack Mill.tSaass
Messenger.

Mo0Sen80rs l
Deadwood Pioneer.
One of the most courageous feats per-
formed BY man in this age Of gun powder
and long-range rifles il given US BY Mr..
John FlahertY, IN old Californian, en- route
for the Hills. He says:
I left Cheyenne last Tuesday on the iron
clad coach for the Hills. At Lightning !
creek, Thursday, % miles from Deadwood,
We met the down stage that was attacked
that morning BY six armed and masked
men. The only passenger on the coach,
Rev. j. w. Hickett, gave us the comforting
assurance that he thought the six men were
waiting in ambush for our party.
The ironclad coach contained three pass
engers inside, one a lady, whilst l was
riding on the seat with the driver. At the
scene of the robbery mentioned by Rev.
Pickett our messenger, Capt. Eugene Smith,
found upon the roadside the certificates &C.
companying two registered letters, dated at
Deadwood two days before. He placed them
in bis coat pocket. After riding six miles
further, at about two o'clock p. m, We came
to a dry creek, one and one-half miles below
Cheyenne river station, skirted along Its
banks BY . thick growth of brush. Capt.
Smith had followed the tracks of several
Il AOAoS0h0 S ~ v oV0 00AAAC9 tAl6 Ol6
lance, losing the trail when he encounter.
ed the gravelly bottom of the creek bed.
He was then from three to five hundred
yards ahead Of the coach. l was looking
back, watching the messenger, when I saw
q maj raise up out of the brush alongside
the creek. I said to the driver. "There 10 q
man standing over there with q gun" The
coach was then on the top Of q hill, while
Smith was in q hollow in the road some
distance ahead. He held q revolver In his
left hand, and Q rifle in his right. waving
both, and reckoning US on. As the coach
moved up to him he said, II have got them
here and ] must get them out" When the
stage stopped, he said, "You drive on" He
turned and rode up the creek q short dis
lance, retraced his steps and made about the
same distance down It, seeing nobody. he
then, after carefully looking around, fired
one shot from his pistol into the air. The
man that I saw standing in the brush Their
dropped out of sight, and instantly q fash
and report came from the place where he
menced from the brush, q flash and Q repor
here and there; and no sooner did one &C
cur than Smith sent q bullet in the direc.
ton from whence it came. The firing be.
came mor general, aud at one time I saw
volley of four guns, aimed, as it appeared Il
me, with murderous certainty, at the brav
man sitting coolly' in his shirt sleeves, will
Q handkerchief around his neck, upon hi
horse, answering lead with lead, fighting IL
the open field, single handed. six, perhaps
nine enemies, concealed behind q Labyrinth
OF brush.
After Smith had fired four shots, hi
horse was MORALLY wounded, but he free
one shot more before the animal fell deaG
in his tracks.
To the best of ny belief, and I stood OF
the drivers seat Of the coach. which had
stopped, but q few hundred yards away
Capt. Smith fired seventeen shots from BIZ
rifle and four from his pistol, and one 0
the latter missed fire. The concealed party
fired at least fifty shots, four Of which whis.
tied over our heads and one struck in direc
line but = few yards in front; these shot
were discharged, in my opinion, to frightel
the driver into driving on while they mur
dered the courageous messenger,
When the shot raised the dust 20 near tn
coach the driver yelled to Smith to conn
back, az three Of the desperadoes had noun
ted their horses and would cut him of
Smith fired q last parting shot and turne,
coolly around and walked to the coach
mounted the box and ordered the driver t,
drive on, which was cbeyed.
I do not think they intended to attacl
us, but when Smith pitched into them,
resistance was made. I most say, out of re
spect for the captain, that I never saw sucl
cool, deliberate. courage exhibited before il
all nv life,