St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1878-06-22
TO PUZZLE ROAD AGENTS.

~ FOAAkE ROAD AGEN Is.
An iron-ciad Coach, Guarded by Four Brave
Men, for the Cheyenne and Black Hills Line.
Luke voorhees,, superintendent of the
Cheyenne and Sidney Black Hills stage
lines, arrived in the city yesterday even
ing from Fort Pierre, where he has COM
pleted arrangements for stage line from
that point to Deadwood, to connect with
steamers from YaEkton. Mail service
has been ordered on this route, and regu-
lar coaches will begin running in few
days, carrying passengers and mails, and
arrangements are nearly completed for
mail service on the semi-weekly packet
line running between Yaukton and
Pierre.
Mr.. Voorhees, is one of the best stage
superintendent in the western country,
possessing pluck and energy, which quail
tiles are essential to success in his line of
business. Under his administration
fifteen of the principal road agents, who
operated on the Black Hills road last
summer, were captured, and only one
Reddy McKenna-managed to escape
through the carelessness of sheriff in
Ohio, where he was traced and arrested.
The remaining fourteen have nearly all
been convicted, and are now serving out
long terms of imprisonment. Whether
the stages will be plundered again this
summer remains 10 be seen but to
prevent the depredations on the treasure
that will be transported, Mr.. VOORHEES,
has taken the precaution to have treas
ure-coach specially built. 1t is lined with
steel quarters of Az inch thick,
through which bullet cannot go, In the
inside is burglar proof safe, weighing 800
pounds, OF oblong shape, with a door in
the end, secured by a combination 10 K,
the secret combination being known only
at each end Of the route. The steel
lining of the coach has two port holes
through which the guards can fire. This
coach is to be run once a week between
Cheyenne and Deadwood, and is to be
accompanied by four guards, two of
whom are to ride on horses ahead of the
coach, while the other two are to hold
the fort inside the coach. These guards
are to be thoroughly armed. They have
been selected for the work on account of
their established reputation as being
brave, fearless men. Two Of them have
had desperate fights with the road agents,
and to-day bear honorable scars as the
evidences Of their pluck. We refer to
Scott Davis and Boone May, in whose
lexicon there is no such word as fear.
Davis, it will be remembered, was the
man who, not long after recovering from
wounds received in road agent fight,
followed two of them and captured them,
together with eighteen horses which they
had stolen. 1t was a gallant exploit,
equal TO his previous fight with the
thieves on the road, and was accomplish
ed in the face of obstacles which would
have overcome almost any other man.
The soldiers, who were to accompany
BIN, returned as soon as their rations
gave out, but he kept on alone, through
a snow storm, and caught the two men
between Camp Brown and Green rive',
while they were sleeping in hay stack.
The other guards have good record,
and it is safe to say that this quartet will
make it decidedly hot for the agents
should they attempt to tackle the iron~
clad coach. No passengers are to be
carried on this coach Omaha Repub-
lican.