The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-12-03
THROW UP YOUR HANDS,
How Ex-Governor Army Obeyed---Fooliu
With Robbers---An Incident OF Wester
al

THROW UP YOUR HANDS"
How Ex-Governor Army Obeyed---Foolipr
Travel.
New York sun.l
Accounts of the robbery of Ex-Governor
Army, of New Mexico, while on his way
East in September, were polished, but none
were so accu- rate, detailed and amusing as
that given by the venerable frontiersman
himself before his departure for Europe.
II was on my way East said he ain four
horse stage-the mail-stsge that runs between
Santa Fe and Los Vegas, the terminus of the
Atchson, Topeka and SAINT Fe railroad. NV
only fellow passenger was Mr. j. F. Strahan.
a New York lawyer. We had ridden all day,
ard were within FIVE miles of Las Vegas. 1t
was just getting dusk, when suddenly the
coach stopped.
What's the matter?' 1 called out,
''Get out here, and you'll see what's the
matter the driver answered.
IL did get out and was met by a masked
man with double-barreled shotgun. He
| ordered me to throw up my hands, said
| that would not do it. Then he ordered mo
to go down to the side Of the road and sit
| down. told him that / intended to stand
| up and see what was going on He swore
some, and ordered one Of the other men
| (there were three of them) to search that old
feller.' They did, and found my greenbacks
How much2 Well, right smart bunch. some
that | had got together to go to England
with. They didn't get my watch or my silver
| that time
"'Dont point that gun at me- said L. Il
don't know but it's loaded. 1t might go OF
and kill me. and l tell you if you kill me
you'll get yourself in trouble I've got lots
of friends around here, and they'll make it
warm for you, l tell you He laughed and
| said he unu1dp'f hupo he All u>sH
only get sent up 20 years 1 told him that
if l had pistol I'd send him up in about 20
seconds. You know | never carry a pistol
| don't believe in it, and am a non-risistant
on principle. My people were Quakers
Well, after we had this conversation the
leader and his men were rummaging around
We'll, l guess you'd better search the ante
diluvian again The men looked me over
again, and pulled my gold watch out of my
pocket
"'Now, don't take that l said; its got
my name on it, and it will lead to your de-
lection
"'D-n his WATCH said the leader
$50 they left it, and, turning to Strahan,
1 took his watch and chain and $500 in
money. All this time the leader was cover
ing me with shotgun. 1 saw one of the
men beginning to overhaul the mail-bags,
and stepped forward.
OLOp! sdlu the leauer.
Il told him l wanted to see what the man
was doing.
"'Stay where you are, he said.
But l wanted to see, and so walked
along as l talked, and stood by the mail
bags. Then l advised the man not to cut
the bag, but to cut the strap. He did So
, Then told him to pour out the letters, and
he did that. He began to tear the letters to
piece.
"'Now STOP said 1, tear off the ends
carefully. You wont get anything there
This is Mondays mail, and no one sends
money in Mondays mail Most all them
letters are love letters. Our boys ont here
have girls in the States, and hate to have
their love torn up
"And so the fellow did tear off the ends
carefully. He didn't find any money in the
first bag, and that was all he opened. told
him the other bags contained only newspa-
pers and waymails, and he believed me- 1
. had basket of lunch in the stage, and 1
, said to the leader:
"sTheres some lunch in there. We emight
all take a bite.'
"'Oh, you shut up, he said, and he laughed,
and then he said:
! "1 guess you'd better go through that
reverenend old gentleman again. and they
: | did, and got a bag of silver had While
the man was searching me he turned his side
q to me, and saw the butt end of pistol in his
belt. l made grab at it, and he jerked
. around. As he did so the cloth he had over
his face was pushed aside, and saw his face.
| afterward identified that man. Well, by
talking and joking kept those fellows there
an hour and quarter by my watch With
in mile of US there were 3 300Omen at work
J, on the railroad, and l hoped some would
| come. At last eight men did come along
> Mexicans, with hay. When one of them
saw US he picked up two stones and ran to-
!, ward us. The leader threw up his gun
eff any of you can speak Spanish, he
: said, tell that fellow if he comes here shall
shoot him. Some one did tell the man, and
: he and the rest ran away. Then the robbers
: ordered the driver to take the harness of the
horses, and, throwing our blankets and over
coats on them, the robbers rode of. They
took that Navajo blanket there that am go
ing to take to England with me, and give 70
Queen Victoria. Two days later the blankets
were found along the railroad, and the shot
gun broken. 1 drew Is buckshot from one
: barrel. From these blankets the men were
t tracked to dance-house, and found dancing.
e These trousers were covered with hair from
q the horses. On the next Saturday, four other
men hired horse in Las Vegas, drove ou,
}, four miles, stopped and robbed the coach
and two of them afterward drove back with
the horse. They were all arrested, and the
seven were lodged in Santa Fe Jail. When
/ came East 1 went to General Davies and
represented to him the condition of the Jail
1t was a regular shell. He said he could dc
nothing; he had no money. One of the rob
bers had already got away. and the other.
will, probably, before February, when the
d court sits. Since was robbed the robber.
: have stopped railroad train. The trouble
l. is that they are not prosecuted. The Gov.
o ernment doesn't sustain the prosecutors, and
e so the rascals 60 unpunished.'
It