The Red Cloud chief., 1880-10-07

eaving Danbury; but ~
mig such wishes was only 8
ffime, 1 quickly gave it up. and
TO consider what I had better dc
under existing circumstances. / WASH,
long in making up my mind upon a few
ess entail points First. the IA be-
hind me was a villain; second, he had
cut open the mail bag and robbed it OF
some valuable matter-he must have
known the money letters by their size
and shape; third. he meant to leave the
stage on the first opportunity; and
f%ourthly, he was prepared TO shoot me
if attempted TO arrest or detain him.
i revolved these things in my mind,
and pretty soon thought of a course to
pursue. knew that to get my hand.
safely upon the rascal / must take him
wholly unawares, and this | could moi
do while he Was behind me. for his
eyes were upon me all the time, so ]
must resort TO s~tratagem- Only a little
distance ahead was n house, and IN old
farmer named Longee liyei there; and
directly before it a huge snow bank
stretched across the road, through
which a track had been cleared with
shovels.
As we approached the cot | saw q
light in the front room, rs | felt conf.
dent | should, for the old man general.
ly sat up until the stage went by. ]
drove on, and when nearly opposite
the dwelling, stood up, rs 1 had fire.
quently done when approaching diff
cult places. | saw the snow bank
ahead, and could distinguish the deep
cut which had been shoveled through
il. urged my horses to a good speed,
and when near the bank forced them
into it. One OF the runners mounted
the edge Of the bank, after which the
other ran into the cut, thus throwing
the sleigh over about as quick "a though
lightning had struck it. My passenger
had not calculated on any such move
mcnt, and wasn't prepared for it; but
| had calculated and was prepared.
He rolled out in the deep snow with a
neavy buffalo robe about him. while l
alighted directly on the top of him. /
punched his head in the snow and sung
Out for old Longee. L did not have to
call a second time, for the farmer had
come to the window to see me pass, and
rs soon as he saw my sleigh overturned
he had lighted his lantern and hurried
out.
Whats to payP" asked the old man.
as he came up.
LEAD the horses into the track, and
then come here | said.
As l spoke | partially loosened my
hold upon the villains throat, and he
drew a pistol from his bosom; but | saw
it in good season and damned his head
into the snow again, and L got it away
from him.
BY this time Longee had led the
horses out and came back, and | ex-
planned the matter to him in as few
words rs possible.
We hauled the rascal out into the
road, and, upon examination. we found
about twenty packages of letters which
he had stolen from the mail bag and
slowed away in his pockets.
He swore, threatened and prayed, but
We paid no attention to his blarney.
Longee. got some stout cord, and
when we had securely bound the villain
we tumbled into the pung. l then
asked the old man if he would accom-
pany me TO Littleton, and he said, "Oi
course 1 will"
So he got his overcoat and muller,
and ere long we started on.
reached the end of my route with
my mail all safe, though not As snug as
it might have been, and my mail bags
a little worse for the trick that had been
played on them. However. the mail
robber was ecure and within a week
he was identified bv some officer from
Concord as an old offender. and l am
rather inclined to the opinion that he is
in the State prison at the present time.
At any rate he was there the last time l
heard of him.
That is the only time l ever had any
mail trouble, and | think that, under
all the circumstances, l came out of it
pretty well.