The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1881-10-27
How Nevada Stage DRYER Protected the
Oash-Box.

'''Tain't ordinarily no use trying to
save anything but your lives when q
gang of road agents us knows their
business tackles a stage coach." re-
marked Long Bill to u San Francisco
Chronicle reporter. "a party of men
standing on the ground, with every
thing ready. no horses to tend to. and
nothing to do but to point their shoot
ing-irons and pleasantly sug rest to the
driver to hand down the cas-, box. has
big edge in the game. The driver
and guards. or shotgun messengers.'
as we call them in the mountains, can't
help being taken more or less by sur
prise. and l may remark right here.
that until you have been suddenly
called upon to look down the opening
of double-barrelcd shotgun, which
has road agent with his hand on the
trigger at the other end, you have no
idea how surprised you are capable of
being. i have been there. have had
a seven-shOoter pulled on me across q
faro table. have proved that the hilt
of dirk can't 60 between my ribs. I
have seen four aces beaten by a royal
flush; but was never really surprised
until 1 looked down the muzzle of q
double-barrcled shotgun in the hands
of road agent. Why. my friend, the
mouth of the Sutro Tunnel is like
nail hole in the Pacific Hotel, compared
to-a Shotgun from certain point of
view. But this is all misdeal. was
going to tell you about the time did
see a couple of road agents left. In
"a there was plucky little stage dri-
yer running out of Aurora. who had
been stopped three times on the road,
hut Cf1 Il g.
stopped twice the company generally
without intimating that he is friend
of the robbers.
'tWell, this driver speak of-Dufch
Jake we called him-had worked for
the company for long time, and they
knew him to be dead square man.
Jake felt dreadful bad about having
been stopped three times, and swore
the shotgun messengers he took along
for guards were a lot of cowardly blow
hards. The next time Jake had o con-
signment of bullion in his box he
begged hard not to have to take along
any messengers with him. At that
time you could almost count on an at
tempt being made to rob every stage
with bullion on board. The Aurora
bullion was just the kind the road
agents liked. 1t was run in small bars,
and SO rich in gold that it had the yell
low color, not like the heavy white
brick you see on the Comstock now.
Jake solemnly declared he had q
scheme to fool dose dam roat agents.
SO the stage manager agreed not to
send any guards with him. When the
time came to hitch up for the trip to
Wellington's, on the Carson road, Jake
went down to the stable and insisted
upon hoving the ugliest pair of mules
that ever .winked death with hind
leg put in as lead team. I'll chow as
how a mule vas more smart as guard
said Jake. confidently, as he whipped
out of town, with myself as the only
outside passenger. If we get call
tonight, Phil, shust you drop down in
to boot, cause me and dose mules vas
goin' to haf some fun.' I noticed that
Jake had q shotgun cooked and point
ed straight ahead. and told him if he
was stopped and attempted to raise the
gun, he would get shot sure. He said
he did not propose to make such fool
of himself, and when l asked him if he
Thought the robbers would carefully
place themselves in a line with the gun,
which appeared to be pointed at the
1ead-mule's ears, he said:
Meier you mind, Phil; knows dose
mules. If we gets Il call, You drops
into te boot; dots ALL Well, sure
enough. we got call. We were jog
ing along over an easy bit of roa,i,
when, just about o'clock, a couple of
road agents sprang out from some
One grabbed the bits of
the lead-mules, and the other walk ed
toward the coach with his gun leveled.
and said: Throw out that boxi' just
as he got opposite the hind legs of the
lead-teana, Jake's shotgun went of. and
we both dropped down into the boot.
I thought every bone in my body would
be splintered before Jake crawled out.
gathered up the reins, and finally got
the team quieted down. At the pop of
Jake's gun, the mules and horses had
started off on a mad run. and we must
have bumped, ratified and dragged over
ten miles of the road before Jake took
the reins again. The only damage was
to the mules. Jake had shot away the
inside ear of each mule"
'.But what became of the two rob-
bers?" asked the reporter, as Long Bill
stopped in his story.
''The robbers? Well, 1 really don't
know. The company would have bur-
el them, 1 suppose If enough of them
could have been scraped off the chap
oarral to put in coffin. Those mules
always were considered high kickers."