The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-07-20
Roaa-AreniN.
A VETERAN DRIvER's OPINION OF STAGE
ROBBERS AND KICKING MILES.
fFrom the San Francisco Chronicle.l

kObbEttS AND htLtos
fFrom the San Francisco Chronicle.l
"'Tain't no use trying. ordinarily, 10
save anything bot your lives when a gang
OF road agents as knows their business
tackles stsge.coach," remarked Long bul
TO a Chronicte reporter. "A party OF uen
standing on The ground, with everything
ready. no horses 10 tend to, and nothing TO
do but sight their sbooting.irons and
pleasantly suggest to the driver TO hand
down the cash box. has big edge In the
game. The driver and guards, or shotgun
messenger fs we call them in the
mountains, can't help being taken more or
less by surprise; and l may remark right
here that until you have been su0denly
called upon 10 look down the Opening OF 9
double arreled shotgun, which has roao'
agent with his baud on the trigger at me
other end, you can have no idea how sur
prised YOU are capable OF being. bave
been thar. | have had q seven-shooter
pulIed on me across a faro-table; nave
proyed that the hilt OF dirk knife
can't 20 between two OF my ribs
/ have seen four aces beaten by royal
flush; but | was never really surprised I'M
III looked down the muzLe oil q douD'e-
barrelled shotgun 10 the hands OF Ioau-
agent. Why, my friend, the mouth OF lne
sulro tunnel IS like nail-bOle 10 the faIace
Hotel comDared TO q shotgun, from GER
tain nolnt of view. But this is all a mis-
deal. was going TO tell you about The time
/ did see a couple OF road-agents left. ln
1853 there was a plucky little stage'drlyer
running out OF Aurora who had been stOpptu
three times on the road, but was still driV-
Ing. though after a man is stopped twice the
compapv generally lets him do something
else for a living, without intimating that he
is any friend OF the robbers.
DUTCH JAKE's SCHEME.
"Well, this driver speak oi-Dutch
Jake, we called bim-had worked for The
company for long time, and they knew
him TO be q dead square man. Jake ielt
dreadful bad about having been stopped
three times and cleaned out each time, and
swore the shotgun messengers he took along
for guards we've lot 81 cowardly blow
hards. THE next time Jake bad cOnslgn-
ment OF bullion in his box he begged bard
not 10 have TO take along any messengers
with him. At that time you could almost
count on an attempt being made TO rob
every stage with bullion on board. The
Aurora bullion was Just The kind the road
agents liked. II was run In small bars, and
so rich in gold that II bad the yellow Color
not like the heavy white bricks you see on
the Comstock now. Jake declared solemnly
he had a scheme to fool dose tam 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 We'll
linetOn's, on the Carson road, Jake went
down to the stable and insisted upon having
the uglest pair Of mules that ever winked
death with hind leg put in as lead team.
sIll chow how mule vas more smart rs a
guard said Jake, confidently, as be whipped
up out OF town, with myself as the only
outside passenger. III we gets a call to-
night, Pin, shust you drop down in te boot,
cause me unit dose mules vas going TO hat
some fun i noticed that Jake bad shot
gun cooked and pointed straight ahead, and
told him ii ne was stopped and attempted
10 raise the gun he would get shot sure. He
said he did not propose TO make such fool
of himself, and when | asked him il be
thought the robbers would carefully place
themselves in the line Of the gun, which
appeared to be pointed at the lead mules
ears, he said
THE ROBBERS OUTwITTED.
"Heier you mind, Pill, l knows dose
mules. II We get call, you drop into de
boot; dots all.' We'll, sure enough, we
got call. We were jogging along over an
easy bit OF road, when, about O'Clock,
couple Of road-agents sprang out from some
chaparral. One grabbed the bits OF the
lead mules and the other walked toward the
coach with his gun leyelled and said
Throw out that box Just as be got op.
poslte the hind legs Of the lead team Jake's
shotgun went of and we both dropped
into the boot. l thought every bone in my
body would be splintered before Jake
crswled out, gathered up the reins, and
finally got the teams quoted down. At the
pop OF Jake's gun the mules and horses bad
started OF on a mad run, and we must have
bumped, ratified, and dragged over ten
miles OF 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 robbers ?"
asked the reporter, as Long Bill stopped in
his story.
sThe robbers. Well, really don't know.
The company would have buried them,
suppose, II enough OF them could have
been seraped of the chaparra to put in
coffin. Those mules always W ere consid-
cred hard kiekers."