The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1881-02-19
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yune published specialttelegram from
Opelousas, St. Landry parish, stating
that the mail stage was robbed, at 40
O'Clock on Thursday night, while on
its way from Alexandria to that place,
and that the Rev. u. NJ. johnson, the
presiding elder for that district, was
the only passenger in the stage atsthe
time.
The facts of the robbery and the
arrest of the 'troad agents" are as
follows:
AT the lIonr mentioned, when mail
carrier Robert S. Ferguson was driy-
ing the stage from Chicot to 0pelou-
sas, and when at Overton Swamp, four
miles east of the former town, a voice
issuing from the side Of the road, be-
longing to person hidden behind a
large tree, commanded him, with an
oath, to halt; but Ferguson continuing
on as If he had heard no one, tlrev voice
exclaimed: aHalt, God damn yon"
The driver still paying no attention,
the command and oath were repeated
for tile third time in a louder tone,
accompanied with threat to shoot if
the order was not obeyed; when Fer
guson nnheeted the threat as well as
the commands, a pistol Shot was fired,
followed as before with the order to
halt and the oath, concluding with,
Throw out the mail bags"
The driver then refined up and, seiz-
ing two empty mai sacks, threw them
from the stage, when the robber said ::
"That is not the mail don't want
them throw out the lock sacks" when
Ferguson threw out the mail bags, and
drove on. Upon arriving at 0pelon-
sas, the next morning, he reported the
robbery to the postmaster there, who
telegraphsd the fact to the postmaster
at New Orleans. The matter was
placed in the hands of postofiice In
spector Brewster Cameron, who left
on Saturday morning for Chicot, ar
irving there on the following morning.
lie Immediately commenced an invest
igation of the facts, with view to the
discovery and arrest of the robbers
being ably assisted by c. NJ Thomp
son, A. p. Williams, mail contractor
of the route where the robbery DC
Cured, Thomas Bailey, deputy sheriff
/, and other citizens of the parish.
: Inspector Cameron was not long il
r bringing the robbery home to tw,
young men named Elisha Courtney AMI
sHousan Griffith, the latter an ex-mai
driver on the very route where til
robbery occurred.
1t appears that the Monday nigh
previous was the one originally chose
for the robbery, as the suspicious 9
!, Columbus Godfrey, mail rider frol
Chicot to Cheneyyille, were aroused b
observing Griffith towering in tn
woods around the stage, as if waitin
: for Courtney, until he should con
= Ont of the store of MIR. Haas, who'd
tanned him there until the stage ha
left, cndeavoring TO buy his cotto
Courtney had entered the postofii,
10 with the pretense of selling the sam
,e but really to see whether there We
n any registered packages in the mail.
HI Another, and very strong circnn
if stance, was discovered in the fact til
10 Courtney tho same evening bong
o seven pistol cartridges. When 4
robbers were arrested, a six-shoot
was found upon his person with eve
:, chamber loaded, sbnt from the FIRE
i appearance of one cartridge, and t
+. old and rusty look of the others,
l.. was evident the pistol had recent
y been discharged, and that chamber j
{ {, loaded. TO more closely convict I
two as principals, or implicated in 4
robbery, five cartridges were fou
ne upon the person of Griffith and d
e upon the person of Courtney, viii
or added to the one in the pistol
On counted for the entire seven.
~ On Thursday night previous to ]
n robbery Griffith and Courtney ~
both at the Gbicot postafiice when 4
Z. mall was changed. 1t was also prov
that Courtney that evening bonn
Iaif aEbottle whisky, and the bot
III minns the whisky, was fonnd on 4
Il, day morning lying near the trii
ponches by the side Of the road.
y. When arrested, neither asked /
IL canse, but seemed 10 accept the sit
Il ton as Il matter of course for /
y, crime they had committed.
q, navid Doyle, however, another !
Il pected person 10 The robbery, an
81 slightly coIored professional hog II,
i. when arrested, asked, AAvhatfeff''