The Tombstone epitaph., 1882-01-09
STOOD UP.
The Bisbee Stage Taken in and
 Robbed of $6. 500.
A Gallant Fight Against odds by the
 Messenger.

W. W. Hubbard & Cos stage, which left Tombstone at s o'clock on Friday morning for Bisbee, contained as passen- gers Mrs. J. D. Watson, Col. $. A, Moore, E. T. Hardy, and J. c. Stewart, with Chas. A. Bartholomew as Wells-Fargo's messenger, and w. $. Waite, driver. They had proceeded as far as Lewis Spring, about six miles above Charleston when,
 FIVE MOUNTED MEN
 were observed on the opposite side of the river galloping rapidly, evidently with the intention of getting ahead of the stage. Proceeding on to Hereford, and fearing trouble, MT. artholomew pro cured a Winchester rifle in addition to the shotgun which the messenger always carries. In the meantime the horsemen had disappeared among the foothills and about 3 o'clock p. m. the stage had reached a point eight miles from BIsbee, when three men suddenly appeared in the road seventy five or eighty yards ahead of the coach Without word of warning they
 OPENED FIRE WITH RIFLES,
 firing some twelve or fifteen shots, some of which struck the coach and two shots hitting one of the wheel-horses. The driver turned the team and took the back track, Bartholomew and one passen- ger who were on top jumped of, the mes sengcr returning the fire of the robbers with the Winchester. The stage had gone some distance when it was stopped and held up for the two men who had jumped of. The robbers mounted their horses | and
 CHASED THE STAGE COACH About five miles, when the wounded horse weakened and was compelled to stop, the driver rounding them up by the side of an arroya. For the entire distance Bartholo- new kept up his fire, though, on account of the jolting Of the coach, his ann was very uncertain. When the stage stopped the rustlers made circuit around, out of rifle distance and came out on the road ahead, where they met d Mexican wood- hauler, whom they compelled to carry a message to the beleaguered passengers. The message was to the effect that if Wells, Fargo & Co.'S treasurebox was not thrown off the
 ENTIRE OUTFIT WOULD BE KILLED.
 The box contained $6,500, principally in coin. which was being taken out to pay miners in the Copper Queen, and for a long time tbe messenger refused 10 surren- der. At last the passengers persuaded him to yield, and all except the driver left the | coach and went several hundred yards to one side of the road The three robbers then came up, two of them having their faces concealed by dirty silk handker- | chiefs, while the other, who was the spokesman of the party, was not disguised. What had become of the other two who were in the party originally is pot known. Approaching the coach, they held CONVERSATION WITH THE DRIVER,
 And seemed to be acquainted with him, although he did not recognize any of them. They disclsimed all intention of hurting any of the passengers or robbing them; all they wanted was the treasure box. The unmasked man aske. the driver | if he would know hlm the rext time he saw him, and Waite was compelled to ad- mt that he would. The reply was in plain English, "Well, if you do know me, and ever give me away, you won't live a minute" As consequence the driver is naturally very reticent. After
 BREAKING OPEN THE BOX,
 and securing the coin, the robbers ran. sacked the stage, but did not take anything else. One of the robbers then remarked to the driver, pointing to stage horse, That horse jumps pretty we'll, believe I'll take him along" Suiting the action to the word, the animal was unharnessed and led of. The passengers and the messenger then returned, and the remaining two horses were hooked up, the robbers watch ing them from a distance. When the stage started towards Hereford, the rustlers drew down their guns and
 ORDERED A HALT.
 The driver dismountea and went to them, asking why they halted him again. 1 The answer was demand for him to go to Bisbee. Waite assured them it would be impossible to get to Bisbee with the two horses, and at last they consented that he should return to Hereford, where fresh horses were procured and the stage pro- ceeded on to the copper camp
 The first knowledge of the robbery came 10 Tombstone yesterday morning about 10 o'clock, being sent from Charleston by Bartholomew, who returned from Here ford.
 THE EXCITEMENT
 Was not as intense as it might have been, and if any effort was made to capture the robbers, or if a single man went out after them, it has not come to the knowledge of our reporter. As will be seen by an ad. vertisement in another column, Wells, Fargo & O. offer a reward of $500 for each of the robbers and one-fourth of all the treasure recovered It is to be hoped that this will prove an incentive for an organ lzed effort to capture the robbers.