San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-07-06
IROBBER's STORY.
Career Of Robbery and Murdsr-Roh
t"h" bling Stages.
philadelphia Press.

DING Nubts.
philadelphia Press.
With heavy gives clanking in dull
.,.,alic ring at each movement, Henry
W Burton, confessed murderer and
V" "a robber, sat YEARLY on the bench
:, cell in the Central Station, where
:. was brought from the prison in De-
. ~ last evening by United States
w.rsbal Mathews, of Michigan, Burton
AVER smoked a cigar or pipe, or used
,ohsceo in any other form, or has he
AVER taken a drink of Intoxicating
manor. He never swears, and he said
Last eyening that the sound of an oath
cuts him like knife. He'was born in
Texas. "My father was a ranchman,"
..;d he. "his name was White, and my
riUht name is Samuel White. When I
vas thirteen years Of age my father
was shot by James Brown in quarrel.
II was when was twenty-one years of
AGA that I met Brown for the first time.
n was in camp in Rockwell county,
Texas. I was told who he was. Step
ming in front of him exclaimed, You
are nv fathers murderer and before
he had time to draw a pistol, shot
him through the heart. 1 was arrested
afterward for the otfense, and served a
short term of imprisonment. After my
discharge I began my career as mail
robber, or train-agent. 1 worked with
out any assistance whatever; always
alone. In April, 1877, I stopped a
mail express in Rockwell county, Texas.
There were fourteen passengers in the
stage. You would hardly think it pos
sible that one man should intimidate SO
many, but I erected dummies that in
the dark, looked like men surrounding
the vehicle. Then I made the passen
gers step out of the coach, one by one,
after first attending to the driver and
the guard by Gripping them with a
shot apiece from my revolver. AS the
passengers alighted threw black hoods
over their eyes and fastened their hands
behind their backs. I got $4,000 FROM
this haul, but was arrested soon after
and sentenced to an imprisonment for
life. I was pardoned through the infu-
ence of friends within two years.
81 went to Colorado. I cannot tell
how it was, but after drifting about for
time I returned to my old pursuits.
One dark night about year ago I
learned that the stage on the road be.
tween Dreadnought and Aramosa, in
Colorado, was full of passengers and
carried rich mail. I erected several
canvas tents and built dummies look
ing like men on both sides of the road.
I barred the road with two poles, fast
ened forkwise. Shortly after midnight
the vehicle came dashing along the
road. The horses caught on the stakes
and rolled to the ground. One by one
I ordered the driver and passengers to
alight. There were fourteen passen-
gers, any one of whom could have
knocked me down, for I am cripple;
remember; but out they came as gentle
as lambs, looked at my dummy men
and trembled with fear. After my trial
in the September term Of court, 1881,
in Colorado, I was being taken from
Chicago to Detroit when I disarmed
the sheriff and his two deputies who
had me in custody. This WIS in the
cars. I had the sheriff's revolver point
ed at his head. In an instant more l
would have blown his brains out, but
passenger, Miss Alice Smith, a lady
whom 1 had never seen before, and
whom I have never met since, threw
herself upon me, begging for the sheriff's
life. think I am too tender-hearted.
Escape was open for me, but Miss
Smith called out, Think of the mans
wife and children Without a word l
handed the revolver back to the sheriff,
and submitted without any sound OF
complaint to having shackles placed
upon my hands and feet"