The Portland daily press., 1883-10-29
A one-Eyed Man to the Rescue


Detroit Free Press.l
By and by the army officer mentioned
something about road agents, and directly
the conversation became interesting
Coaches had been stopped at various points
on the line within week, and it was pretty
generally believed that a bad gang had de-
scended on the route and were still ripe for
business. The man with one eye had moth
ing to say. Once or twice he raised his head
and that single eye blazed in the darkness
like lone star, but not word ESCAPED his
mouth. The captain had said what he
would do In case the coach was halted. and
this brought out the others. 1t was firmly
decided to fight. The passengers had
money to fight for and weapons to fight
with.
The man with one eve said nothing At
such time and under such Gil cumstances
there could be but one Interpretation of
such conduct
"a coward has no business travelling this
route" said The captain in voice which
every man could hear.
The stranger started up, and that eve of
his seemed to shower sparks of fire, but. af-
ter moment he fell back again without
having replied.
If be wasn't chicken-heaffed, why didn't
he show his colors? If he intended to fight
where were his W aapons? He had no Win.
chester, and so far as any one had seen as
he entered the coach, he was without re-
volyers. Everybody felt contempt for man
who calculated to hold up his hands at the
order, and permit himself to be quietly de-
spoiled.
Pop! popl haltr'
The passengers were doing as the salute
OF the road agents reached their ears. The
coach was halted in way to tumble eyery-
body together, and legs and bodies were still
tangled up, when voice at the door of the
coach called out: -
mo nonsense now! You gentlemen climb
right down here and up with your hands?
The tirst man who kicks on me will get a
bullet through his headr'
We had agreed to fight. The captain had
| agreed to lead us. We were listening for
his yell of defiance and the click of his re.
yolver when he stepped down and out as
/ humbly as you please. The suffer had been
aching to chew up dozen road agents, and
now he was the second man out. The sur.
Veyor had minated that he never passed
over the route without killing at least three
hlghwaYmen, but this occasion was to be an
| exception. In three minutes the five of rs
we're down and in line and hands up, and
| the road agent had said:
straight matter of business! First one
who drops his hand won't ever know what
| hurt himr'
Where was che man with one eve? The
robber appeared to believe that we were all
out, and he was just approaching the head
| OF the line to begin his work when a dark
form dropped out of the coach, there was q
yell as II from wounded tiger, and re.
volVer began to crack. The robber went
down at the first pop. His partner was lust
coming around the rear of the coach, BE
was game man. He knew what had hap
pened, but he was coming to the rescue
Pop! pop pop! went the revolvers, theil
flashes lighting up the night until we could
| see the driver in his seat.
| 1t didn't take twenty seconds. One of thf
| robbers lay dead in front of us-the othe]
under the coach, while the man with one eve
had a lock cut from his head and the grazt
of bullet across his cheek. Not one Of ms
had moved finger We were five fools in
| a row. There was a painful luIl after the
last shot, and it lasted full minute before
| the stranger turned to us and remarked in a
| quiet, cutting manner:
Gentlemen, We can drop yer handsr'
We dropped. We undertook to thank him
and we wanted to shake hands, and some
body suggested shake-purse for his benefit,
but he motioned ms into the coach. banged
the door after us, and climbed up TO q sea
| beside the driver. His contempt for such .
crowd could not be measured.