The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-12-06
THE sTAGE-COAOH ROBBERS.
What the Passenger With One Eve Did

| "
There was an army officer, sutler,
a surveyor and two men who might
have been mine inspectors in the stage
when it drew up at Burt Hill to take on
another passenger.
"Howdy," said the new passenger as
he crowded in.
As he stood for moment in the light
of the station lamp, all saw that his
left eye was gone. He wore no shade
or patch to conceal the loss, and those
who gave him second look felt that
the fire in his remaining eye was bright
enough to answer for two. Dark as it
was in the stage he seemed to have
''slzed up" every man inside of min
ute, and, seeming to be satisfied regard
ing the crowd, he settled himself back
In his seat, and had no remarks to
make.
BY and by the army officer mention
toned something about road-agents,
and directly the conversation became
interesting. Coaches had been stop
ped at various points on the line within
a week, and it was pretty generally
believed that Il bad gang had descend
ed on the route and were still ripe for
business. The man with one eve had
nothing to say Once or twice he raised
his head and that single eye blazed in
the darkness like lone star but not a
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
night. The passengers had money to
hight for and weapons to fight with.
The man with one eye said nothing.
AT such time, and under such circum-
stances there could be but one interpre-
tation of such conduct.
"a coward has no business travelling
this route, " said the captain in voice
that every man could hear.
The stranger started up, and that
eye Of his seemed to shower sparks of
fire, but after moment he fell back
again without having replied.
If he wasn't chicken-hearted why
didn't he show his colors? If he in
tended to fight where were his weapons?
He had no Winchester, and so far as
any one had seen as he entered the
coach he was without revolvers. Every
body felt contempt for a man who
calculated to hold up his hands at the
order, and permit himself TO be quietly
despoiled.
Pop pop halt"
The passengers were doing as the
salute OF the road-agents reached their
ears, The coach was halted in a way
to tumble everyb body together. and lecs
and bodies were still tangled up when
avoice at the door of the coach called out:
mo nonsense, now! You gentlemen
climb right down here and up with
your hands! The first man who kicks
on me will get bullet through his
head"
We had agreed to fight. The cap
tain had agreed to lead us. We were
listening for his yell of defiance and the
click of his revolver when he stepped
down and out as humbly as YOU please.
The suter had been aching to chew up
a dozen road-agents, and now he was
the second man out. The surveyor
had intimated that he never passed
over the route without killing at least
three higfwaymen, but this occa sion
was To be an exception. In three min
utcs the five of us were down and in
line and with hands up, and the road
agent had said:
Straight matter Of business! First
one who drops Lis hands won't ever
know what hurt him.
Where was the man with one eyep
The robber appeared to believe that we
were all out, and he was Just APPROACH
M the head of the line to begin his
work when a dark form dropped out Of
the coach, there was yell as if from a
wounded tiger, and a revolver began to
crack. The robber went down at the
hrSt pop. His partner was just coming
around the rear of the coach. He was
game man. He knew what had hap
pened, but he was coming to the rescue.
Pop pop. pop. went the revolyers,
their flashes lighting up the night until |
we could see the driver in his seat.
II didn lake twenty seconds. One |
OF the robbers lay dead in front of US
the other under the coach, while the |
man with one eye had lock cut from |
his head and the Craze of bullet across
his cheek. Not one of us had moved
finger. We were five fools in row.
There was painful lull after the last
shot, and it lasted full minute before
the stranger turned to us and remark
ed in quiet, cutting manner:
Gentlemen, We kin drop yer hands,"
We dropped. undertook to thank
him, and we wanted to shake hands,
and somebody suggested a shake-purse
for his benefit, but he motioned us into
the coach, banged the door after us,
and climbed up to seat beside the
driver. His contempt for such crowd