The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-11-16
G ROBBERS
What h Passenger With One Eye
did

What h Passenger With One Eye
Did.
There vas an army officer, a 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 anoth-
er passenger.
"Howdy," said the new passenger as
he crowded in.
AS he stood for a moment in the light
of the station lamp all saw that his left
,ye was gone. He wore no shade or
batch to conceal the loss, and those who
ave him a second look fel. that the fire
n his remaining eye was bright enough
o answer for two. Dark as it was in
he stage, he seemed to have ''sized up"
every man inside of a minute, and,
seeming to be satisfied regarding the
,rowd. he settled himself back in his
seat and had no remarks to make.
BY and blythe army officer mentioned
something about road agents, and di-
rectly the conversation became interest
ing. Coaches had been stopped at vari-
ous points on the line within a week,
and 1t was pretty generally believed that
A ban gang had descended on the route
and We're still ripe for business. The
man with one eye had nothing to say.
Once or twice he raised his head and
that single eye blazed in the darkness
ike a lone star, but not a worI escaped
his mouth. The captain lad eaid what
he would do in cHse the coach was halt
al, and this brought out the others. 1t
was firmly decided to fight. The pas
:engers had money to fght;"or and,weap-
ons to fight with.
The man with one eve said nothing.
At such II 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 a voice
which every man could hear.
The stranger started up, and that y
Of his seemed to shower sparks of fire,
but after q moment he fell hack again
without having replied. gte5i5E
Ii he wasn't chicken-hearted, why
didn't he show his coiors? If he intend
ed to fight where were his weapons? He
had no Winchester, and so far as any
one had seen as he entere! the coach
he was without revolvers. Everybody
felt a contempt for a man who calculated
to hold up his hands at the order, and
permit himself to be quietly dispoiled.
Pop! pop! haiti"
The passengers were doing as the
salute of the road agents reached their
ears. The coach was halted in a way to
tumble everybody together, and legs
and bodies were still tangled up when IL
voice at the door of the coach called out:
climb right down here and up with your
hands! The first man who kicks on me
will get a bullet through his head!"
We have agreed to fight. rha 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 rs humblv as you please.
The sutler had been aching to chew up
a dozen road agents, and now he was
the second man out. The surveyor had
lntlmated that he never passed over
the route without killing at least three
highwaymen, butthis occasion was to be
an exception. In three minutes the five
of US were down and in line. and hands
up, and the road agent had said;
Straight matter of business. First
one who drops his hands won't ever
know what hurt him!"
Where was the man with one eye?
the robber appeared to believe hat we
were Ill OuL, anu lit WdS juSC approach
ing the head of the line to begin his
work when q dark form dropped out of
the coach, there was a yell as if from a
wounded tiger, and u revolver be-
gan to crack. The robber went
down at the first pop. His partner was
just coming around the rear Of the coach.
lie was the game man, He knew what
had happened. but he was coming to
the rescue. Pop!pop! pop! went the re-
v%olvers, their flashes lighting up the
night until we could see the driver in
his seat.
1t didn't take twenty seconds. One
Of the robbers lay dead in front of US.
the other under the coach. while the
man with one eye had a lock cut from
his head and the Craze of bullet across
his cheek. Not n of us had moved q
finger. We we're five fools in a row.
There was a painful lull after the last
shot, aud it lasted q full minute before
the stranger turned to US and remarked
Ill a quite cutting manner
"Gentlemen, ye kin drop yer hands!"
We dropped. We undertook TO thank
him, and we wanted to shake hands,
and some body suggested a shake-purse
for his benefit, but he motioned us into
the coach, banged the door after us, and
climbed up to a seat beside the driver.
His contempt for such a crowd could not
be measured.
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