Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1884-01-24
tLoa Angeles Recreation,
ROBBING THE STAGE.

common consent o stage, which ran he.
tween Bookey' and Logtown, was crawl
ing up the long grade which corkscrew.
ed around to thesummit of Pilot Knob
II was necessary to do this in order thai
agood preparatory start might be had
ior the succeeding rattling plunge down
the other corkscrew road which led IN
Logtown. ' W
by the side Of Black Pete. the driver
sat an eastern importation OF the gems
drummer" Pete rolled his tobacco
into his cheek, snapped a f1y off the eor
OF his nigh leader and said: 'N
No, sir, don't gitno pay fer f;obt;n,
an l don't do no fightin' for ther @ com ;
pany. If ary gaioot stops this hvar
stage and perlitely like asks fer the cash
oo4' he's gwine ter git it. Taint no
use, no ways, to fight them fellers, they
Always hev ther drap on ye."
But, said the drummer, "were YOU
ever robbed on this route?"
"Wal, no, I've seed fellers loafn'
round heer ez | thought mought do it
some time er other" ~
"And if they did stop you, you would
give them the express box and drive
eyer bet i! If ther express company
wants to- perfect ther box they must
send messenger along"
Inc stage crawled up slowly to the ton
OF the hill, and Black Pete settled his
foot firmly on the brake. strap. and with
a "scat 'em boys" /" the sweating horses
started to investigate the mysteries Of
the almost invisible road below them m
keen gallop.
Round and round the rapidly VARYING
road the stage and the passengers
whlrled, sometimes losing sight of the
horses around The sharp turns and again
slewlng sharply outward toward the dan
gerous edge of the canon which yawned
below them.
Inc sun was down and the moon was
painting weird and restless shadows on
the powdered dust of the grade.
1t was just the time for the imapina-
ton topicture scenes of violence. rob-
berry ard blood. Suddenly the chapar-
raj bushes by the roadside slightly parted
and long shining black object was
waved over them toward the stage. A
shadowy figure rose in the mooniiebt
among the bushes and from behind a
black veil, which smothered the voice
"stop, stop!"
Black Pete hurriedly pushed his foot
heavily down upon the brake, reached
down INTO the bottom of the stage, pull
ing out the express box and muttering,
"cuss yer, take it, threw the box into
the road. The restless horses immedi.
asely plunged away into the shadows OF
the forest.
Wa.was that a highwayman ?''
gasped the drummer.
In course it was," answered Pete.
didn't yer see ther shootin' iron Thar
goes cool thousand dollars as knows
on. You bet ther boys ii be out arter
him tonight. l Ishouldn't wonder if that
war Old Bart himself. He's a cool one,
he ls. he always shoots his mouth of
IN some potry. Leaves it in the box
when he gets through with it. Didn't
yer notice how level lie held that the1
shootin' iron right towards me ?"
The lights of Logtown now glistened
below them, and few turns of the
corkscrew brought the stage up to the
hotel porch, where it stopped with a
loud whoal" from Black Pete. Not
many minutes elapsed before the
prophecy of Pete was realized, for as
soon as the story of the bold robbery OF
wells Fargo's boz was related dozen
OF so ready miners volunteered to search
the woods for the road agent. After
half an hour's swearing and drinking
over the matter they saddled theil
horses and started for the scene of the
robbery.
y ~ ** *
1t was a little cramped-up, helter.
skelter mining town among the Sierras.
One need not rise early in Scars Hole to
see the sun rise for he will not see it il
he does. Old Sol is never visible there
until ten in the morning. The rough,
picturesque cabins, looked for all the
world like dilspidated dice, thrown at
random from the box. and built deep
down in hole between the surrounding
peaks. And yet they actually had a
telephone connecting them with the out
side world. The denizens of Scars
Hole were notgiyen to an indulgence in
business communications with the great
commercial centers, but iheir telephone
was the means. of preventing many ol
the Inhabitants from spending the re.
mainder of their earthly days at the in,
sane asylum. Every day when the
echoing of the booming blasts and the
thud of the pick had ceased in the hall
dozen mining claims surrounding the
camp, the weary, lonely miners gathered
at the little cabin, in which was placed
the telephone, and gave vent to theil
pent-up feelings by, not a free fight, bu
by free interchange Of gossip with the
residents of the camps above and below
them c., inc line Of the wire.
Such was their inborn detestation O
any men who followed any pursui
which did not require active labor with
their hands, and such was their chival
ric devotion to the fair sex, that the man
agement of their part of the telephon.
was given to q young lady by the nam,
of Frances Goldsmith.
On the afternoon of June Goth, 1880
Miss Frank, as she was usually called
sat in the little telephone office, waiting
for the nightly crowd of manly gossiperl
to come in. 49,
The little rocking. chair in which sh'
sat,went humping to and fro noisily ant