The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-01-25
STAGE ROBBERS.
Same Experiences of John Marshall, - No
torious Highwayman.
Reno CNer.) Cor. Ne,o York Sun.

Reno tNer.) Cor. Nelc York Sun.
The popular belief that It takes a brave
man to rob a stage Is rudely dispelled by
John Marshall a highwayman, now in Jail
here awaiting trial for stopping the Sierra
valley stage few weeks ago and compelling
the passengers to give up their valuables.
He said one night in Jail, "the idea that 1t
takes man of great nerve and daring to
rob a stage is great mistake. | can take
the softest tenderfoot you ever saw, and
after fixing him up in the right style so the
people in the stage will know his profession
the minute they set eyes on him, I'll bet /
can scare the life out of the best Concord
load you ever see. This notion that we hurt
people or threaten to hurt them, and that we
are rough and all that, is all nonsense. We
just lay for the stage in lonely place, and
when the leaders heave in sight we level our
guns and maybe fire a shot or two in the air
to make the horses jump and rattle the
driver little. Then when all hands are
looking out of the windows, with their eyes
popping out Of their sockets, we yell, Hands
upn Nine times out of ten that's all we have
to say or do. The fellers IN the coach get
out of their own accord, and we Just stand
them up in row, and while one of us holds
pistol the Others go through their pockets
and take what few little keepsakes they hap
pen to have handy. Why, I've been in moren
dozen hold.ups and in only one case were
there more'n two of us. When the things
got into the papers, though, it was always
said that there were dozen fierce highway
men, all aimed to the teeth, and that they
shot the stage and the passengers clothes all
full of holes. 1t was all lie, of course. The
trouble with the people of this country is,
they rather like to be robbed, | guess. It's
EASTERN falling off log. Why, a year ago
last winter my pard and | was walking along
the mountain road, not thinking Of anything
in particular, when along came couple of
Ienderfeet in carriage. Before we could
catch our breath one of them threw up both
hands, knocking the others hat of, and hol-
Tered, For Gods sake, don't shoot
"Well, uow,we hadn't any idea of shooting
at all, and didn't know those felers were in
those parts; but when they sort o. reminded
lis of our business by commencing TO un-
buckle their watches and weasels, why we
just took them IN charge, of course" He
smiled grizzly for a moment and added
"Now, what on earth could do under such
circumstances | didn't rob those fellers
They made us presents Of what they had.
Yet, when they got to Wadsworth, they told
the people they had had an all day fight with
road agents, that the woods were full of them
and that they had surrendered their valua-
bles only at the last moment, finding tham-
'seirc o.1I ~holnI1u. Inese things are all
believed, too, even by the old timers, men
who ought to know better. and my pard
have robbed the Sierra valley stage three
times now at the same place. I'll tell you
how it was done. Pard had a.Winchester
and had pair of Colts in my belt, but the
job was done every time with an old powder
and ball pistol that bad no load in it, and
wouldn't have gone off If there had been
one for didn't have any caps. Pard would
fire his Winchester as close to the ears of the
horses as he could without dropping them,
an3 would swing the old blunderbuss in
the air and holler. Every time it happened
just the same. The chaps climbed out, beg
ging that there should be no blood shed, and
we would say there wouldn't be any il the
yield was good, but that we would have to
kill somebody il we didn't get enough to pay
for our trouble. Every mothers son of 'em
would give up things that we'd never have
thought of looking for or demanding There
was only just my pard and I, but the passen.
gers would think they could see some of our
men behind every tree, and we'd holler once
in while some command to the boys in the
woods TO be sure and hit the right ones If
they fired.
"Speaking about weapons, why | have
robbed stages up in California, and over IN
Utah, without any weapons at all. You
don't need any. I'll bet tenner that / can
take all old.fashioned tin candlestck aud
hold up the best stage load that ever came
over the mountains. We scare them to begin
with, and then they see everything double.
One man is just as good as fifty in this line.
He don't guard against assassination"