Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-08-22
AsHOTGUN MESSENGER.
BIOw One Man Guarded an Express
COmunnY's Treasure.

ton, of Eugene Blair, a native of Au-
gusta, Me-, at the age of thirty eight
years. Mr. Blair, our informant says,
was for many years in the service of
Wells, Fargo & Co. as shotgun messen-
ger" on stage routes, and was well known
throughout Nevada, Utah and Montana.
He was held in the highest esteem by the
officers Of the express company for his
fidelity and bravery, which were often
put to severe tests. The following ac-
count of two encounters he had with
highwaymen will be interesting to the
reader and express fraternity generally:
About 0 o'clock p. NJ, February 81,
1877, the stage from Hamilton to Ward,
in White Pine county, New, had reached
point about two miles out from Ward,
when, without warning or order to stop,
two parties began to fire their guns into
and at the stage. The messenger, Eugene
Blair, who was on the seat with the
driver, and "always fixed for company"
returned the fire of the party on the left
with q "Wells Fargo" shotgun, loaded
with large buckshot, SCATTERING the rob-
ber's right arm near the shoulder and
sending two buckshot into his right side
between the fourth and sixth ribs.
Blair them jumped from the seat to the
ground, when two shots were fred
at him by the other robber. Blair re-
turned the fire, when the robber broke
and ran, Blair following and shooting
at the retreating form until he was out
Of sight. Returning to the stage, Blair
heard the wounded robber calling that
be would give himself up and that he
was in a dying condition. Blair assisted
him to the stage and took him into
Ward, where, on the next day after hay
ing his arm amputated, he died. The
coToner's jury found that his name was
! John Carlo, a native of Ohio, aged
twenty-thTee years, and that the shooting
by Blair was justifable, as it was done in
the defense of property intrusted to his
care, and while Carlo was engaged in the
unlawful act of highway robbery, I'm
mediately after the inquest, Blair started
In pursuit of the other robber, James Craw-
ford, and soon struck his trail, which he
followed for ten days, capturing the man
in Southern Nevada. Blair brought him
back to White Pine, where he pleaded
guilty and was sent to the Nevada State
prison for q term of years. The robber
died in prison January 49, 1881.
On the 4th of September, 1877, there
was a large shipment of money to be
sent by Wells, Fargo & Co., from Eu-
reka, New, to Typo, to pay off the
miners at the latter place. Eugene Blair
and Jimmy Brown were the "shotgun
messengers" who were to guard the
treasure through to destination. 1t was
generally known in the region that about
the first of each month such shipments
we're made, and that the stage which
carried the messengers would be certain
to have also the treasure on board. A.
]. Davis, alias "Big Jack Davis" Cwho
had recently been discharged from the
Nevada StBte Prison at the expiration Of
q term for robbing the express on the
Central Pacific train near Verdi Nov. 6,
1870, he being the leader of the band. J
Thomas LAURA, IAN eX-convict), Bob
Hamilton, Gan ex-convicD, and his
brother, had agreed upon a plant to take
in the stage at Willows Stage station
whenever they had reason to believe il
was carrying the Typo money. The
stages left Eureka late in the afternoon
and were due at the Willows station
about 8 o'clock in the evening. Jack
Davis, Bob Hamilton and brother were
to be near the Willows station, an6
LAURA was to remain in Eureka until {
stage with messenger on board should
leave, when he was to go to the summi
of a high mountain about ten mile'
from Eureka and at a fxeC
place build as many fires a
there were messengers on the stage, 81
that the fires could be distinctly seer
from the station. AS soon as the stag,
with the two messengers on board lief
Eureka on the afternoon of the 4th O
September 1877, LAURA mounted hors,
and rode to the place designated, bull
two bright fires as per agreement, ant
returned to Eureka without his absence
being noticed. AS soon as darkness
came on so that his confederates coulC
see the fires they rode up to the station
and leveling their guns at the hostile
and rancher, who happened to be a
the stable at the time, demanded a sur
render, which was Immediately compiled
with. The two men were bound anC
gagged and laid away in stall in tn
back part of the barn, being admonished
at their peril, to give no alarm when thu
stage approached. In about an hour tn
stage ratified up to and stopped in from
of the open barn Doors as usual. Blai
was on the end of the seat next the barn
with the driver, and Brown on tn
dickey seat just behind them. AS tn
stage came to stop a voice yelled gu
from the darkness near the stable door
''Eugene Blair, surrender" Blair too
ct for joke, and did not move until th
second command to sect down off Q
there and surrender Blair immediatel
jumped from the stage, with his shol
Wells Fargo shotgun in his right han
and started for the party who, thong
not in sight, had been hailing him, whe
two shots were fired at him-one frol
the side and one from the front. JAG
Davis then rushed upon Blair and place
the muzzle of the double barrel shotgu
anainst Blar's breast; the latter seize
the gun with his left hand and threw
up. Blair then clinched Davis, and
the scuffle swung him around, so thI
the bright stage light struck squarely o
Davis's back, when Jimmy Brown, frol
his seat, sent a charge of nipe buckshC
into Davis's back between the hip
Davis exclaimed: 81 am shot; l surrei
DER" and fell to the ground. Brow
started to get down and received shC
in the leg which shattered the bone. Be
, Hamilton and his brother then fled int
the darkness, Blair following and firm
at them as they ran. The two men
the barn were then liberated, and DAY
, was taken in and cared for until NOR
ing, when the stage turned back to e.
rnlrn nnrruinor Do vic u.hn died ON II