Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-07-25
Robbing Stages Dat West.
A ROAD AGENT TELLS How EASILY IT Is
DONE

QQeStlO0eu as 10 tnclT career Ou INC ioau'
Both men are fully identified as the indl-
viduals VINO stopped coach last fall and
relieved the passengers OF their valua0les.
Both claim that this is the only robbery OF
the kind they ever participated in, but
under the influence of free cigars they
confessed that they had certain friends and
acquaintance who had had some very
queer experiences as road agents, some OF
them on the Yosemite trail.
For a man who wants real good bust
ness and an easy sort OF life" said Iol-
man TerhLne, one of the prisoners. Il
would advise him TO go to work on the
Yosemite route. Living is comparatively
cheap and good in that vicinity. and stages
are Just plenty enough-not too plenty,
| but Just enough. You don't want to tackle
every stage that comes along, for that
would spoil the whole thing. People
would not ride, and after a while there
would be no stage at all. You must let
the recollection OF one hold up kinder
! fade cut OF mind before you spring an
other on them When bold up hash t
occurred in two or three months drivers
| get kinder careless and passengers take
/ greater risks.
"My observations have convinced me
that there isn't anything in this world that
the majority OF people fear more than a
road agent It's all moonsbine, but it is
TACT, nevertheless, and the boys in the
business have to be very careful. or they
will stampede all the game.
Now there is no danger in stopping a
coach. Did you ever hear OF a stage rob-
Der being killed never did, and have
been on the coast for thirty years. No
body kills road agent. In the first place
the passengers are too scared, and in the
next they are so almighty anxious to have
the thing over with that they do not think
OF anything else but complying with the
demands made upon them. 1t is as safe a
business as preaching. and safer than
preaching in some towns that | know of.
have heard an acquaintance of mine,
who operated in the northern part of Ore
gon, say time and again that some of the
gentlemen whom he invited to shell out
made him feel ashamed of himself by
giving up things that he would never have
thought of asking for. One man, | re-
member. he told me about in particular.
He was standing in the row with his hands
up and his teeth chattering, and when my
friend came up 10 him and pulled out of
his vest pocket little wad of money. not
over So, the fellow, evidently fearing that
some dire punishment would be inflicted
upon him in case he did not pan out as
well as the others, told the robber that he
had more money in his trunk, which was
strapped on behind. Well, of course my
friend had to get that money, and that took
time, but he found it right where the
fellow told him it was. He would good
deal rather have gone off without over
hauling the trunk. but since the man had
told him that there was money in it, he
would never have rested easy after that if
he had not got it.
II know dozens OF just such expert
ences. had a cousin operating on the
rounded up, who took more pleasure in
the business than any man | ever heard
of. He enjoyed the fun of the thing, and
he often used to say to me that, as between
robbing stage and going to minstrel
show, he would take the former every
time. Now, that you see, was because
there was absolutely no danger in it. He
was an experienced man. and knew that
the thing was safe. ! honestly believe
that if, when he was going through a
stage load, somebody had fired off gun
he would have tainted away, not SO much
from fright as from surprise.
"My cousin was considered very good
man in his dav. He had an air of au-
thority about him. and voice that could
be heard Il mile in the mountain air.
When he said Hands upr hands went
up. and no driver ever dared to move a
peg when he heard him demonstrating
Yet he was downed once, and by woman,
too. He stopped stage load of people
from New England, and there was a
schoolma am in the crowd who wore
spectacles and was a good deal more
angular than any of the women they
raise out here. When he ordered hands
up he didn't notice that she refused to
obey, because she was down at the foot
of the line. and he didn't pay much at
tention to her any way. AS he pro-
ceeded along the line, working the diff
ferent victims as he went along. he no.
ticed that her arms were behind her, and
that she was a slender old girl. So he
said nothing until he came to her. Then
throwing all his power into his lungs he
yelled, Hands upr Well she put her
hands up. She had one of those Cape
] OOu ulnDTelldS, Win WnaleDOno TlDS as
big as your finger. aud when she raised
her hands she clutched that umbrella with
the grip of death, and down it came on
my Cousins head. He told me he saw
double for a week after that, and for the
time being he was nearly knocked out.
ut was mighty ticklish moment. As
| have said. you work coach load easily
by terrifying them and getting away be-
fore they recover their self possession.
Now here was a woman who had not lost
hers at all and if the men at the other
end of the line had had an opportunity to
think for moment they would have been
on top of mel should say on top of nv
cousin-before he could get out of the
way. But he was clever chap. He
just drew a big gun and sailed up to the
other end of the line looking very Zero,
cious. and muttered something to the mer
about never robbing woman. They
took on fresh fright and did not under.
stand fully what had happened. He then
gave the order to mount and covered the
crowd as they got on the coach. The
schooma am was the last one in, and she
was the only one who was not robbed
Now. I'll bet those fellows felt chear
when they heard her story and found that
she had not lost anything.
That's the whole secret OF this stag.
ing business. No stage robber who is iii
to follow the road ever kills anvhOdv