Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-07-16
ROBBING THE STAGE.
A Road Agent Tell How Easily the
Thing Il Done.
No Danger IL the lob 10 Managed by
Scientific RObber-Passen-
gers Invariably BADLY
Scared.


been visited by many people ami ques-
| toned AS TO their career on the road.
! Both men are fully identified ms the indvid-
uals WHO stopped coach last fall and re-
lieved the passengers of their valuables.
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 q nan WHO wants real good business
and an easy sort Of life," said Tolman Ter
hume, one Of the prisoners, II would advise
him 10 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. Peo-
PIE would not ride, aud after while there
would be no stage at all. You must let the
recollection OF one hold up kinder fade out
o. mind before you spring another on them.
When hold up hasn't occurred for 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 n road
agent. It's all mooasbine, but it is a fact,
nevertheless, and the boys in the business
have b. he very careful, or they will stam-
pede all the game.
There's more or less science in doing up a
,tage, can tell you. Your mind must be on
things present and thinss prospective You
must work it so You can eat your cake, or a
good part Of it, and have if, too.
Now, | had a friend that once did bust
mass On the Calaveras road. He Was hog
He wanted everything that came his way,
and he took it. The result was that before
many weeks elapsed the stages were all taken
off hut one on two and the drivers of them
used Ia 20 over the route alone very often
One time my friend sprang out in front of
the stage and ordered the driver to throw up
his hands. which he did Then my friend
went around to the side of the coach to in
teryiew the Passengers and found that there
wasn't a soul in the gig. 1t made him mad,
Of course. So he went back to the horses,
and noticing that the driver was smiling, he
remarked: I've notion to slice you up for
playing this trick OH me-
"'What trickF says the driver.
why didn't you tell mo you hadn't any
body aboard'
because you didn't ask me-
"'Well, what have you gotH said nv friend
To the driver; come, now, shell out
The driver didn't have anything but lit
tie whisky, and he gave the agent some and
oook some himself. Then they got 10 talking,
and after awhile my friend got up On the box
l..
just 10 keep him company and TO hear what
he had to say. The driver was one of those
observing fellows, and he gave the agent
some good advice. Says he:
lyon have ruined the business on this
road, ruined yourself and ruined the COM
pany. Nobody travels here any more You
have scared them all Off. Now, you
might a well git yourself, too
There's no money here, and won't be
Till you restore confidence You can't
work n stage line without confidence any
more than you can banking institution
You must clear out OF here and stay out. and
when tie arteries Of trade open up once
more then you can come back if you want TO-
but you musn't le too enthusiastic Won
must hold up Il stage and then take a rest
Go over to San Francisco for few weeks and
enjoy yourself Mingle in society and seek
diversion. Then when you feel like it, come
out aud take another crack
We'll, when ] left the stage driver-I mean
when my friend left him-he knew a good
deal more than he did before, and have
heard that he profited by it 10 some extent.
At any rate lie made fewer harls but they
were bigger, and he mad good deal less wear
and tear.
No" tu'io - no uahser III stopping
.oa'n n, 'u WV near u Stage roDper
49,, e.. - ", n',e Doeh
vi VI. eo"s. io' .Nll9 yene, Nonooy Kills
=" 90 at -, w." rs p'oe ue pnsSe''-
seis aio w. ",u n '"o mex, .hey are
,,.;,t ,l,, ;haI. A., No, Ill. =, .e o,e.
oar,,,iy;n,, With tho da,,,ras ,hat - oa "
- 81, 7, !, -, - - i''',io
49,, 60, ,,,.,, ,,,.a.s,.;.. % Z. ."on-
.ls,Ii.. 80 IL -, So y" n'
go - min. Who o,,ar,,aa :, a. -
80 - C,ro,,,,, s,,, ;,,,ao,,i -. a..
- ,ba o.n,lono,, ,,ho,n n, ;,,,'i,s ~
- -, f,oi -, ~ ,e' ~ 81. "a
-, ,,,,,,,r., o., - -, ' y
-, -, osi,i,s, .or o. 80. I'
- ha ia O. -,
u s,.,,,,,a. =, e. p. o..
h.nas ,,n al b;s 18th oha,,a.;.,.s
-, ,,,x, ,r;a,,a co.,, 49,, .. -,
o,, 81 h;s yos, ,ocLot . li,tIo ,.aa ~ ,, po
,,ot o,,or sG tho folInu .,;1o,,.,,. $50;
,ha, s,r,o a,ro ,,,,,;.n,,on, ,,o,,rI ~, as
-, ~, IN caso h, ala ~, -,
- tho ,,hars to,d ,bo robb.,. d., ~ H.,
n,ore ,,onsy IN his trr,r wbich ras .tr,,.,J
nm bahi,d Well Of caurso nv fr;,n5 "a
=, ,,., ,h.,, ,,,ona, al ~. ~. -. ~.
n. found II RIGHT whore ,ha fsIlo,y to,J h;n,
!, SO uo ,,orld , go al Fl, -,
,,o,o 80, ;,ho,,, IL, a., -, 49,.
-, a.. ,,,o,, h., ia r., e., -
,,on.v !, !, he would ,oyer boy. -; 60
after that if he Ind not gotit.
81 knew dozens Of just such experiences
| had cousin operating on the Yosemite
road over near where was rounded up. who
took more pleasure in the business than any
man | ever heard Of He enjoyei the
fun of the thing, and he often used
to say To me that as between robbinc
a stage and going 10 minstrel show.
he would take The former every time. Now.
that, YOU see, was because there was abso-
lutely no danger in it. He was an experi-
enced man, and knew that the thing was
safe. | honestly believe that if, when he was
going through stage load, somebody had
fired Off gun he would have fainted away,
not so much from fright as from surprise.
MY cousin was considered a very good
man in bis day. He had an air II authority
about him. and a voice that could be heard a
mile in the open air. When he said Hands
uni hands went IN. and no driver ever dared
move peg when he heard him remonstrat
ing. Yet he wa, dowued once. and
load of reopl. from New England. and there