The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-11-18
THE STAGE DRIVERS STORY,
Tragical Meeting With bikes Gang ON the
Road to Helena.
New York Sun.

As the stage from Helena, Mont, TO one or
the mining camps was making its trip last
fall. the driver told this tragical story of
encounter with road agents:
at wus in g." said he, IAN wus drivin'
between Salt Lake an Helena. Road agents
wus pretty thick then, an there wus one
gang run by Bill Dixie tibet used ter make
things pretty lively for us. 1t got to be
quite the regular thing at a certain point in
the road ter hear the yell, Hands up Yer
can't ever get used ter it. Every time 1t
would make me Jump Just the same as the
first time. We used ter caution the passen-
gers not to fire if they was attacked, but just
to let the agents have some small sum to pay
toll like.
"Wall, one morning l started outer Salt
Lake with half dozen inside passengers all
men-and one of the purtiest young women
/ ever see as deck passenger. She was 60
ing to meet her husband, who was stationed
in Montana at some army post. She had the
cuteSt little girl with her. The lady wasn't
more n twenty, and the little gal was about
two. She hadn't seen her husband for
moren year, and was wild to get TO him.
Just before we pulled out o. the hotel Jim
Lane Che druv the down coach and had just
got i'm came over and saws:
Say Tom. Dixie and his outfit held me
up bout sixty mile up the road
Little Mrs. Baird heard what jim had
said, and stead OF gettin' scared, she Jest
claPped her hands and said, oh, how
should like to see the stage thieves 1t Jest
seemed to me that it was temptin' Provi-
dence to make a remark like that an spoke
up pretty sharp that she might see more
stage thieves than she wanted to.
"Wall, we pulled out of the city, and went
along as slick as could be. The little lady
never complained of nothing she never
seemed to get tired, but she'd set there and
sing the sweetest little song to her little gal
Then she'd talk to me about what the West
was like. She was Jest from New York City
and had the greatest lot of news ter talk about.
Wall, about : o'clock OF the second evenin
we were going along slowly, with brakes on,
down a hill. Suddenly a couple of men
jumped out ef the bushes and yelled:
Hands up"
"Half dozen Others was alongside the
coach in jiffy with their six-shooters pinted
at us, 1t is pleasant havin' a six-shoOter
lookin' you square in the face when thar's a
man behind il that has his finger on the trig-
ger and means shoot every time, and so up
with my hands nd jest yelled out to the
men inside Don't shoot, gents Then they
stood out in row and went through US.
Ny little lady acted Jest as piucky as could
be. Jest grabbed her little gal and then
gave up her money. 1 will say it for Dixie
and his gang that they were very civil to
her.
engers they told 'em to get back into the
coach. Is they wus gettini back one OF the
passengers dropped pocket-book that he
had hidden from them. This got them
mad and they hit him couple of ticks over
the head with the butt of a six-shooter. The
passenger grabbed the six-shoOter from the
road agent, fired at him, and he fell.
Il knew what was coming then. ! Jest
gave'a yell, an let the horses have the whip.
| OF we started down the hill at a twelve
an-hOur gait, but before we got far them
devils jest turned loose on us and gave us a
volley. l felt a sharp pain in my left arm.
| heard a yell from the cnach, and, worse
than all saw that purity little lady give one
look at mean I'll never forget that look
as long as / live-and she jest fell over Tor
wards. Wall, we was out of danger then,
but had my six horses, all of 'em mad with
! fright, ter stop on a down grade, and my
left arm nearly useless.
"Wall, drove up to the next station that
! night with two dead people and two wound
/ ed men in the coach. An the saddest sight
/ ever seen was when that young Leftenant
as had come down ter meet his wife was led
up to where she Law. Fur, you see, one buck
/ shot had gone through her heart and the
| head of the little girl as she held her TO hel
/ breast to shelter her. That young man Jest
| took one look. an then turned away. In Q
| minnit the crack of a revolver was heard
and the husban' and father had Joined his
wife and daughter. That was the last thing
! that Dike's outfit ever done. We had the
| Nigilants onto EN- in less than a day, and
never let up on 'em till they was all hanged
or shot -