The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-13
A CHAT WITH A IIGNHAYMAN.
A Bold Stage-Robber Who Pound Ready
Victims in Every Coach.

Reno Letter to the San Francisco Chronicle.
''Talking about brave men," Stage
Robber Marshall said one night in Jail,
'the idea that it takes man of great
nerve and daring to rob stage is a
great mistake. I can take the softest
tenderfoot you ever saw, and, after fix
ing him up in the right style, so the
stage will know his profession the min
ute they set their eyes on him, I'll bet Z
can scare the life out of the best Con-
| that we hurt people, or threaten to hurt
that, is all nonsense. We just lay for
the stage in lonely place, and when
! the leaders heave in sight we level our
two in the air, TO make the horses
Jump and rattle the driver a
little. Then, when all hands are look
ing out Of the windows, with their eyes
popping out of their sockets, we yell,
Hands upp Nine times out of ten
that's all we have to say or do. The
! fellows in the coach get out of their own
accord, and we just stand them up in a
row, and, while one of us holds pistol,
the others go through their pockets and
take what little keepsakes they may
happen to have.
''The trouble with the people of this
country is, they rather like to be rob-
bed, I guess. It's eastern falling off
| log. Why, year ago last winter my
pard and [ was walking along the
mountain road, not thinking of anything
in particular, when along came couple
of tenderfeet in carriage. Before we
| could catch our breath, one of them
threw up both hands. knocking the 9TH
er's hat off, and hollered For Gods
sake, don't shoot.
"Well, now, we hadn't any idea of
shooting at all, and didn't know those
fellers were in those parts, but when
they sort of reminded us of olr business
by commencing to unbuckle their
watches and weasels, why, we just took
them in charge, of course, and told the
tenderfeet never to let us to catch them
on that road again, for it was our'n.
They thanked US so warmly for sparing
their lives that I felt a little uneasy
about it. In fact, I was half tempted
after we'd let them go to foller them up
and kill one Or both of them, for some
how they gave me the impression that
hadn't done my full duty"
He smiled grinly for q moment and
added: "Now, what on earth could
do under such circumstances? I didn't
rob those fellers. They made us pres
ents of what they had. Yet, when they
got to Wadsworth, they told the people
that they had had an all-day fight with
road-agents; that the woods was full of
them, and that they had surrendered
their valuables only at the last moment,
finding themselves overwhelmed. These
things are all believed, too, even by the
old-timers, men who ought to know bet
ter L and my pard have robbed the 81
ezra valley stage three times now at the
same place. I'll tell you how it was
done. Pard had Winchester and I
had pair of Colts in my belt but the
job was done every time with an old
powder and ball pistol that had no load
in it, and wouldn't have gone off if
there had been one, for I didn't have
any caps. Pard would fire his
Winchester as close to the ears
of the horses as he could with
out dropping them, and would swing
the old blunderbus in the all and holler.
Every time it happened just thesame.
The chaps climbed out, begging that
there should be no bloodshed and we
would say there wouldn't be any if the
yield was good. but that we would have
to kill somebody if we didn't get enough
to pay for our trouble. Every moth
er's son of them would give up things
that we'd never have thought of looking
for or demanding. There was only just
would think they could see some of our
men behind every tree.
zone feller tainted dead away once.
We'd just got them in a row good
when this feller's knees commenced to
knock together, and he kept getting out
of line. I finally thougi I'd scare him
and the rest of them a little, SO hol-
lered, pretending to give orders to the
boys hidden behind rocks and trees.
"Boys, bore hole in this gentleman
with the light overcoat on if he moves
an inch, OF any of the rest of them
''Just then i5 feller, the second one
from the 1imber-legged chap, had chill
like, and his teeth came together with
such a noise that the other feller
thought somebody was cooking rifle,
and with wild whoop he dropped in
dead faint. The rest of them thought
he had been shot dead. They were too
scared to notice that there had been no
report of gun. Well, we came near
overdoing the thing that time. They all
got so faint and sick that it was hard to
find their valuables. It is great con-
venience to stage robber to have the
hand their stuff right out.
"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
tenncr that can take an old-fashioned
tin candlestick and hold up the best
stage-load that ever came over the
The driver is generally as
badly frightened as any of them. He
is always looking out for agents, and he
sees them behind every bush. 1 have
robbed stages all alone and made the
driver and passengers give up their
arms, their watches and money, and
then dance for me. They thought I
had any number of pards back in the
rocks. and they didn't dare say peep