Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-11-07
LIFE ON THE FRONTIER.

LIZ II oAN rhUAN41E IT,
DR.. Yarrow, of the United States
geographical survey, was "stood up"
By road agents during his recent trip
ont West. 'The real thing he says,
SIS not what you read about. The
robbers were not at all polite. They
don't walk up to you with their hats
IN their hands in that chivalrous way
you read about and tell you they are
very sorry to disturb you, &c. At
least the ones who took my watch and
all my money out in the wilds of Ari-
ma did not do any thing of that sort.
They may have been amateurs. They
were in great hurry, and were very
rough and brutal, cursing at and
abusing us in the worst sort of way
while they robbed us. I had sort of
presentment when we started out that
we would meet with some adventure.
When I asked the driver if there was
not danger of being stopped and rob-
bed he laughed at the idea, and as
sured me that I was just as safe in
his stage for that trip as if I were in
Washington. This route was never
robbed he declared But said I,
one of the cowboys tells me you were
stood up about two years ago. He
lies was the brusque reply. My re-
volver was safely slowed away in my
valise. We were just nearing two big
sandstone powders and / was saying,
We'll, if we are stopped it will be at
one of two places One is here, and
the other
cat this point I was cut short. The
stage came to a stop very abruptly
between the two rocks. One man
stood with a Winchester repeating
rifle covering US, while another cover
ed tie driver. The other stood in the
road, one in front and one behind us.
while the fifth was at some distance
holding the horses. They wore long
yellow oil cloth coats buttoned high
about their necks and coming almost
to the ground, and had broad white
sombreros pulled down over their
eyes, and each had big red handker-
chief tied over his face SO as to cover
all below the eyes. They cursed us
roundly, told us to jump out, and be
- quick about it, which we did.
Then they stood us up in line, and
made us hold our hands up. One
kept us covered with his Winchester,
while the other, with a cooked revol-
yer in his hand, went through us for
money and valuables. He sept the
pistol pointed at the head of each as
he searched, using his left hand for
the searching. All the time they.
poured forth volume of abuse, and
made themselves altogether as disa-
greeable as possible. They seemed
to be very much excited, and the fell.
lows hand trembled SO that held the
pistol that I was afraid it would go
off accidentally. called his atten-
ton to this when he was searching me.
Look here, my man, I said, there's
no use getting SO excited; that pistol
might go off. You have got the drop
on Us. We aren't fools enough to
show fight There's our money and
goods. Take them, but be little civil
about it.
''He only cursed me for the advice,
and said if I didn't keep still he'd
blow the = top of my = head off;
and I thought he would, SO I kept
still. They took all our money and
things of any value we had, besides
the mail pouch. Then they let US go.
After we got about four mile away
they changed their minds, and came
after us again. I don't what they
wanted unless it was to kill us. But
We didn't care to wait to find out. We
put our mules on dead run. and rae
ed them for our lives. It was about
as exciting race as / ever had. It
was very nervous business. They
were gaining on us all the time, but
We ran them until our mules gave out.
By that time we had reached the top
OF a hill, in sight of cattle ranch.
AT the mules dropped I jumped from
the stage and ran for the ranch, wav-
ing my hat over my head in the hope
of attracting the attention of some of
the cowboys. The robbers knew as
sistance was at hand, and were fright
ened off. My impression of them was
that they were clustering. brutal set
Of fellows