Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-30
. A ID AMBUSCADE.
How BOSS" Wright Was Killed in
EARLY California Days.
A Typical Pioneer Sherif-An Outlaws Es-
cape, and the Fatal Attempt to Re-
capture Him-His Ultimate
Tragic End.

One dark, rainy morning in Febru-
airy. Il few years ago, l was aroused
from a deep slumbcr by the gradually
dawning consciousness that what had
been. in my dreams, a mixture of a
Thunderstorm and 4 boilcr-shop, was,
in reality. but the bony knuckles and
thick-solcd shoes OF the::porter playing
a diScordant duet on my chamber door.
When the clerk retired to bed, some
time in the small hours of the night, he
left at my request, certain hieroglyph-
les on the Office slate, which the porter
Interpreted to that there was a
lady or gentleman in No. u who de-
sired to be called for the Marysville
Stage: and the porter was now simply
~.nlravoring. gently, as he no doubt i'm
agincd. to arouse the occupant of No.
u to such a condition that he could
jmpart to him the intelligence that the
stage would be at the door in half an
hour. Having succeeded in awakening
not only the drowsy occupant of the
bombarded room, but every M sleep
ing on the second floor of she hotel, he
explained the object Of his CHATTER in Il
Voice indicating an insurable pair of
lungs. and then stumpcd his way
through the passage and down the un-
carpctcd halls, followed by muttcred
lmprccations which tloated through the
open transoms or both sides Of the
hall. Had | been q lady-which,
fortunately for myself, and perhaps
Others, l am not l would undoubt-
eddy have tainted from fright. AS it
was. | arose hastily and dressed my
self us quickly as possible, desiring to
get down by the office fire to subdue
my chattering teeth; and to devote as
much Of the limited half hour as there
remained to preparing myself for the
coming journey with Il hot breakfast.
Both of these objects were accom-
plI>hed. and | was at peace with all
the world and financially square with
the host Of the Union, the Jolly and
portiy Nat1ziger, when the stage drove
up to the door.
THE STAGE.
1t had been raining in an intcrmit-
tent I'M for nearly y week, and
the night before 4 steady shower had
SCI m o.le OF the quiet, persistent, I'M
rllan%aple kind, which is only encoun-
tered along the base and sides of the
Sierra and Cascade Mountains. 1t was
SUI raining, and the driver, whose oil
SEIn hat WAS shedding little streamlcts
OF water upon his oilskin coat. told me
would find room on the inside, Il piece
OF news which was. under the circum-
Stances, exceedingly welcome. This
WAS not one of those Concord coaches,
mounted on huge pyramids of springs,
winch cause it to roll like a vessel in a
gentle swell, but a small. dead-axem mud
wagon, containing two seats and no
p"rc"ptlble springs, a vehicle whose
perpcnd cular and lateral movements
are made in such an abrupt and impul-
siFr manner that they a neither be
anticipated nor concurred in; they can
SIMPLY be endured, provided n keeps
ms teeth carefully closed and at Il safe
Instance in front OF his tongue. That
As the kind OF conveyance which is used
surlng the rainy season, and is called
a"stage" with rs much courtesy as is
bestowed upon the reddcst or ycllowest
"SolCN. uOuDlt-ucChcu SOLlCOlu.
lpushed aside the wet canvas flaps
ana gazed into the interior, finding
1hree mcn occupying three seats, just
leaving oom for me beside III OF
Them. Before | had fairly wedged my
'allse under the seat and myself on the
Top OF it, the driver started his team OF
1our down the street and across the
bridge leading over Deer Creek at 8
rafting pace, the mud and water flying
from the wheels in IL perfect shower
lhe three men who We're my travelling
companions were encased in three
nealy canvas coats, and We're industri'
ously pulling at three pipes Of assorted
sizes and materials. That they were
miners was evident, and l soon learned
mat n OF them was the su%perintcnd
ent OF a hydraulic mine at Blue Tent
ano the others were pipemcn at som'
other claim whose name l have for
gottcn. l opened the conversation b,
,emark1ng that my pipe was i'll III,
''a1,se' and if they would Reuse m,
EANk of silvia 7 would .,,ol.o =, o;r,r a.