Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-08-02
FAMOUS DEsPERaDO's END.
lanes MCDaRiel's Surprising Career
as a Stage RObbsr.
Robbing a Load Of Passengers Twice, Once
on Each Side Of the Town---A Boast
ing Letter to Newspaper That
Led to His Death.

SAN ANTONIO, July 26 1t is the general
opinion that if James Mcdaniel, the cele-
brated Texas desperate, whose death has
Just been announced. had not been killed
Just SIS he was by the officers, he would have
been dead anyway in less than tWenty-tour
hours.
His time had come to die" said an old
cattle man to-day. II don't see how he
could have escaped at all he was engaged
to marry both of old Dave Coffees dsugh.
tiers, and, as he was preparing TO jump the
country, he'd got to take one or the other
with him. They're as pretty girls as there
are in Texas, and they re Just as quick with
gun as anybody, md the man who lied to
one of them would die, end I'll bet on it.
l believe that Jim escaped q violent death
at the hands of one of the girls by being
killed by the officers. So there's no use OF
anybody grieviDg over Jim. 1t was fate.
His time had come and he had to 20"
Mcdaniel had taken q hand in great
many kinds OF crime, but stage robbing was
bis trade, and he had reputation in that
line which was the envy of all the beginners
in the business in the Southwest. He had
robbed more than fifty stages, and consider
ed his occupation as legitimate as any other.
This was due as much to the fact that he
never had any Of he a2vant ges OF civihz
ton when young as to any other cause. He
grew up on the western Texas border, an
whatever notions he imbibed were evil
During the eight years that he was at
work on the highways Of Texas and NeN
Mexico he made his name terror 10 all
drivers and travellers. Some OF his robteries
were SO daring and unexpected that the PEG
pie were exssperated to madness NOR,
than once, but the harder they tried to catch
him the greater ease did he display in elud
ing them. When the search got too hot for
him in this vicinity he would slip over into
old or New Mexico for while, aud then,
when the excitement subsidized little,
he would return and resume operations.
On one occasion he broke the heart of q
party of Texas editors who were travelling
through Tom Green county by stage, BY
stopping them, making them form in line
on the roadside, and then having fun with
them. As soon rs they were all in row,
Jim knocked every man ) hat of violently,
soaring them half to death, as they thought
be was going to assault them, and when all
we're uncovered he drew a lot of bags out OF
his pocket and put one over each mans
head. Then be made them march, and,
once in a while tripping one of them up, he
would order them to fall into linz, which, in
their blindfolded condition, was a very diff
cult proceeding. When he tired of his
sport he.took what vsluables they had and
let them 60.
As an evidence of the celebrity, or cheek,
as it is called here, with which he operated,
it may be said that two years ago he robbed
the Boeme stage twice within three hours.
He stopped it first on the west side of the
town, and, after subiecting the passengers
to many indignities, let them 90, pretending
70 ride away from the town when he had got
trough with them. His victims drove
rspidly to Boeme, where their stories caused
the utmost indignation. Tue able. bodied
men got together, armed and mounted
and set out toward the west IN search
of Mcdaniel In the meantime the people
of the town had 81 pplied the travellers with
some ready money and the journey was re-
sumed. About two miles east Of Boeme
the same highway man presented himself,
and once more took everything the unfor
Inmates had They then returned to Boeme,
and when their story was told the settlers
guashed their teeth in impotent rage. Nc
Daniel had simply made circuit Of the
town and after finishing his second robbery
be had no difficulty in making his escape
A dozen similar instances might be related
of him.
The fellows that Mcdonald had with him
during good portion Of his career were
quite as hard as he was They killed sew
ersl people in their stage robberies, for
which none Of them was ever punished, and
on one occasion they cleaned out a rival
party of outlaws with whom they had long
been at swords points After this exploit
they left Texas and crossed over into New
Mexico, where they INDUCED in a prolonged
debsucb, visiting all the principal towns
and boasting of their crimes. In the So.
looms which they visited they created q de
cided sensation by reaching into their peck
ets, producing the ears of heir victims, and
clspping them on the bar in payment for
their drinks. They kept this sort OF thing
up for q month or more until there began
to be hints that their presence was not de-
sirable, and they returned to their old
haunts in Texas.
During all of McDaniers career he showed
4 strong dislike for the press. Although
living in the wilds most Of the time, he seem.
ID to have q way Of finding out all that was
Uritten against him anywhere in western
Texas, and all that an editor needed TO get
~ rimand By mail from Mcdaniel was to
intimate in his paper that he was a thief and
L, rderer who ought to be dancing on a
;Cafold. 1t was this fatal fondness for
Iiting to the newspapers that FASTENED
Jims death.
The outlaws last arrest was for mail
robbery and on his trial in this city he was
convicted and sentenced to one Of the Hi.
nois penitentiaries for ninety-nine years
While awaiting transportation north he |
broke out OF the Jail here and disappeared. |
A vigorous pursuit was instituted, but as no |
trace of him could be found, and as it was |
known that he would rather die than sub !
NIT TO life imprisonment it was believed |
that be dad gone to old Mexico, and would |
not again be heard Of on this side of the line |
Just as everybody had settled down
to this conviction one Of the local papers |
received long letter from Mcdaniel protest
ing against its suggestion that men should |
be kept on his trail for some time longer.
he said that that was not q fair way to |
trest him. He was low free, and he in
tended to remain free He had q good
Winchester and two revolvers, and he
wanted everybody to know that he could
not be taken. For that reason it occurred
to him that any newspaper man with COM
mon sense would let him acne and urge
other people to. This missive was not dated
but was postmarked at Uvalde.
The officers made up their minds that
Mcdaniel had not gone to Mexico as they
had supposed, and they Immediately made
for a thorough search. Dave
Coffee and his two daughters were known
to be friends of the outlaw, and as their
camp was in wild and dangerous part of
the country about thirty miles north Of here,
it was believed that he was in
hiding there. Accordingly. q party WAS