St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-26
SHE WAS POWERFUL PRETTY.
No Wonder Jimmy Was Caught Nap
ping.
How She Wheedled Jimmy as They
Travelled.

-
nous character in this section for many
years, and in his capacity as a shotgun mes
senger on stage coaches, guarding treasure
boxes, he probably had more fights with
road agents than any other man who ever
held that post. His death, which came
after protracted suffering, was due to
wounds received in the service. Speaking
of him at a resort here last evening. an old
timer, who remembers when Bannack and
| Virginia City were started, said:
Ibid any of you fellows ever hear of
Shotgun Jimmy's romance! No; I'll bet
you didn't. He had One though, as big as
| life. "amember when he came to these
parts mo e than twenty years ago. and
| went ~ ork as messenger for Gilmer q
Salisbury. That was before he had been
peppered up the way he was when he died,
and he was about as gOod-lOoking young
Ster as was to be seen here. He was a
terror, though, on coach. l never saw
his equal. He could shoot more times and
in more directions in given time than any
man who ever watched box. 1t got so
there at one spell that the agents would just
leave things alone if they found Jimmy
aboard. and. as rule, when he was at
tackled it was by new men. have known
shotgun messengers who did not shoot any
too quick, but nobody ever found fault
with Jimmy on this score.
well, what I started out to say was
that Jim had deal to do with a mighty
pretty girl once. He was down in Virginia
City, and was to escort treasure coach
through to Helena. The country was full
of tough citZens-that was before the boys
tied up the gang by the necks-and it was
known that stages with money aboard were
almnct aortain fO hn aftaakQd I'm tho
coach coming up was young lady in deep
mourning. about the prettiest girl that we
had ever seen here and as there was no
treasure aboard Jimmy got pretty well &C
Quainted with her. She could not have
been more than 26 or 81 years old. and she
was that handsome that when she got to the
tavern at Virginia City the boys went into
the diningroom and ate an extra supper all
around just for the chance of seeing her.
Jimmy had learned something about
her. She told him that she was
widow, and that her errand was to find
Col. Savage. who was said to be in this
section. He was her uncle and the admin
istrator of her fathers estate. and business
matters made it necessary that she Sh Ould
see him. Jimmy didn't know any such
man, but he said he might be around for all
that. That evening he was very attentive
to her. and most OF the boys hung about
the place half inclined to be jealous.
THE next morning, just as the stage was
ready to start, and Jimmy. with his shot
gun. was standing by its side. the treasure
box having been screwed on and the driver |
being in his seat, the young woman came
running up, exclaiming that she wanted to
return and would be ready in ten minutes if |
the stage would wait. The driver grum- |
hIo1 hut ipr,nty x,iotdod nd no III
made her appearance. There were no other |
passengers. After she had been seated the |
boys stepped up, hat in hand.
and said good-by, while some |
of them - Jack Fergus was /
one of them. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT so far as to !
express regret that she was not to stay |
longer. She laughingly replied that she
might return, and waved a little handker
chief out of the coach window as it rolled |
away. That was the last we ever saw of |
her. Jimmy was inside with her, and we
all thought he was the luckieSt chap that |
ever struck Montana.
But let me tell yon something. Less
than six hours after that pretty little darI-
ing sailed out of Virginia City looking as
sweet and gentle as lamb, she was hold !
ing one Of Jimmy's big pistols at his ear
and he was looking two ways for Sunday. |
Pm afraid he wasn't watching things as
close as he ought to have dOue, but nobody |
blamed him in those days. We'd see a
mOman like that about as often as we would
a flock of angels. and Jimmy was only a
man. He rode on the inside of the coach |
most of the way until about the
middle of the afternoon. when |
he got out. Then she complained of lone
illness and fear, and after while he got
N.Nt fhofl
there was a volley and a yell, the horses
coming to sudden halt. Jimmy's hand
was Oh his gun, and he was just On the |
point of making jump when the fair one
by his side raised one Of his revolvers, |
which she had quickly removed from his
belt. and with a savage no you don'tp lev
eled it at his head. For a second Jimmy |
didn't know which way to turn, but it was |
only second. The driver was good |
one, and he was already at work with a |
Colts revolver. Without hesitating Jimmy |
tried dangerous experiment. AS he held |
his shot gun, it's muzzle pointed out Of the |
window near where the girl sat. He saw |
at a glance that to fire it would |
not kill her, but that it could |
be discharged so as to scare the |
life out of her providing that she was not a |
regular wildcat, which he didn't believe |
she was. A good deal quicker than can |
tell it he pulled the trigger, at the same |
moment reaching for the revolver the !
young woman held. knocking it out of her !
hand. The crash of the gun was terrific, |
and as it went off not more than eighteen |
inches from her nose it para y1ed her. She |
fell back on the seat in dead fit, ana |
Jimmy, grabbing his irons. was On the |
ground in jiffy. Well, the minute the |
agents saw him in fighting trim they took |
to cover and he after them. They kept up |
a lively firing for few minutes and then |
Jimmy went back to the stage, expecting |
to find the girl there, but she had disap- |
peared The driver, who had remOunted |
his box and was holding the lines in his |
teeth while he stood guard with two big |
revolvers, had not seen her leave, but it was |
evident that she had crept out very |
stealthilv and made a short cut for the tim |
Der. On the floor of the stage was little |
gold tassle which had been lost from |
the young woman's watch chain, and |
Jimmy picked it up and wore it for a long |
time. After satisfying himself that the |
agents had made fiZzle of it he drove on |
and made the rest of the trip in safety.
The boys had a heap of fun with Jimmy |
about that girl, but he took 1t good
naturally. He owned up some time after
ward that he had proposed marriage and
been accepted, and he once told me that, |
notwithstanding what had happened, he |
would claim her if he ever saw her again"
INSANE ON HIS WEDDING DAY.
Cruel Treatment of a Young Bride |
Aby Her Husband. Whe Becomes