The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-10
FROM BOOTTO SAFE.
TIMES VIXEN STAGE ROBBERS
WERE BIG GUNS.


nous Canon Springs Stage Robbery
ord the Fatalities-Humor Among
Thieves This Time.
From, the Pittsburg Dispatch.
RAwH1DE BUTTEs, WYo., Aug. 2S.-The
says of stage robbing was about
var in the Rocky mountain re-
.;or and it is but once or twice
gaar that even an attempt is made by the
h;obyaymen in the whole stretch of coun-
~ which extends from the Socorras, near
tha New Mexican southern boundary, to
to the northern line of Montana. The rail
xysvs have taken the treasure box from the
s+ooe boot to the less easily attacked ex-
nress messengers safe in the strong car of
the swiftly moving train. The onward
march of civilization, too, has driven
before it into the land of disappear
once the bold hold-up, along with the
brfPalo and the uncontrolled redskin. But
come of the men who scarcely more than a
Jecade ago ''threw down" the six-shooter or
the deadly Winchester on the driver and
stood the passengers up in a row with hands
IN are to be found, and they not infre-
ouently become tongue-loosened by the
cheerful glass, and tell of the good days
cone by with gusto that is not altogether
s1nrnin9led with regret. While, of a neces-
eitv. not one of them will own to his own
connection with any of these roadside ex-
,eriences. the way in which they relate the
minute incidents and the vividness of men,
orv they display sets at rest much doubt
that they were there.
BOLD ROBBERY.
Here at this pleasant station on the last
link of stage road which exists on the once
famous Cheyenne and Black Hills line lives
Henry Barker, better known as big
Hank, y and after his ''stock is tended" and
he comes to sit around the hospitable stove
of Russell Thorpe's wide-spreading store,
hotel and ranch house, all in one, he has
spun to belated travellers many a yarn of
the way in which the boys met the coaches
coming down from the "Hills" or going
toward them. Hank got talking about t
Canon Springs stage robbery last night and
he pricked up his ears with interest when
traveller who was through from Nebraska
remarked that he had seen Duck Goodell,
one of the men who did that :boldly des-
perate and bloody piece of work, but re-
Gently in the penitentiary at Lincoln, and
that Duck was serving out his life sentence
with apparent PHILOSOPHY, and was in good
health.
Yes" Hank said, "Duck is the only one
of them fellers as was ever ketched, though
II
in Arizony for another job. Most all the
dust was got, though" and he unused quite
time before be said anything more
The Canon Springs stage robbery was
about the last of any note, and the desperate
fight that occurred, resulting in the killing
of Scott Davis, Gail Hill, two guards of the
treasure box, Jean Hall, the driver. and one
Of the highwaymen, who was not identified
all followed by the pursuit of Goodell-
served to frighten even the robbers who in
tested the road away from the line.
The stage was coming south from Dead
wood with the heaviest treasure box that
had been sent over the road for several
weeks. There was $4,000 in gold dust,
about $4,000 in currency and quite snug
fortune in nuggets. The road had been
carefully watched for several days by adj
vance messengers of the express and stage
companies and the time of the departure of
the coach postponed once, until it was sup
posed that the coast was clear. The
danger, it was naturally concluded,
would be at the narIsw passages, away
from the stock stations. Canon Springs
station was not thought Of because the
stock tender there was careful man; the
log station was in a slightly place, with a
few trees on the other side of the road and
bunch of timber some little distance below
that.
BRAVE CAPT. SMITH.
The messengers dispatched with the treas
IRE were the only occupants of the coach
except the driver. They were picked men
who knew the road, and were known to be
both fearless and brave to fault. One of
them now lives in Cheyenne, Capt. Smith.
He was one of the most daring and intrepid
of the artillery officers in the union army,
and won promotion TO full captaincy by
his many hard fought battles. The other
two were Gail Hill and Scott Davis. On
the box was Jean Hail. who had faced the
agents" who had stopped coaches before.
1t was high noon when the siege whirled
up to the station On the trip thus tar no
indications of difficulty had been observ-
able. Down in the little canon below, the
clear stream murmured along peacefully.
The birds were singing in the trees along its
banks. The sun was shining warmly out of
a sky Of such blue as Is seen only in the
peerless dome of Naples and along the base
of the great backbone of this continent.
Hall Stacked his lines, chirruped to his four
booded horses, and called cneerily to the
stock tender, who had not appeared. 1t was
fhe failure of the tender to come out as the
stage approached his stable which first ex-
cited the messengers attention, and they
cooked their guns, but more by force of the
habit of watchfulness than otherwise, so
peaceful was the scene. Hall threw down
The rbbons-and then for the fated stage
and all of its occupants but one the sky
grew dark.
Through chinks of the logs of the stable
five cleaning rifle barrels poked forth; a
stern command, "Get out and hold upi'
came, and simultaneously the fire flashed
from every muzze. Hall was killed; one
OF the bullets struck Davis in the breast
ard the other three went through the coach.
Wounded though he was, fatally. Davis
ssprang out of the opposite side of the coach.
Hill followed him, and both ran to two
trees near the roadside. Smith threw him
self in the bottom of the coach and fired.
In a second more it seemed the five Win
chesters in the barn spoke again.
This volley was answered by the
niles Of the three messengers and
the fight to the death waged terribly.
30 fast and effective was the fire
from the guardians of the coach and its
treasure that the outlaws fire was well
nigh silenced. Then Davis fell from behind
his tree, blood streaming from half dozen
CHASTITY holes, and an instant later, Hill
staggered from his shelter, death wound
IN his throat and one arm broken, fired
once with his other arm holding the gun
ana fell, face down, in the dust. Smith had
crawled out of the coach and was shooting
IRON beneath it, But when he saw that he
was alone TO face the volleys from the
smoking guns scarce 30 feet away he made
aspiring that carried him over the road and
ran, rolled and tumbled down through the
crush to the timber at the creek. As he
gained his equlib,:u m he emptied his rife