Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1888-09-22
HELD UP BY ROAD AGENTS.
VETERAN KNIGHTS OF THE BOX TELL.
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
The Summary Methods Of Black Bart
Talk Between Robber and RObbed-The
Man with Read on the Drivcr-A Con-
stable In the Same Box.
From the San Francisco Examiner.

"Ona Summer afternoon" said Stage
Driver John Holmes, "while driving
down Berry Creek Hill, on the Oroville
and Quincy road, with two passengers
ID. w. Banks, a lawyer of MOdoc county,
and Mrs. Jacob Millar, now of San Fran
cisco-a tall man with white cloth over
his face sprang into the road from be-
hind bunch of manzanita, and, poking
a shotgun right up toward me, cried:
Hold up!'
II held mp mighty sudden, and when
he said, Hand out that box, boy 1
didn't lose any time, but handed out
that box sorter spry and cheerful. as
though l WAS anxious to accommodate him.
He did not modest me or the two passen-
gers, or examine us to see whether we
had any money or not, but took the ex
press box and carried it out of the road
to low point where, rs we afterward
found, he openedit. He obtained about
$3.50 in cash, q watch, and q diamond
ring, valued by the shipper to the COM
rany at only 800, but which was really
worth $3.50. The lady passenger got off
very luckily. as she was carrying down
from Quincy about 81, 100 in gold coin,
and this, of course, the robber missed.
1.-THE tall man was none other than the
famous Black Bart, as he left his usual
note in the empty box with his name
signed to it. The diamond-ring man
tried to hold the express company for
tho full value of his ring, but received,
OF course, only 800.
81 was stopped second time near
Bangor, in this county, while driving
between Marysville and Laporte. In
this instance there were two of the stage
agents. l was driving through little
gully, and just as the team came up out
of it two men sprang out from the bush
rs and cried Stop They had the drop
on me, and j stopped instantly. Two
passengers were on board. The robbers
took some stage money I had andlS5
that man at Bangor had given me to
take his wife and daughter from down
the road further, to Marysville, to see a
circus. I had about S25 in back peck
ct, and this the fellows did not find.
They took my watch, but said, "you
better give that back; you don't want
it, 30 one of the men handed it back.
The two passengers we're made to get
out and hold up their hands. One of
them only held up one hand When the
foot pad poked him in the breast with
the cooked pistol and cried, up with
that other hand! it went up in hurry.
The passenger said: Il haven't anything
that you want but the fellow searched
him and pulled ont purse that looked
as though it had large amount of mon
ey. That is something said the rob-
Der. They went through the wagon,
shook the mail sacks, but did not cut
them open, and took what change they
found on tho other passengers. This
done, they said, Now drive on, and 1
struck out in hurry. The man with
the big purse didn't seem to feel bad,
and finally told me that he only had
$3.50 in silver, and the purse was filed
up with some quartz specimens of no
value. The foot pads obtained from us
all less than $40. We found ont shortly
afterward that it was Red Antoine and
one of his men, MS they we're captured,
tried and sent to State prison within
three weeks from the time of the rob-
berry,"
SAID Frank Morse: 81 have during
the psst sixteen years been stopped by
stage robbers no less than ten times. In
these robberies only upon one occasion
did the footpais trouble me or the pas
sepgers or rob the mail. The men gen
orally had flour sack masks or some
thing of that kind, with hoes cut in tho
same to see through, and they were not
inclined to tall any more than it was
absolutely necessary. In almost every
instance they skrang out into the road
from behind n convenient rock or bunch
of bushes and cfied Halt in terms that
were not to be disregarded, especially rs
long as the comFand was backed up by
shofguns levcle1 directly upon us.
"Once man near Miners rnnch /
stopped me with q rifle aud cried:
Throw out that box!' l did not work
quite fast enough to suit him, and he
yelled out: hurry up, or / will blow the
top Of your head off. replied: Don't
be in a hurry; 1 will get the box in good
time. On one occasion / was robbed |
by four Mexicans, and another time by |
one Indian; but the other times it was
white men who stopped the stage. The
biggest haul WA $500.
upon one occasion when George !
Hnckett, the express messenger, was on
board, we saw man hide behind tree,
with gun in his hands. Both he and
Hackett fired at the same minute, and
Hackett was struck in the face with some
Of the shots. The man broke and ran,
and in the thick brush it was impossible
to find him. This was the second time
that Hackett had been interviewed that
day, and on the upper end of the line
the noted Black Bart had attempted to
stop the stage, but was slightly wounded
by Hackett; ct least, SO Bart afterward
told the detectives"
Though / have been driving most of
the time since 1872" said James Parker,
II have never been stopped but once,
and that was on the fourth day of De-
cember, 1886, in g Bidwell Bar canon,
near where the Gassoway family robbed
tho Quincy stage many years ago. 1
had expected George Hackett, Wells,
Fargo * Co. g messenger, to come down
On this trip, but he did not reach Quin-
y in time. The only passenger WAS
Mr.. N. ID. Plum, former Sheriff of
Butte county, was letting the team
walk up pretty sharp pitch in mar
row canon, when man jumped into
The road with q gun in his hand, and
cried: Hold ur, there pointing the
gun at mo. Tell those passengers in
vide to get out, said he. There are no
inside passengers answered. Get
Town off there, old man, W his next
to Mr.. Plum. Plum started,
but moved rather SOW on account of
rheumatism. Hurry up cried the
'obber. Ho replied, Il will, but give
ne little time - you! hurry
up there, l say! Get move on you
As Plum starte to climb down | no.
iced for the first time second man