Wichita eagle., 1888-02-23
THE SHOTGUN GUARD. <

~ ..s;-
A CONVERSATION RELATIVE TO THE
EXPLOITS OF HiGHWAYmEN. s..c.
How Road Agents Attack Stagp-Try-
ing to tho Nerves of the Guard-Lets
tiers Of warning-A Case OF Total Col
lapse.
When the. treasure box came in ON the
Deadwood stage the other day, the mem
bers Of the shotgun guard carried it into
the express car and sat down by its side.
There were three of them. The box had
$3.50, GOO in bullion in it, and as usual a
crowd assembled to look at 1t and at the
men having it in charge. AS there was
an hour before the train would start, the
crowd and the guard fell into converse
ton relative to train and stage robberies.
After some Of the exploits Of highwaymen
on the Hills road had been referred to,
Bill Dunn, one OF the shotgun men, said:
II see that there is heap Of talk in the
papers about the cowardice of men who
happen to be mixed up in tussles with the
agents. Now, this is all very funny when
you are 1000 miles away from them and
know there isn't Winchester within
four miles of you, but the thing takes on
q different aspect when you are within
range. l never was in hold up but
once, but have seen more than one time
when l felt as though l would like to get
out and walk and let the box go. The
fact that you have SO much money in your
keeping is of itself enough to make you
nervous in q country like this. AS a rule
when agents attack treasure coach or a
train they are on you before you know it.
Then you can fight or die, just as You
please. The times that make your shirt
collar wilt are when you have reason to
believe that you are to be attacked and
yet are not attacked.
LETTERS OF WARNING.
"When I carried a gun on the Sidney
route there was month at one time that
l never left Deadwood without having re-
ceived letter notifying me that was to
be held up on that trip. Sometimes got
the warning through the the postofice,
once received it in Sidney, and several
times it was pushed under my door at my
boarding house when I was asleep. In
some Of the letters the writer assumed to
be the robber, and he always wound up
his warning with the words: so look out,
I'll have the box, and l may have you. ,
Others of them, though they were all
written in the same hand, came ostensibly
from Others parties, who pretended to
have only my interest at hearth OF course
l knew that that was dangerous road,
and it was my business to shoot and be
shot; but after this sort of thing had been
kept up for fortnight or so began to
get nervous I found that every time
started it took q bigger drink to get my
nerves in condition, and on inquiring the
value of the box came to feel a sort of
The thing was wearing on me, and at last
1 got SO thought / could tell how
strangers out here, who came west with
exaggerated ideas of the dangers to be en-
countered, felt when they found their
fears realized. Now, I'll tell you some
thing that was never told yet.
CATER had been getting these warn
ings for about three or four weeks I left
Deadwood one day with box worth
$780, 600 As soon as heard the value Of
. the bullion the perspiration came out On
me, for, thought to myself, these cut
threats always know when there is a big
treasure aboard, and this is their meat.
1t made me mad to find myself so nervous,
because the fact is never yet ran, and
don't think I ever will, and I walked
around little while trying to get my
grip. The fact Of the matter was wasn't
well. The work had been heavy, and my
anxiety had upset me. But when it came
time to start l put on reckless air, and
getting up in front with the driver babe
the boys good-by and we drove of.
A TOTAL COLLAPSE.
s'The roads were heavy, and before we
reached the first station, where we were
to pass the night, it was dark. Some OF