The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-03-01
ROAD AGENTS
an Adventure on the Old MARI
posa Stage.

the regular army. another a tourist 70
search Of health. third ranchman. and
the other two were prospectorS aud miners
None Of Us had m e each other previous 20
the start. Those we're perilous times and
the first half hour was spent IN sizing each
other up. I don't knoE 70 what c0nclu-
sion the others came, but / looked over
the four men and said % myself;
The Lieutauant ought % fight in case
we are attacked, but he seems too nervous
20 be gamey. Tia tourist Is IN and has no
sand, bat the rsnchman and prospector
can be depended On"
At that time the coach which vas
not stopped twice ont OF I've trips VAS
considered very lucsy. In some instances
the robbers were driven Of. but in INST
cases the passengers Submitted 20 being
SHIELD up" and were glad % get OF " III
nothing worse / hal with me over six
thousand dollars iu bank bills and gold,
and was determined not D. part With
that money without q lgnt The ranch
man had four thousand dollars, and the
miner about three thousand dollars, as " as
afterwsrd learned, and both had deter
n ned 20 zht We hsd Just ioried the
Mercod river and had ,s.1.s 10 a lonely
stretch Of road. g. hen the rancnuan pulled
his revolver ald oE4u net the caps. Il
was not vet returned 70 che holster when
we heard 4 shout, tho report Il a pistol,
and the stage cane % full stop. 1
reached for nv pis-0i. a. lid th- miner,
knowinz that -oboors = .-s at hand, bIt
before mine ves out .ae Z eute1snt tuRz
his arms around m al c-i5i
'For Gods sake. u-aEr no move O. We
shall all b. mu-d erodi - then take all
We havsf7
At the same tins he tourist ar,s h.ii
| se'f upon tho I'm 20. an Nth r - 10 Esd
e weapon ont when a -0bt-- sho-Hd him
self A. either q ,o-. Tao rHne1-lz1 was
ready. how W., md b tiH54 tho nan on
| his side. he would have also kil0t th3
| other but bic revolver fai1i on fhs ssc-
/ ond shot, and ERE -ohbo- push Il "a $ r.-
volver in AM fred W.-t fhs 1Iz-l- gre esd
a.ainst the poor fellow h-a-' q third
ToLbsr then cams MP, and vys were covered
| from either door and called upon % sur
render. The jig was mp, and We climbed
out, delivering our pistols butt foremost
/ a. We left the sage. Thera ware four Il
rs and only two robbers. but when a man
has the drop on you and means business
its no use to Kick. We were placed IN a
row, aud while one Of the fellows kept "a
/ covered the othsr went through each man
/ In turn. The Lieutenant shei'sd out a
watch and So the tourist a watch and
/ $40, and they got from tds other
two Of Us the sums / have
/ previously named. ! hai my bank bills
/ in my bootiegs, but as we were forced %
strip 70 our shirts. they foun every last
/ dollar. Wh j. ~ -ve-p drs sing the body
OF the ranchman was pl Tel from the
coach and stripped aui robbed
have no doubt that she robbers meant
n shoot every one Of Us after -ecuring tao
/ plumber 10 order 20 Gvenge the dsath d
their comrado, but the unusually large
booty put them IN good spirits and they
underwent q change OF heart. The one
who searched Is stepped over the holy a
dossn times thout seeming 70 care
/ whether Il was log or man hen fnal-
/ Is through with ~ he bent over she dead
body and began rotlins Il, saying 20 Dis
companion:
"Bnl won't have any more use for
money, and we might az we'll take bis dob
lars along. Poor Bill, We shan't never
/ play poker together a-aiu."
When they were rea Is 20 20 they cut
the harness 50 that the stage would be do
tained a couple Of hours, broke up or car
risd of every hreH arm. and drank % our
health from flask tho tourist had with
lalla AlaN AlaA on TOT N e NNNfH' AllAa 70
the east, having 20 little care for Us that
neither a them once looked hack. / was
mad and no mistake. nd the miner gave
utterance O. his feeling in curses " hich
almost cracked tbs stones around o.. We
had been robbed Of our every dollar. aud,
with the money. our svery pros pect. The
tourist couil CO. NOR At Stockton, and
the Lieutenant --as ont only a few dollars
anyway. I was not We, dressed y hen be
began % put on air over ~, ella ming Il
We had not been 20 hasty be would have
managed the affair . the defeat q the
robbers. This added o. uy anger, and
sailed 10 and pounded him mt De- yelled
for mercy.
II vas Just sunset uheu the -tase was
ready to 20 on, bur there were two u rs
who did MT propose o. g. that vas. We
were unarmed. but deter mined. and while
the stare numbered a down the road we
found q club Ep.ccc aul --t out on the trail
Of the rubhers. Luckily Tor us the miner
had been iau- % the country aud seen a
good DIAL 20 ere hunter. e.. We there
fore bad no . ji-uify in 4. lowing tletra'l
uufi. darku--. rf m. or. t4a i-.iJr made
directly i1F -1- i-.IlI.... and Uc L1d 10
doubs thatfhey bad come sort Of q cave or
strOn hr'l or. lh---. They fo0t matters
90 cooily nat thcy ,0uii not have BEEN q
graf WAS EH'1t &C %. H -l t.rru--.
fell / We then Cor -.st -1 .rfiI Daylight.
bat The miEs~ urge.l that w Should push
on From b Topography H' ~ csuutry
be felt certain "a a. q TeTiHa q rife would
would b t5unE aot tar Hway. We Wsre
t1eu between rhs foothills ana the tue
mountain, in narrow vs.lrv. an1 q fuu !
moon had CO ne un. iVi-Io-' -hie r-Lr I
We could NJ have tJI1l orr. Say. ae tie /
ground was nno1 h-1'- 20 -a4 ..-r ..- rav Z
thickly scattered about
We went ahead very -arffrrI-r M fHe I
valley Tor ab5l- g mile, -41 o. sudden
rift opened % tie io.f aud TIE glare OF .
camp Gre greeted our ewes. Il was ~. .
over two hun1rei f-st away. a-l rfte-
minute We made GU tho forms % the two
men - they seemed % be preparing sup
per. We had found them, but what Of
~ They had al the AIMS and We we're
defenseiess- We eTept back few wards
70 hold consultation. and the m lner care
fully studisd ths lay Of the land. he was
Of the opinion that e was short, dry
rift, with cave az the FAR end Three
sides were inclossd BY walls q earth and
rock. and our only vay vas 70 sttack the
men from above. How high We would
800 - ~A---AAH ~ aAAaA nc AAAAHllaN.NHaa 20
could not say. We were NOT thrss min
utss deciding % make the attempt and
re prepared for Il b. leaving coats, vests
and boots behind. We began the ascent
IRON hundred feet back from the rim,
and do not believe two panthsrs oould
have done better. The side o. the mount-
an was thicklT covered With csdars, vines
and rocks, and progress was made almost
sntirely By creeping. Once We drew our
lelves up clif fully twenty feet high By
= gTaPsv ne hanging down. and again We
made use q trse to sex a higher sleva,
hon We had been going up for half an
aour before We bore % % the right 70 the
direction Of the riff We then bad 70 move
lar mnre cautiously, and presume Il vasa
oil hour from the time We left the valley
'sfors we lay on our stomachs q hundred
,est above the camp Gre and looked over.
ne men were directly bsnsath %, seated
lose togsther, and were smoking e. they
lountsd the money.
We had but one Eay b attsck. Luotfly
80 3 - . ssFaigh1 4s5coEA gfe