Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-02-07
NEVADA ROAD AGENTS.
A STORY OF THE EARLY DAYS
OF STAGING OUT WEST.

of MOiasses for Safety.
Stage robbing was almost legiti-
mate business in early days" said an old
ComstocEer.
1.-THE express company lost a great
deal of money in that way. and at last
James Cannon was sent up to Virginia
to break up the business. He was a
shrewd man, and he devised more
schemes for outwitting the road agents
than you ever heard of. He sent treasure
in sacks of potatoes, which were loaded
on prairie schooners, and even the drivers
never suspected that they were carrying
anything more valuable than potatoes. |
have known him to drop bar of bullion
into cask of molasses and send it
through safely. when he knew the agents
were watching for it. 1t was Cannon
who thought of sending shotgun mes
sengers on the stages, and he made them
carry their guns with the muzzles rest
ing on their toes, so that they didn't dare
to fall asleep He broke up stage rob-
bling as a branch of the general mer-
chandise business by making it too
risky.
RECKLESS RIDE.
while I was keeping a saloon in Vir-
ginia City, Glenn Lee and three other fell
lows. whose names have slipped my
memory. came into the camp and started
big faro game close to my place. They
had $4,000 in the drawer, and think
they had got hold of the coin by holding
up IL stage. They did big business and
were making plenty of money.
at was the custom then to close up
the games at 12 o'clock on Sunday night
Glenn and one of his partners came to
me and asked me to mix them up two
bottles of cocktails. He wanted them
in champagne bottles and had the labels
scratched off. wondered what all that
meant and found out later. / also no.
ticed that Glen Lee had borrowed a
light overcoat from Charlie Dexter.
as soon as their place was closed,
Glenn and his partner mounted their
horses on II street and rode out of town.
Glenn was riding horse that he hired
from the chief Of police. All the ami
mails were good, and as soon as they
were out of town they had a chance to
show their speed. The four horsemen
spurred down the Geiger grade i'll the
darkness at terrific rate. If you have
been over that road, you kEow what a
gallop down the grade on a dark night
means 1t is steep and winding road
through the mountains. The turns are
sharp and, where it runs through Dead
Mans Gulch, 4 slip over the edge would
send horse and rider to kingdom come in
no time.
The four gamblers flew over that
road to Washoe faster than anybody
ever went before, and made the thirty
four miles in less time than l would dare
to tell. At Washoe they had four good
horses staked out, and it did not take
them long to shift saddles, try my cock
tails, mount and start off again. They
knew what they were after, and they did
not miscalculate time or distance.
In those days the stage companies
had good stock, and when the Reno
stage came along six horses were making
it spin. Four men sprang into the road,
and one of them shouted to the driver to
stop. The driver could not pull up short,
and the men had barely time to spring
aside and avoid the wheels. Glen Lee
1eveled his revolver and fired, and one
of the leaders fell dead. The other
horses tumbled over the one that was
down. and the stage was stopped, but
not before a deputy sheriff on the box
had pulled gun and sent a ball through
Clem's partner. Dick.
THE lark ON CLEM'S COAT.
1.-THE passengers were ordered out and
ranged in line, the driver threw down
the box. and while the plumber was be-
ing gathered up one of the robbers said
to the disarmed deputy sheriff: Il think
we ought to kill you. my friend Glen
Lee interfercd and said: No; there's
been enough bloodshed. Let him alone.
The stage was put to rights, everybody
got aboard, and it was driven away,
covered while in sight by the robbers
guns.
THE three gamblers buried their dead
pal, but where they dug his grave no.
body knows. Then they mounted their
horses. rode at desperate speed back to
Washoe, changed horses there and
pushed on up the Geiger grade to Vir-
ginia City, where they arrived at O'Clock
in the morning and Immediately went to
bed They felt pretty safe. as nobody
would suspect them of having made such
a trip in so short time. They could not
utlNC illdue IL "IlilOUI u iSldy VI iioASSo
and even then they had to ride like
devils
But there was one little circumstance
that was Insignificant in appearance and
fatal in fact When Glen Lee sprang
aside TO avoid the stage he raised his
right arm and covered tho driver with
his pistol The forward wheel of the
coach grazed the under side of his arm
and ground into the sleeve Il streak OF
mud that nothing could wipe out. y
lady in the coach was looking out of the
window, and as the coach passed Lee she
saw the mark made by the wheel on his
coat sleeve.
when she reached Virginia City
and, with the other passengers, was
questioned by Cannon, she said: 'Look
for 4 man with a wheel mark on the
sleeve of his light overcoat. That mark
was made by rapidly turning wheel
and no brush ever was made that viii
take it out
Cannon strolled up c street, ,l
Charlie Dexter came along with lii
light overcoat on. Cannon glanced q
his sleeve, saw the wheel mark al,
gathered him in. Of course, it didn,
take Dexter long to remember who hal
his coat on the night of the robbery, ant
the three gamblers were captured AM
sent to prison. One of them q shan
say which) was the son of famou
philanthropic millionaire of Washing
ton New York Star.