Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1890-12-12
ARAOE WEE 1pAHo RoBBERg.

below to their friends or families
merchants, anticipating the tremen-
dous rush, must get letters through
the snow to Walla Walla. Would 1
go? Could I GO?
The snow was deep. The trails. over
open and monotnonols mountains.
were drlfted full. Could any living
man face the drifting snow and find
his way to Walla Wana? At nrst the
merchants had tried to hire Indians
to undertake the trip and deliver their
letters. Not one could be found to 20.
When Che storm abatcd little, the
men who kept the ferry across the
Shoshonee River scrapcd off the snow.
and cutting down the upheaycd blocks
of ice made it possible to cross with a
horse.
At first ment to carry only letters.
But having finally consented to take a
little gold for one merchant, | soon
found / should lose friends if did not
take gold for others. The result was
that | had to take gold worth nearly
ten thousand dollars.
A few mudled-up friends came down
to the river bank to sec me Oft.
1t was great event. For two
weeks we had not had a line from
the outer world. And mean
time the civil war was raging in
al its terrible fury. ASH set out that
bleak and icy morning, after l had
mounted my plunging pony | saw in
the crowd several faces that | did like.
There was Dave English who was
hung on that spot with several OF his
followers, not forty days later; there
was Boone Helm, hung in Montana:
Cherokee Bob, killed in Millcrsburgh /;
and also Canada Joe. This last lived
with some low Indians a little W; Y
down the riyer. so when he rode
ahead OF me ! was rather glad than
otherwise; for 1 felt that he would
not so far. | Kept watch Of him, how
ever And when saw that he sl1ulk-
ed around under The Hill, As if he we're
goins hirae snlthea finally got back
into thetrail, knew theie was trouble
ahead.
Bat the '6Hbicon' was now behind.
Ny impetuous horse was plunging in
the snow and was soon tearing
through The storm up the hill. Once
fairly On my way looked back below.
Dave English and Boone Helm were
bidding good-by to two mounted cow
boys az The ferry-house. Ten minutes
lato", as I look back through the
binding snow, | saw that these two
desperate fellows were following me.
True, there was nothing criminal in
that. The two highwaymen had
q right to ride behind me if they
wished. And Canada Joe had Just
as good right to ride ahead Of me.
But TO be ON a horse deep in the
snow and loaded down with
geld was bad enough. TO have
desperate blocking the narrow trail
before you with his two friends be-
hind you was fearful
had two siz-shooters close at hand
under the bearskin flap Of my saddle
bag where the gold was, l kept my
left hand in my pocket where lay a !
small siX-shooter warm and ready. !
Once, as the drifting and binding
snow broke away up the mountain, ]
saw Canada Joe with his head bent |
down in the storm still pushing ON
lhead Of me at a safe distance. A few |
after, as | crossed and /
climbed the farther bank of an ugly |
canyon, the two robbers came close |
enough to hail me. one Of them
leld up bottle. They evidently in
tended TO over take me II they could, |
IND profess to be friendly. This |
must not allow. l urged my ambitious
lorse to his best. But, TO my dismay, |
Is | hastened up narrow pass found
That / was not far behind Canada Joe.
This low-browed black fellow was re-
ported to be the worst man in all that
country. And that was saying he was
BAD indeed.
! was in tight place now, and had I
20 think fast. My first plan was to
'ide forward and face this man before
.he others came up. But l was really
lfraid of him. 1t seemed a much
,asier task to turn and kill the two
ear men and get back to town. But,
lol No. All this was abandoned almost
IS though Of. In those days, even the
most desperate had certain rights
which their surviving friends would
enforce.
l was now but a few hundred yards
behind Canada Joe. So far as | could
Ind out, the robbers were closing in
m me. But we had ridden over the
oughest part OF the road and were
within few miles Of the high plateau,
o that the wind was tearing past in a
ale, and the drifting snow almost
blinded me.
Suddenly, / had a now thought
Why not take to the left, gain the
plateau by a new route, and let these