The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-03-20

4 Travelling Mans Adventares n
the West and South.
He Meets . Clam state Man Who Killed
Robber for Ten Per Cent. and In
New Orleans Encounters .
Prudent Drummer.

Au00UUt0fD -
Prudent Drummer.
We were staging from Anton Chico 10
Santa Fe, and there were six passengers,
all men, writes New York Sun CORE.
spondent. Every man was armed, and
one might safely Judge that every one
would fight II driven to It. One Of the
passengers was man from Rhode Isl-
and, who said his name was Hastings,
and after we were fairly started he be-
gan:
Gentlemen, have proposition to
make. If you accept II hope 1t will be
to your benefit. II you do not, then no
harm has been done. We are quite
likely to meet with road agent before
we get through. II 80, how many Of
you will fghtP"
This was putting 1t pretty broad, but
seeing that no disrespect was meant, one
Of the passengers looked over the crowd
and replied:
II think every man can be depended
on"
eyes, you think so, but when the
pinch comes the case will be different.
I've been through the mill, and I've
seen man with two revolvers go right
down into his boots and submit to be
kicked"
"What is your propositions"
"Well, I'm about dead broke. want
to engage to defend this crowd for ten
per cent Of the money it is carrying"
''How do you mean?"
'Why, If stopped, I'llagree to kill or
run off the chap who does it. If do
you pay me ten per cent. If don't you
pay me nothing. I'll leave it to each
man to size up his pile"
"You must think yourself very brave
and smart man," remarked one Of the
others.
ooh, no; I'm not at all stuck on my
self. This is a matter Of business. I
guarantee to do thus and so. / want
you to do the same" ''"'-
We chafYed him for awhile, but seeing
how good-natured he was finally agreed
that If we were stopped and he killed
or drove the robber off we'd come down
with the per cent. demanded. Stages
had been robbed on that route, but we
uau lO lcdr, anu ~ udu CoHlc uioiiB W
five o'clock in the afternoon, and we
were about to cross o creek running
through chapparal, when voice
cried "Haltl' and the driver pulled up.
"Egad! but here's the agent"
chuckled Hastings, who had been DOING
for an hour. Remember the terms,
gentlemen-ten per cent II save your
boodle!"
"Throw down your gunp shouted the
voice, and we heard the driver comply.
"Now get down and unhitch your
horses from the STAGE"
The driver was swinging himself
down when Hastings opened the right
hand door and jumped out, revolver in
hand. As tough q looking chap as you
ever saw stood at the horses heads, Q
double-barreled shotgun in his hands,
and he yelled at Hastings as he saw
him drop. The latter fell on his hands
and knees, crept swiftly under the
vehicle, used one Of the wheel horses to
cover him, and while the robber was
peering about to locate him, and at the
same time warning us not to leave the
coach, the Clam State man rose up and
sent bullet plumb through the fellows
head. He ran forward to finish his
work, but the robber was as dead as
herring.
Scents, ten per cent, II you pleased"
said Rhode Island, as we piled out Of
the stage, "and whatever find on the
body Is NINE"
He got two revolvers, the shotgun, two
gold watches, and S17O in money and we
paid him $500 more. We felt fat enough,
too, can assure you, as we had been
given no show. Hastings stripped the
body, dragged it out Of the road, and
took his place in the coach with the re-
mark:
"Hope you gents are perfectly salts
aed with my work, and II you want to
contract for my services the rest Of the
way, Ill put 'em in at Ave per cent,
which is an extremely low rate"
| THE PRUDENT DRUMMER.
They put me next to drummer at
the st. Charles Hotel in New Orleans,
and as I was unlocking the door about
ten o'clock at night he came down the
hall and asked:
swell, have you located emp"
"What?"
"The fire-escapes."
l "No. never attend to such things"
"You don't? Well, you are in for Q
roasting some night. never go to bed
In o hotel until after have located
every stairway and fre-escape. If there
was to be an alarm here tonight could
Jump out Of bed with the fullest con-
adence Of saving myself. See here Q
minute"
And he took me into his room and
produced from his trunk fire-escape
made Of ropes, and exclaimed: