Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-21
A RACE WITH IDAHO ROBBERS.
Joaquin Miller Relates Thrilling ENPe-
rIence Of His Youth.


A RACE WITH IDAHO ROBBERS.
Joaquin Miller Relates a Thrilling ESpe-
rionce of His Youth.
vas living ice-bound at Lewiston,
Idaho. Men wanted to send money be-
low to their friends or families Mer-
chants, anticipating the tremendous rush,
must get letters through the snow to
Walla Walla. Would / go? Could L
60?
The snow was deep. The trails over
open and monotonous mountains were
drifted full. Could any living man face
the drifting snow and find his way to
WalIa Walla E? AT first the merchants
had tried TO hire Indians TO undertake
the trip and deliver their letters. Not
one could be found TO go. When the
storm abated little the men who kept
the ferry across the Shoshone river
scraped Off the snow, and cutting down
the upheaved blocks of ice made 1t pos
sible to cross with horse.
At first / meant to carry only letters.
But having finally consented to take
little gold for one merchant, soon found
| should lose friends if did not take
gold for others. The result was that l
had to take gold worth nearly Sl0,0 600.
A few mufled-up friends came down
TO the river bank to see me off. 1t was
great event. For two weeks we had not
had line from the outer world. And
mean time the civil war was raging IN all
its fury.
AS set out that bleak and icy morn
ing, after | had mounted my plunging
pony, saw in the crowd several faces
that | did not 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 Mil
lersburg, and also Canada Joe. This
last lived with some low Indians little
way down the river. SO when he rode
ahead of me | was rather glad than
otherwise. for | felt that he wOnld not
90 far. kept watch of him, however
And when | saw that he skulked around
under the hill, as if he were going home,
and then finally got back into the trail,
| knew there was trouble ahead.
But the Rubicon was now behind.
Ny impetuous horse was plunging in the
snow. and / was soon tearing through
the storm up the hill. Once fairly on
nv wav | looked back below. Dave
English and Boone Helm were bidding
good-by to two mounted cowboys at the
ferry-house. Ten minutes later, as |
looked back through the binding snow,
| saw that these two desperate fellows
were following me.
A CRITICAL SITUATION.
True. there was nothing criminal in
that the two highwaymen had a right
TO ride behind me if they wished, and
Canada Joe had just as good a right to
rIdo ahead Of me. But to be on horse
deep in the binding snow. and loaded
down with gold, was bad enough. To
have desperate blocking the narrow
trail before you with his two friends be-
hind You was fearful
had two six-shooters close at hand
under the bearskin flap OF my saddle-bag,
where the gold was. kept my left
hand in my pocket, where lay small
six.shooter warm and ready. Once, as
the drifting and binding snow broke
away ND the mountain, L saw Canada
Joe. with his head bent down in the
storm, still pushing on ahead OF
me at safe distance. A few
moments after, rs ] crossed and
climbed the further bank of an ugly
canyon, the two robners come close
enough to hail me. One of them held
up bottle. They evidently intended
10 overtake me if they could and profess
to be friendly. This l must not allow.
/ urged my ambitious horse TO his best.
But, TO my dismay, as / fastened up
narrow pass l found that | was not far
behind Canada Joe. This low-browed
black fellow was reported to be the worst
man in all that country. And that was
saying he was bad indeed,
/ was in a tight plsce now and had to
think fast. My first plan was to ride
| forward and face this man before the
Others came mp. But l was really afraid
of him. 1t seemed much easier task
to turn and kill the two rear men and get
back to town. But no no All this
was abandoned almost as soon as thought
Of. In those days even the most des-
perate had certain rights which their
surviving friends would enforce.
was now but q few hundred yards
behind Canada Joe. So far as / could
find out the robbers were closing in on
me. But we had ridden over the rough
est part Of the road and were within q
few miles Of the high plateau, so that
the wind was tearing past in gale and
the drifting snow almost blinded me.
STRATEGY SAVED HIM.
Suddenly | had new thought. Why
not take to the left, gain the plateau by
new route, and let these bloodthirsty
robbers close their net without having
me inside / rose in my saddle with
! excitement at the idea, and striking spurs
TO my brave horse | was soon climbing
no the gradual slope at a gallop. All
but was glad Gallop gallop gallop
l seemed to hear many horses ! Turning
my head suddenly over my shoulder, |
saw my two pursuers not a hundred
yards behind me. They shouted.
was now on the high plateau, and the
snow was not so deep. Gallop gallop
gallop Canada Joe-thank Heaven
was away TO the right, and fast falling
behind. Gallop gallop gallopl l
was gaining on the robbers, and they
knew it. Fainter and fainter came
their curses and their shouts.
And then: Whiz Crack Thud
looked back and saw that they both
had thrown themselves from their sad
dies and were taking deliberate aim.
But to no purpose. Not one shot
touched me or my horse, and | reached
the first station, and finally rode into
} Walla Walls, with my precious burden,
safe and sound.