Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-01-21


AN ADVENTURE WITH OUTLAWS
A Dangerous hide In the Days OF
Bold Highwaymen.
was lying ice bound at Lewiston, Ida
no, writes Joaquin Miller in the St. Nicho-
las. Men wanted to send money below to
their friends or families; merchants, an
ticipating the tremendous rush, must get
letters through the snow to Walla Walla
Would go9 Could go,
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 Wal
la Wsllai 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
the Shoshone river scraped off the snow
and, cutting down the upheaved blocks of
ice, made it possible to cross with horse
At first l meant to carry only letters
But having finally consented to take lit
tie gold for one merchant, / soon found
should lose friends if I did not take gold
for others. The result was that had to
take gold worth nearly ten thousand dol
lars.
A few muffled up friends came down to
the river bank to see me off. 1t was
great event. For two weeks we had not
heard line from the outer world. And |
meantime the civil war was raging in all |
its terrible fury. AS 1 set out that bleak |
and icy morning after / had mounted my
plunging pony l saw in the crowd several |
faces that 1 did not like.
There was Dave English, who was
hanged on that spot with several of his
followers not forty days later; there was
Boone Helm, hanged in Montana; Chero-
kee Bob, killed in Millersburg, and also
Canada Joe. This last lived with some
So when he rode ahead of me 1 was rather
glad than otherwise, for 1 felt that he
would not go far. 1 kept watch of him,
however. And when l saw that he
skulked around under the hill, as if he
were going home and then finally got back
into the trail, 1 knew there was trouble
ahead.
But the ''Rubicon" was now behind.
My impetuous horse was plunging in the
snow, and was soon tearing through the
storm up the hill. Once fairly on my way
I looked back below. Dave English and
Boone Helm were bidding goodbye to two
mounted cowboys at the ferryhouse. Ten
minutes later, as l looked back through
the binding snow, l saw that these two
desperate fellows were following me.
True, there was nothing criminal in
that. The two highwaymen had 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 binding snow and loaded down
with gold was bad enough. To have a
desperate blocking the narrow trail be-
fore you, with his two friends behind you,
was fearful!
Once, as the drifting and binding snow
broke away up the mountain, / saw Cana
da Joe, with his head bent down in the
storm, still pushing ahead of me at a safe
distance. A few moments after, as I
crossed and climbed the further bank of
an ugly canyon, the two robbers came
close enough to hail me.
One of them held up bottle. They ev-
Identity intended to overtake me if they
could and profess to be friendly. This /
must not allow. / urged my ambitious
horse to his best. But, to my disappoint-
ment, as l hastened up a 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.
1 was in a tight place and had to think
fast. My first plan was to ride forward
and face this man before the others came
up. But l was really afraid of him. 1t
seemed a much essier task to turn and kill
the two rear men and get back to town
But no! no! All this was abandoned al
most as soon as thought Of In these days
even the most desperate had certain rights
which their surviving friends would en-
force.
I 1Nt,fa sa,,- 1,r,,n
hind Canada Joe. So far as l could find
out the robbers were closing in upon me.
But we had ridden over the toughest part
of the road and were within a few miles
of the high plateau, so that the wind was
tearing past in a gale and the drifting
snow almost blinded me.
Suddenly l had q new thought. Why
not take the left, gain the plateau by q
new route and let these blood-thirsty rob-
bers close their net without having me in
side! l rose in my saddle with excitement
at the idea, and striking spurs to my
brave horse, I was soon climbing up the
natural slope at gallop. All! but / was
s(hd! Gallop! sallopl gallop! l seemed
to hear many horses. Turning my head
suddenly over my shoulder / saw my two
pursuers not hundred yards behind me.
They shouted 1 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. gal
lop! l was gaining on the robbers and
they they 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 saddles
and were taking deliberate aim.
But to no purpose. Not one shot
touched me or my horse, and l reached the
first station and finally rode into Walla
Walla with my precious burden safe and
sound.