Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-12-18

by Doc Holladay and other people Of that
sort. The Earps managed to hold things
level In Tombstone. but the road agents
bossed the highway. and in Benson man
was liable TO he held UP at noon on the
station platform while waiting for a train.
Budd Philpot. brother in-law OF Charlie
Foss the king OF stage drivers, was driving
the Henson and Tombstone stage, and one
night somebody tried to hold him up not
many miles from Tombstone philpot had
had experience with road agents, and when
he heard the order To halt come from the
dai kneas n little behind the of fore wheel he
concluded that the robber was a green hand
ut the business, and instead OF putting on
the brake he gave the horses the silk and
sent them ahead on the run.
In nine cases out OF ten the trick would
have won. AZ the robber would have
thought 1t hardly worth while to fire ut
rapidly escaping stage, and the darkness
would have spoiled his aim II he did fire
But the crack Of Philpot's lash was an.
swered by the crack Of a. Winchester, and
Philpot half sprung to his feet. dropped
back with moan and swayed In his seat.
The messenger who sat beside him threw
his right arm around the driver, and with
his left seized the lines M they fell from
Philpot's relaxed fingers
The Winchester cracked again and
again. and cry from the inside OF tho
coach told that one OF the passengers had
been hit The frightened horses few over
the road The messenger held the dying
driver with one arm, and with the left
hand tried to arrange the tangled lines,
while the bullets whistled by In the dark.
He got the stage into Tombstone with the
n nresa hoy aa fin h1f turn Hau1 t,.an ,.,ar.
taken from the coach.
That was not the work OF professional
road agent The main purpose Of the rob
Der IL to secure plumber. and II he does any
killing II Is either to prevent somebody
from killing him or to insure the success
OF the robbery.
A man who understands tho art of high
way robbery can hold up any stage with
out firing shot, unless fighting shotgun
messenger happens to be on the box In
which case he may get into trouble and
miss the trick. The expert professional
never fools with stage on open ground or
steep down grade. He selects his ground
with care aud Judgment, choosing place
where the stage must DO driven slowly,
and taking such position that he cannot
BIO seen until he has the driver covered
with his shotgun. He uses a shotgun
rather than the rife or revolver, because
the shotgun Ia the most formidable weapon
at short range, its capacity for scattering
fro being well known and duly respected
by drivers,
The bigger the bore of tho gun the more
terrifying IL ~ to passengers, although 1t
In singular fact that under such circum-
stances a 22caliber rifle barrel Is likely to
be mistaken for the mouth of the Sutro
tunnel. On the line Of every old stage
road In California Is pointed out some spot
that Is a fayorlte stand for robbers. II il
usually In sharp re-entering angle. where
the horses must be brought down to
walk, and the rocky bank or a tree affords
a hiding place for the robher 1t does not
matter II the driver knows that he is liable
70 be held up at that spot and Is on the alert.