St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-13

breasts against a rope stretched
across the road. a handkerchief
was fiutteriug from the center of
the road. The driver put OH the
brake, and then somebody standing by
a tree at the side of the road told him to
throw down the box. He glanced
toward the person who spoke and saw a
masked man pointing something at him.
He threw down his box, the masked
man cut the rope and told him to drive
on, and the stage went on its way. The
next day the officers found the broken
express box, the rope, and an old fence
picket in the road, but they never
found the masked man.
The express box is the main attraction
for the road agent, and sometimes 1t is
an affliction to his soul. In the natural
order of things it ought to contain
wealth, but the heartleSs express COM
panies sometimes load it with bricks,
and cause great loss of time and an
guish of spirit to an industrious and
painsiaking robber. When robbers
were the rule and safe trips the excep-
ton in California the express companies
invented the dummy box and worked it
off frequently on the enterprising agent,
but the Joke didn't last long. The agen
acquired the habit OF bursting the bot
in the presence of the driver and then
protaneiy requesting him to hand out
the other box and no blank foollshneSS.
As the drivers weren't hired to shoot
they discouraged the use of the dummy
box, and 1t was abandoned by all we'll
regulated lines, although it was worked
in occasionally on some amateur rob-
Der. When Budd Philpot was driving
the Lakeport stage a roDber held him
up, and Budd cheerily tossed out an
empty box belonging to the Great west
eri mine and drove along with the
Wells-Fargo box safely slowed under
his feet.
The scheme of building ar iron box
into the body of the coach worked for q
By sending the driver and passengers
along the road afoot and breaking into
the box at their leisure with cold CHS
els. AS they usually concluded the
evenings entertainment by setting flre
to the coach and burning up $1,000
worth of the cOmpany'S property, be-
sides running away with the horses, the
Stagemen concluded that the iron-DoX
scheme didn't pay.
Going through the mail sacks used to
be tedious job for road agent, and
it didn't often pay for the time wasted.
Besides it doubled the number OF pur-
suers by setting all the United States
marShalS on the hunt for the rODDer,
and when caught it landed him in the
United States court and insured
heavy sentence. Nevertheless, great
deal of money is sent by mail, and for
the convenience of road agents and
other thieves who may desire to take
the chance of being caught, Uncle Sam
invented the registered letter and
its especial couch. No other rea-
son for the invention of the regis
tered letter system can be imagined. A
registered letter is not insured, and
Uncle Sam will not pay for it If it Is
lost or stolen. The registered mail is
put into /, little pouch, which is put
inside of the ordinary mail sack. When
the road agent gets hold of mail sack
he rips it open, either by running his
knife around the sack near the bottom,
or by making two slaSheS criSS-crOSs III
one side of the sack. Thanks to Uncle
Sam's kind consideration and foresight,
he isn't obliged to ransack a thousand
letters. but finds all the valuable mail
sorted out and neatly done mp in an
easily portable pouch, which he takes
along 10 open at his leisure in the brush.
Of all the devices for the protection of
treasure and the crcum vention of the
road agent, the only one that has stood
the test of time is the big, ugly-tempered
man with the Sawed-off shotgun on the
box. OF course, when the other fellow
has the drop, shotgun is Of no more
use than piece of lead pipe; but the
lone road agent can't watch a lot of
passengers and a driver, and at the same
time keep the drop on man who has
been hired to shoot him full of holes,
and only wants half chance to do it.
If the robbcr gets the drop on the mes
senger and keeps it, and contents him.
out the box, he may win; but it is
the business of the man with
the sawed-oif shotgun not to let
him get the drop. but to
blaze away as soon as he shows up.
The gun is sawed off for the greater
convenience of the messenger in pOtting
road agents. 1t is loaded with buckshot,
and scatters like charge of bribery
fired into California legislature. The
length of the gun is such that when the
muzZle rests upon the footboard the
locks are level with the messengers
knee, and he can swing it into position
very readily. If he gets it pointed any
where near the robbers some of the
buckShot are sure to hit.
An old Nevada drivers modification
of the messengers gun was single
barreled shotgun worn in his right boot,
the muZzle protruding through the bot
tom near the heel. When held up he
stuck out his leg toward the robber, as
if he were feeling for the brake, and
pulled the trigger. But one hand was
required to work the gun, and the effect
was something in the line of pain full
surprise.