Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1891-01-01
! RACE Win IDAHO ROBBERS.


Jaaqsin NiE~ IN 81. EseAelss
was lying ice bound ct Lewiston,
Idaho. Men wanted to send money
below to their friends or families.
Merchants. anticipating the trsmsn.
dous rush. must get letters through
the snow to Wslls Walla. Would I
go? Gould I 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
bis way TO Walls Walla2 At FIRST
the merchants had tried TO hire Indi.
ans to make the trip and deliver their
letters. Not one could be found to
90. When the storm abated q little
the men who kept the ferry across the
Shoshone river scraped of the snow.
and cutting down the uphesvsd blocks
Of ice made it possible TO cross with
horse.
At first meant to carry only let.
tsrs. But having finally consented
to take little gold for one merchant,
I soon found / should lose frisuds il
/ did not take gold for others. The
result was that / had to take gold
worth nearly ten thousand dollars.
A few mufnsd up friends came
down to the river bank 10 see me of.
It was great event. For two weeks
We had not had l.ne from the outer
world. And meantime the civil war
was raging in oil its fury.
As ! set ont that bleak and icy
morning. after ! had mounted my
plunging pony I saw in the crowd
several faces that I 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 Millersbure,
and also Canada Joe. This last lived
with some low Indians Q little way
down the river. So when he rode
ahead of me I was rather glad than
otherwise. for I felt that hs would not
90 far. kept watch of him however
and when I saw that he skulked
around under the hill, % If he were
going home. and then finally got back
into the trail knew there was trou.
BILE ahead.
But the "Rubicon" was now behind.
My impetuous horse was plugging in
the snow. and I was soon tearing
through the storm up the hill. Once
fairly on my way. I looked back be.
low. Dave English and Boone Helm
were bidding goodbye to two mount.
ed cowboys at the ferry house. Ten
minutes later, as / looked back through
the binding snow, ! saw that these
two desperate fellows were following
me.
True. there was nothing criminal in
that; the two highwsyman had a
right to ride behind me if they wish
cd. And Canada Joe had just "a
good a right to ride ahead of me.
But to be on q horse deep in the
binding snow and loaded down with
gold was bad enough. To have q
desperate blocking the narrow trail
before you with his two friends be.
hind you, was fearful
/ had two ix-shooters close a,
hand under the bearskin flap Of my
saddle-bag. where the gold was.
kept my left hand in my pocket where
lay . small six.shootsr warm and
ready. Once a. the drifting and
binding snow broke away up the
mountain, saw Canada Joe, with
his head bent down in the storm, still
pushing on ahead of me at safe dis.
tance. A few moments after, as
crossed and climbed the further bank
of an ugly canyon. the two robbsr,
came close enough to hail me. One
of them. held up q bottle. They svi.
IDENTIFY intended to overtake me Il
they could and profess to be friendly.
This / mus. not allow. urged my
ambitious horse to his best. But, tc
my dismay. as ! hastened up narrow
pass ! found that was not far be.
bind Canada Joe. This low. .browed
black fellow was reported to bs thu
worst man in all that country. And
that was saying he was very bad, in.
deed.