Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-11-10
HELD UP STAGES.
BrECiMrNs OF BcLD HIGHWAY oPER.
A1lOss nv DICK TuRiISs, OF
THE PACIFIC COAST.

The stage from Auburn 10 Forest
Hin was bothered by stage robbers n
few yoars ago, and shotgun m-ssen-
ger was put on 10 protect II, says the
Sau Francisco EIamiacr. On hia
first trip out he wins expecting trouble
because the box contained n large sum
Of money, and when, ut n turn IN the
road, man stepped our with n rifle
In his hands, IN. messenger DID not
wait for any order 10 halt, but blaEed
away aud filled with buckehot u
prominent citizen Of the county,
Tho prominent citizen being dead,
his friends asserted that he was going
out on the road 10 quart a dangerous
spot aud assist Ia protecting tho stage
aud that the messenger had made a
d.plOfable mistake and fired too soon.
There wss no evidence 10 show that the
man Intended 10 hold up the stage he
cause the messenger didn't give him
time TO order the driver 10 stop; but
there are folks In Placer county who
insinuAtc that II Ia no dead sure thing
that the messenger made much Of u
mistake after all. They say that
man who goes out upon the road with
ariile TO assist shotgun messenger IN
protecting a stage, without taking the
precautlon 10 notify the messenger
that he viii lie there, has more public
spirit than good sense, ana their grief
over his death IL greatly mitigated by
the reflection that the number OF fools
Ia diminished by one.
black Bart was almost always sue.
ces.ful In his attemps upon stages, but
he didn't fool with messengers very
often. He made u mistake once and
tried TO hold up the LAporte aud
Mafysvillc stage when GeorgelIackett
was on the box. Hackett Just missed
blowing the top Of his head oil, and
Bart retired 10 the woods with two
buckshot In his scalp. About three
miles further along the road another
ambitious road agent showed up, and
Hackett again unlimbered his gun.
The second robbcr ran away, leaving a
trail Of blood.
Messenger q. II. Ward, who had a
brush with Road Agent Miller near
Redding last March aud missed killing
Miller only because the hammer Of his
gun was bent aud didn't strike the
primer, has had several lively meetings
on the road.
In 1884 Ward wns on the stage going
from Cloverdale to Mendocino City,
In the night two men sptanR out OF the
woods aud ordered the driver 10 stop,
but the stage was ON steep down
grade aud the driver couldn't have
stopped II he had wanted 10, The sc.
lection OF such piece Of road IN the
scene Of hold.up showed that the
robbers were amateurs and did not
understand the art Of stage-robblng.
One OF them fired almost Immediately
after giving the order 10 halt ami filled
Wards nand with a lot Of ragged bits
Of lead. His weapon apparently was
musket, and In place Of shot he had
loaded 1t with scraps whitfield from
bullet.
Ward returned the fire and hit one
Of the robbers, and AS he turned Ia his
seat TO get another shot ride bullet
fired by tho second rohber plowod
through the breast Of his coat aud
made hole IN the drivers hat. The
Hiring frightened the horses aud they
ran down the grade and took the coach
out Of range. Wards hand was badly
mangled but not permanently dis'
ablod.