Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-27
4 DRAMArIo ,rpEr1ye.
The Tragic Ending of the Man with the
Cataract Eye.

Inc irasic Ending oil the man Win the
Cataract Eye.
NJ Quad, in the New York World,
The stage from Virginia City to Gal
latin, Montana, had been "held up" SO
often that the horses seemed TO know
just where to halt and how long to wait.
The road agents worked in pairs as
rule, but sometimes there were three or
four in a bunch. There were five of us
on the trip am telling about. Four OF
us were pretty well acquainted the
fifth man no one knew. He was not only
a mean looking man in general way,
but he had cataract covering his entire
left eye and binding it, and this gave
him gruesome appearance. We
noticed the captain who was sta
toned at Fort Ellis, looking at him long
and sharply, and with troubled ex-
preston of face, and when opportunity
offered he said to us:
Boys, I'm satisfied that the stranger
is a road-agent, and when the proper
time arrives he'll show his hand. In
case OF attack leave him to me-"
So many road-agents had been killed
of that the survivors began to get a
little shy, and SO sprung new tricks on
the stage. We had il figured out pretty
straight on the cataract man, though he
couldn't have had suspicion of it. He
aud the captain sat opposite, and the
TWO never spoke to each other all that
day. Along towards shutdown l no
ticed that the captains face was pale,
and now and then he seemed to catch
for breath, but laid it to his net being
in rugged health. II was about half an
hour to shutdown when we passed "Red
Chalk Bluff" and struck the toughest
| spot of the whole route. Then the cap
tain coolly pulled his revolver and coy
| cred the cataract man and said:
"lf you stir a finger I'll kill you
Boys, leave him to me and attend TO the
| others ~
1t wasn't two minutes before there
was hail, and the stage stopped. Then
the voice of a man who stood half CON
cealcd behind rock on the right hand
side called out:
"Now, then, everybody come down
and hold up his hands It's no use
kicking, gents, we're too many for
you !"
The captain, whose face was as white
as sheet, and whose eyes snapped
with excitement, still kept his man COW
cred as he called out to the other:
"lf you fire a shot I'll kill your
partner Driver, go onp
Shoot the driver, Tomw yelled the
cantaract man, as he dropped to the
floor and reached for his gun.
There were two reports, one without
and one within. The captain had
killed the cataract man stone dead,
while the outlaw had fired at the driver
and missed. He ran away as we leaped
down, and the whole thing was over in
half minute. The dead man was
hauled out, and laid on, his back and
searched
Nothing of value was found except
his pistols and knife. We had completed
the search when it was noticed that tho
captain sat on rock ten feet away with
his face in his hands.
"He got worked up too high"
observed one of the men in explanation.
Here, captain, have nip of this.
That cuss thought he had lodged you
when he tumbled, but you bored him
beautifully. Can't find anything with
his name on"
~ know itp whispered the captain,
as he came and stood over his body.
you dol Why, who the devil was
| be ?"
"My own brother y
1t was month later before learned
all the particulars. That renegade was
truly the captains brother, who had
disappeared from home and the sight
of relatives years before. Aye that
very cataract of the eye was caused by
an injury accidentally inflicted by the
captain himself in boyhood days. do
not think the recognition was mutual.
The outlaw had grouped us all as
strangers, and he had planned to be
among us when the stage was stopped
and be ready to kill the first man who
resisted. The captain, however, whose
perception was keener, knew for long
hours who sat in front of him, and when
! remember how white and stern his
face grew as the day passed away, and
how he would sometimes catch for
breath, realize what struggle he must
had with himself and marvel that he had
the nerve TO carry it to the end. He
walked away as we gave the body u
rough and hasty burial. When we took
our places in the coach again he was
crying like child