Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-10-07
THE DEADWOOD STAGE.

THE DEADWOOD STAGE.
The Wild West show have among
their properties an old stage, an un-
comfortable looking vehicle, yet it was
to just such stages that travellers few
years ago We're obliged to trust them
selves when moving from one point
of the far western country to another.
1t was just such a stage that ran be-
tween Denver and Deadwood City,
and which Captain Jim HuXtable and
his men were in the habit of hating
and robbing whenever they felt the
need of money. Even the hardy pros
pectors accustomed to taking big
chances in their lives hesitated before
undertaking the journey to Deadwood,
and for woman to do such a thing
was almost unheard of.
At the time when Captain Jim Hux-
table was at the very height of his
evil reputation, when scarcely stage
got through the mountains without at
least a desperate struggle with the
road agents, an old lady presented her.
self at the Office of the Deadwood
Stage company, in Denver and desired
to engage a seat for the next day. The
clerk opened his eyes with astonish-
ment at the old lady's temerity, and
ventured to ask if she knew what
she was undertaking. Very well the
old lady knew, and she had no idea of
being pursuaded from her purpose.
Her son, she said, was out there in
Deadwood City. She had not seen
him for ten years, and now that she
had come all the way from Georgia to
take him by surprise, nothing short of
death should stop her on the road.
The next day when the stage started
for Deadwood the old lady was in her
place. There were only three other
passengers stalwart pioneers
with all their worldly goods tied up in
their blankets and gentlemanly-look-
ing man in black who sat directly op-
posite the old lady. At first the three
men looked on their fellow-passenger
of the opposite sex with evident doubt.
To travel over a rough country full of
dangers with a timid woman who
might throw herself on their protection
at the first symptom of anything unus-
usl was far from an alluring prospect.
At the end of the first days travel,
however, all such fears were dispelled
by the conduct of the old lady. Fully
able to take care of herself, undaunted
by the discomforts of stage travel, and
willing to take an interest in everything,
she soon proved herself a pleasant
companion and anything but burden.
The two prospectors and the lady
were on intimate terms of friendship
by the middle of the second day. The
gentlemanly looking man in black, on
the other hand, maintained a stoical
reserve. When questioned on any
subject he answered but never Joined
in the conversation, and if he listened
to what was said he had no appearance
of doing so. Most of his time was
passed sunk back in the corner of the
stage, with his eyes closed, apparently
asleep When the foot hills
were reached and the dangerous part
of the journey was about to
begin, the conversation naturally
turned to the daring deeds of Captain
Jim Huxtable. The prospectors told
story after story of how the outlaw
had first appeared years before in the
northern part of Colorado, here for a
time he was lost sight of, and then
again had made his appearance on this
occasion in the vicinity of Deadwood
only more terrible than before, be-
cause he had with him a companion as
reckless of all danger and as willing to
take human life as himself They told
of incidents when these two had halted
a stage load of men, and while one
of them kept the passengers and guards
quiet at the point of his rifle the other
had deliberately cut the mail bags, e1-
tracted their contents and robbed the
terrified passengers of everything val
liable they had about them. Grsdu-
ally other outlaws had gathered round
their standard until they were the
leaders of as dangerous band as ever
terrorized country. Tie prospectors
said that Captain Jim Huxtable's part
ner was only known as Captain Sid;
this information was obtained by hear
ing his companions call him so when a
robbery was in progress. The fea-
lures of both men were unknown, as
they invariably wore handkerchiefs