The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-10
HOLD UP YOUR HANDS.
Some Interesting Information About
the Gentle Art Of Stage
Robbing.
If a Man Understands the Business
1t Is Seldom Necessary to
Fire q Shot
Different Methods Employed-Schcmss to
Protect tho Express BOX and
Others to Thwart Them.

Different Methods Employed-schemss to
Protect the Express Box and
Others to Til wart Them.
In 1851 the stage road between Benson
and Tombstone was n bad route to travel
by night or by day, says the San Francisco
Examiner. Benson was inhabited mostly
by ~rustlers and toughs. and Tombstone was
infested by Doc Holiday and other people
of that sort. Thu Earps managed to hold
things level in Tombstone, but the road
agents bossed the highway, and in Benson
a man was liable to be held up at noon on
the depot platform while waiting for a
train. Budd Philpot, brother-in-law OF
Charlie Foss. the king Of stage drivers, was
driving the Benson and Tombstone stage,
and one night somebody tried to hold him
up not many miles from Tombstone. Phil
pot had had experience with road agents,
and when no heard the order to halt come
from the darkness a little behind the of
forewheel, he concluded thatsthe robber was
a green hand at the business, and instead
of putting on the brake he gave his horses
the silk and sent them ahead on the IN.
In nine cases out of ten thu trick would
have won, az the robber would have thought
It hardly worth while to fire at a rapidly es-
Gaping stage, and the darkness would have
spoiled his aim il he did fire. But the crack
of Philpot's lash WAS answered by the crack
of a Winchester, and Philpot half sprung
to his feet. dropped back with a moan and
swayed in his scat. The messenger. who
sat beside him, threw his right arm around
the driver and with his left seized the lines
as they fell from Philpot's relaxed fingers.
III Winchester cracked again inc again,
md a cry from the inside Of the coach told
that one of the passengers had been hit.
The frightened horses few over the road.
The messenger held the dying driver with
one arm, and with the left hand tried to ar
range the tangled lines, while the bullets
flew by in the dark. He got the stage into
Tombstone with the express box safe, but
two lead men were taken from the coach.
That was not the work of n professional
road agent. The main purpose Of the rob-
Der is to secure plumber, and if he does any
killing il is either to prevent somebody
from killing him or to insure the success of
the robbery. Tho attack upon the Tomb
stone stage was the work of a man-killer,
who had turned road agent for one night
only, and for that and other good reasons
the job was generally attributed to. Doc
Holiday, a man who left 4 trail of blood
across every state and territory between the
Mississippi and the Sierras..
A man who understands the art OF high
way robbery can hold up any stage without
firing a shot, unless a lighting shotgun mes
ssnger happens to bs on the box. in which
case he may get into trouble and miss the
trick. Tho expert professional never fools
with a stage on open ground or q
steep down grade. He selects his
ground with care and Judgment,
choosing a place where the stage
must be driven slowly. and taking such a
position that he oannot be seen until he has
the driver covered with his shotgun. He
uses a shotgun rather than the rifle or re-
volver, because the shotgun is the most for
midable weapon at short range. its capa-
city for scattering fire, being we'll known
and duly respected by drivers.
The bigger the bore of the gun the more
terrifying it Ia to passengers, although it is
Il singular feet that under such circum-
stances a 22-cslibre rife barrel is likely to
be mistaken for the mouth of the Sutro
tunnel. On the line of every old stage road
in California is pointed out some spot that
ia a favorlte stand for robbers. 1t is us
ually in a sharp %re-enterinq angle, where
the horses must be brought down to a walk
and the rocky bank or a tree affords a hid
ing place for the robber. 1t does not matter
if the driver knows that he is liable to be held
uD nu AiNt blCb ahN Al ia Ia uACAUs ouA-
not mako the turn at high speed, and he
must give his attention to HIS team to avolo
an upset. Just as the coach swings into the
gully and the driver is about to rein the
lenders out from the bank. he hears the
sharp command to halt, and without turn
ing to see, he knows that a shotgun il
pointed at his head from behind the tree
The stage driver, being commonly a man o:
sense and good judgment. puts ON the brake
and stops instantly.
''Throw down the bo1~ is the next order
and the driver losses out the express box
Som etimes the man behind the tree want.
the mail sacks, too, and if he ia very greedy
and bold he orders the passengers to junl
out and empty their pockets. Usually tnt
passenge- g tumble over one another in thei
haste to obey the orders of the man with thu
gun, and he makes n good haul of watches
and loose change.
If the robber is alone nobody need lost
much wealth in a hold-up, however. Tht
robber will not throw himself off guard to
search the pockets of a lot of passengers
It is his business to keep them covered witt
his gun, and he depends upon their terror
to induce them to give up what he would
not search for. 1t requires an artistic OPP
orator and one with supreme audacity to GO
through n whole stage-load of people and
clean them out to the ultimate nickel, but
California can proudly boast of having pro-
duced such artists. One way of doing the
trick is to pretend that another robber ia
concealed in the brush close at hand.
Jim, you keep these galoots covered while
/ go through 'em," remarks the road agent,
in a cool, matter-of-fact way. after he has
ranged the frightened passengers in Il row
with their hands above their heads. And
then he goes through their pockets without
undue haste, making fa~ oetious remarks as
he brings up the plumber.
The lone hiGhwayman of Shasta, who was
captured recently, had a very neat method
of taking care of passengers when they
were numerous enough to be troublesome.
His outfit consisted of a six-shooter and a
bundle of barley sacks. He stopped the
i~nward-bound stage within the town limits
Of Redding and put Il barley sack over the
head Of every man in the crowd. just as
he finished that part of the job the out
ward-bound stage drove up, and he
stopped that and bagged the heads of all
hands. Then a farmer happened along.
and he was treated similarly. A citizen of
Redding, driving for a doctor, fell INTO the
trap and joined the barley-sack brigade,
and then came the schoolmarm of the dis
trict. who Sas told to stop and sit still in
her buggy, which she did. The lone robber
explored the pockets of the crowd. broke
open the express boxes and quietly slipped
away into the woods, and the bagged VIC
fimo Iilp't inva In nova until fbe prhpo1.