The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-16
OLD TINE ROBBERS. |
REcOLLECTlONS OF GENTLEMANLY
NEVADA ROAD AGENTS.

They Made Big Hauls and Seldom Com
mitted Murder During Their Depreda
tions-They Wore Good Clothes, Had
Plenty of Money and Were Popular.
! Some Of the Nevada road agents haG
physiognomies that indicated native vi
clousness and depravity, but the majority
OF them were of the good citizen type u
which they belonged until accident sent
them Oft at tangent, while Jack Davis
the most notorious of them all, might
readily have been mistaken for studious
professional man or a clergyman of ex
traordinary placidity and meekness. They
were good neighbors, pleasant acquaint-
| ances and associated on an equal footing
with the leading men Of their respective
communities until the prison door closed
suddenly upon them and interrupted the
friendly intercourse. The judges, law
yers and bankers Of the Comstock, when
sitting down TO a game Of poker could
have welcomed no one more warmly to a
seat than they did Jack Davis.
From the time the stages began carving
their immense loads of bullion from the
mines and bringing large shipments of
specie IN return, stage robbing became one
OF the most lively and productive indus
tries in Nevada. The week that went past
without one or more coaches being held up
produced general feeling of dull times.
But the energetic road agents seldom let
the community settle into detection of that
character. From the Placerville. Heuness,
Dutch Flat, Reese River, Humboldt, Es-
meralda or some other route, intelligence
of robbery could be depended upon pretty
nearly every day with a comforting degree
of certainty Most of the depredations,
however, wire committed near the large
towns, to which the highwaymcn would
return and miDgle with the crowd before
the arrival of the plurdered stage, or be-
fore news Of the occurrence was brought
back, if it were departing coach.
There was little or no fndiscriminate
waylaying in those days, such as has been
practiced by degenerate members of the
profession in later times. The robbers as
certained what particular stage offered
rich prize and then went for it. They had
spies hanging around the express offices,
confederates i'll the service of the stage
companies, and employed various other
means to obtain this information. A stable
boy has been seen to swing his lantern
after the departure of stage, like rail
road conductor signaling the engineer,
and within five miles the coach would be
stopped and robbed. Poor Badly Green,
one of the old time drivers, was held up so
often that he was finally discharged, either
from superstitious belief in his bad luck
or suspicion of his fidelity
y For several years there We're very few
convictions in comparison with the num-
Der of otfenses. There was never much
doubt regarding the identity of the holder
operators, and arrests were frequent
enough, but the difficulty was to obtain
proof of their guilt. The trial Of Jack
Harris, Al Waterman, Nose Haynes,
Pitcher and Love in 1865 for the robbery
of stage near Silver City was the first
notable arraignment of this kind The re-
suit was not very satisfactory. Harris, the
leader, was acquitted, Haynes escaped pun
ishment by turning states evidence Wa
terman was sentenced to fifteen years in
the penitentiary and the others to shorter
terms.
| do not recollect if Waterman was par
doned or if he got out of prison through
some legal technicality, but any way he
was at large again within year, and
Wells, Fargo & Co. condoned his felony
and took him into their employment at
high salary to do nothing. 1t will strike
the average reader, think, that this was
holding out rather strong inducement
for others to render themselves eligible for
a like promotion. But Waterman did not
long enjoy his sinecure. His position as
favorite of the great express
company made him naughty and overbear-
ing, and he was killed in Virginia City
couple Of years afterward.
Meantime the stages were robbed as reg
ularly as ever. 1t was evident that holder
and more skillful men were devoting them
selves to the duty. In 1865 two stages, both
crowded with passengers, Were stopped to-
gether at the top of a steep ascent on the
Ieiger grade by seven highwaymen and
treasure boxes and passengers pockets ri
led alike. The robbers extemporized a
fete champetre for their victims, generous
y RECALLING them with quantity of cham
payne discovered in the boot of one of the
coaches. Rugs were spread for the ladies,
and the affair was conducted throughout
n the courteous and elegant style of old
line highwaymanry.
Davis had long been suspected of direct
ng the principle operations on the road
No particle of convincing evidence could
De brought against him, however. TO all
appearance he was a substantial and pros
,erous millman. Together with Squeers,
cockerill and some others he had taken a
ease of a quartz mill near Flowery, in Six |
nile canyon, about four miles from Vir-
yinia City, and seemed to be running it |
,rofitably. No one could discover from !
What source paying rock was obtained, |
nevertheless the mill kept turning out a !
teady stream of bullion.
The fact was, as ii transpired afterward, !
here never was any paying rock. The mill |
lad been hired to facilitate the remelting |
nd marketing Of the bullion acquired bg !
he numerous stage robberies. Davis and |
ONE of his companions were arrested after |
he Geiger grade robbery. and on one or |
wo other occasions, but it was found i'm I
possible TO gather testimony enough TO I
onvict and they We're discharged.
The building of the Central Pacific ana /
he Virginia and Truckee railroads was
evere blow to these industrious milimen.
III the treasure was thereafter carried by
rain with the exception of unimportaut I
hipments TO and from outlying districts.
San Francisco Chronicle.