The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-11


at his horses, and Jim Rich was knocked
down and run over. He had broken
leg, and l was one to help pick him up.
He hadn't sand enough to hold up
coyote, and the driver knew it the min
ute he heard his voice. At another
time fellow overlook us on horseback
and commanded the driver to halt
This was also at night, and he rode up
so close to the right-hand door of the
stage that reached out of the window
and got him by the leg. One of the
other passengers came to my assist
ance, and we pulled him off his horse
and held him dangling against the door
for good three miles. Then we got
down and gave him the boot and drove
him into taicket. He wasn't worth
shooting. He cried and begged like
boy of ten, and we felt that he deserved
to live on and ell ::oy his own miserable
society"
1T hen man has got to be good
one to make a successful hold-up?" l
asked.
There's where you hit hardpan," he
answered. There may be towards
travelling around out west, but never
met any. The idea that five or six we'll
beeled men are going to submit to be
cleaned out by one if there's show to
stop him is all bosh. It's all in the
man and his way of doing business. If
he's got voice with sort of laugh to
it-if he's got a gnp in either hand and
keeps em moving about like the heads
of snakes travelling through the grass
if his eyes seem to be looking right
through you and watching every body
Of yourself"
"You mean give up your boodle?"
Exactly, and don't be too long q bout
it, either, for those chaps are always in
hurry. These newspaper men seem
to imagine that the passengers in a
coach sit with revolvers in their hands
throughout the trip Their guns are
right down in their hind pockets. of
course. Give 'em five minutes to get
ready and they'd clear the road, but
they don't have FIVE seconds. When
you get the hail you know you're COW
cred. Only one man-the one next to
the door-could do any shooting, any
how, and he'd be more apt to miss than
to hit. What then? Why, the robber
would turn loose and kill or cripple
everybody inside euickern you could
count. You've probably noticed limp
in my gait? That comes from bullet
got in my lett knee when the Dead
wood stage was held up by Wyoming
Charlie. 1t was in the afternoon and
there were six of us. A tenderfoot had
the seat by the window, and he thought
he'd show his sand by opening fire with
his pop. The robber wasn't fifteen feet
away, and the idiot had three shots at
him without touch. The shooting
made him mad, and he began firing
right and left into the stage. He killed
two men and wounded the other four
and all of US were robbed besides The
tenderfoot was one of the killed, and
can't say l was ever sorry about it,
Il think / remember reading that
Wyoming Charlie was killed while
holding up stage somewhere out
west"
Yes, down near Plum creek, in Ne
braska, and it was curious how it came
about There were seven passengers
and one of 'em was yyoman--the wife
OF cattle man. She was with the
driver on top. Charlie took the outfit
at turn in the road and made com
plete surprise. He got the men out and
in line, and when his back was turned
the woman fred at him with D erin
ger. Her bullet passed through his
hat, and as he wheeled about to see
what was going on one Of his own guns
was accidentally discharged and the
bullet entered his groin. | saw him at
Plum creek before he died. He was a
tough looking customer and even in
dying he boasted of the mum Der of men /
he had killed. l forget mis- cures, but |
everybody was willing to believe he /
had killed a full dozen. He'd been 1
robbing for year or SO and had several
thousand dollars planted somewhere
along the Niobrara river. If he had