The herald., 1894-04-11
SMITH WAS A BAD MAN.
And He Had Learned One Gams Of whicI
Ho Corld Rooat

uc Could Boast.
"But speaking Of train robberies," puI
in the colonel reminds me of q man
met when WIS in command Of Fort d
A. Russell at Cheyenne. He was an ex
press messenger named Smith. and hi
run was on whit they called out Their
the high line ofthe d. and M. railroad
Smith amt much Of man to look at
but he was great inpction, as you'll agree
I'D heard of Smith before met him
He'd killed two fnenedown In western
Kansas, and they we're saving around
Cheyenne that he was bad. So l wal
curious to get him to tell me tile story
and after awhile he did.
"He used to have run on the SAINT,
Fe down where it crossed into, Colorado
All the messengers, yon know, carriel
guns in those days-they 10 vel, for tina
matter-but Smith understood the use O
a six shooter better than some OF bill
mates. Things had been 50 smooth OF
his run for so long that he got bit care
less at last and used to leave the door a
his car unlocked so that the ibralrernes
could come In and talk with him when
ever they liled without his having II
go to the end of the car to unlock thl
door.
"Smith had one game, though, whicl
was all his own. He told me that he hat
practiced it good deal so that he could
shoot within fraction Of second aftel
hearing any one say, Put up your hands,
All the train men on his run knew that.
You know those fellows are great in
skylarking and Smith had warned them
never to try to play that joke on him
because, he said, the first man who cam,
into his car and took him unawares with
that remark would be likely to die.
Zone day lie was sitting behind hi
little square iron safe checking off hii
money packages. He had the safo in
corner Of the car facing one end. He al
ways sat with his back against the front
end of the car. The front door was al.
ways barred. When he raised the lid OF
the little trunklike safe the messenger
used then, he always put his two big si1
shooters on the corners Of the snfo il
front of the lid. ANY one approaching
him from the rear end of the car couldn't
see the guns, but they were ready for in,
slant use.
"Well, on this day I'm telling you
about, as he was checking off the pack.
ages, he heard the car door open and
some one come in. He took it for grant
ed that the visitor was the brakeman
whom he was expecting, and without
looking up went on with his work. He
checked two or three more packages and
was almost finished when he heard the
sharp command. Put up your handsr
He looked up on the instant and saw
two men, not in the least disguised, COW
ering him with six shooters. His own
hands were behind the lid of his safe.
All right, boys, he said. Don't shoot
They're up.'
"They went up, that was true, but az
they came over the lid of the safe there
was six shooter in each one. Both
six shooters cracked the instant their
inuzzles came above the safe lid. and
both bullets killed. The robbers fired,
but they didn't pull until after they had
been hit and their bullets went wild.
ut was all done 80 quickly that there
was no outcry or n9ise, and when the
iifeg aYtePwsfatn tng todha asffritu fNEa min;
up the blood from the floor. The dead
men were ON blanket in corner. That
was how Smith got his reputation for be-
ing bad. New York Sun.