Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-02-03
The LONE HIGHWAYMAN

HH-WE' al ~ ASAA VIZ ~ OoS A&<s7Dt ~ANs
| N1N the paper says they were a
f&SESS pack of cowards," said the
man in the seat aheai, as he turned
himself round.
"But, doesn't it look that way TO
nah up tree 7" / said in reply.
"Very likely, but there's where
your eye deceives you. You've read
of these stage-coach robberies quite
frequently, haven't your"
eyes,
I "It's always where rom four to
eight men are held up and cleaned
out?"
"Most always
"Well, let me tell you there's an
other side to it. I've been right on
deck on several occasions when a
hold-up didn't work worth cent.
The papers never seem to get hold
of the other side, though"
"Let's go and have cigar and
talk about road agents. Ifyou have
ever been held up, give US the the
particulars"
"Yes, I've been held up" he said,
as we got seated 10 the smoker. "My
first experience was about twelve
miles from Tuscarora, New. There
were seven men in the coach, and
every one of US had shooting irons
and sand enough to use them. We
were stopped just where We didn't
expect it, and that was the trouble.
Before we knew what was up fellow
had US covered with two revolvers.
1t wasn't his guns that made us take
water so much as his general de-
meanor. You had only to glance at
him to realize that he was a devil and
held human life as cheap as dirt. He
could keep all of US covered, but we
had no show at him. If one of us
had fred and missed, he'd have
downed the whole crowd before he
stopped shooting. I believe that any
one of us, if alone on the stage would
have pulled down on him, but as it
was each one feared to draw his ven
geance on the rest. He took watches,
rings and money to the value Of five
thousand dollars from our crowd.
He had us stuck up for half an hour,
and there wasn't a second in that
time he didn't have his eye on every
man and held himself ready for q
shot. That chap stopped over dog
en- stages before he got his DOSE"
Sand you spoke of several fail
ures."
eyes, I've witnessed several. Of
all the road agents in the west for
the last twenty years not more than
five or six had any business to take
to that line. The others we're chumps
and failures. Why I've been from
Cheyenne north when we'd pass
three or four dead bodies in day,
corpses of chumps who'd tried to
make hold-up and got left One
day, about ten miles south of the
Platte, when there were five of US in
the stage, fellow jumped Out and
yelled his yell. Every man in the
stage knew he was galoot by his
antics and the trembling of his voice
and we weren't bit surprised when
the driver out with his gun and drop
ped him without checking the gait OF
his horses. Another time on the
same road, about nine o'clock Of a
pretty dark night, the driver sees
something ahead of him and pulls up
and calls out:
WHO'S there, and what dye
want?s
asI'm Jim Rich; and holdin' oil
this stage up came the answer.
!" You get alongl'
"'Hold up yer hands or ] shute!'
"The driver shook his lines and
yelled at his horses, and Jim Rich
was knocked down and run over. He
had broken leg, and / was one to
help pick him up. He hada't sand
enough to hold up coyote, and the
driver knew it the minute he heard
his voice. At another time fellow
overlook us on horseback and com,
manded the driver to halt. This was
also at night, and he rode up 50 Close
to the right-hand door of the stage
that I reached out of the window anG
got him by the leg. One Of the othel
passengers came to my assistance
and We pulled him of his horse ant
held him dangling against the doc
for good three mile<eft- hen we go
down and gave hi boot ant
drove him into y ne Nasp'