The St. Johns herald., 1894-11-15
HANDY WITH fl GUN.
A Montana Man Who Was e Tor
 TOT to Stago Robbers.
When He Went Cut on Business He Objected to Being Delayed OF the Road-Eow lie Got His
 Reputation.

'The business of holding up stages in the west and robbing the mails and the passengers would not be followed by so
 many desperadoes if few more Of the travellers were like old Robert Lane, who lives near Dillon, Mont" said George Craig, of Butte, to reporter for the Washington Star. Lane is as quiet and pcaceable citizen as ever went to church on Sunday and put his four bits into the contribution box. He has lived ir Montana for twenty years, and even in youth he never personally indulged in the old-time wild cXceSSeS of life out there, nor in any of the hur- ly burly of frontier existence. He has always pursued the even tenor of his way on his little ranch near Dillon and ever been regarded as the safest and most peaceaDle citizen in the comm uni ty. He is called old Man Lane out i'll Montana and everybody knows him. Several years ago the old man went down tc Red Rock, which is nearer to his ranch than Dillon Is, to take the stage for Junction. The mules were pulling the outfit along pretty lively through right nasty piece of road, when the passengers were startled by hearing a voice commanding the driver to throw down his reins. There were three or four passengers on the inside, and if it had been light enough to see them they would have looked mighty white, tell you But old man Lane was made of different kind Of stuff. When he heard the agent tell the driver to drop the reins he just reached back and pulled out tive guns that he used to carry, because it was the custom Of the country to do it, and kept his eye fixed on the doors, looking first at one door and then the other quickly, so as to see the thieves when they made an appearance.
 "A shadow fell in each door window about the same time, and quick as a flash old man Lanes guns were stuck through either opening and off they went. He got meat both cracks, Then he leaned out the window and banged loose at the fellow who had ordered the driver to hold up. He got him, too, and then jumped out of the stage. There were four of the road agents, and the last one, alarmed at the fate of his companions, stuck spurs into his horse and rode away up the trail. The passengers, who had nearly recovered from their terror and surprise, were now amazed to see old man Lane cut the harness from the lead mule, jump on his back, and go sailing away after the fleeing fugitive. Shots were heard pretty soon, and in ten minutes CT SC back came old man Lane, leading the bandits horse, while the man himself was sitting up in the saddle, shot through the back. On examination ic was found that two of the attacking party were killed and the other two wounded, and the whole quartette was brought into Junction. When old man Lane was asked what caused him to bloom out into such a progressive citi- zen of the territory, he drawled out: Well, had good deal of business to attend to up here at Junction, and didn't like the idee of being stopped when I was on my way to attend toit.' One of the men was not very badly wounded, and before leaving Junction to return home old man Lane went to see him in the temporary lookup Look here, my friend, he remarked, I just want to give you little bit of ad- vice. If you persist in a-following of the business that you have started out in when sort of stopped you, l think it would be safer for you if you would look over the way bill of any stage you might intend to hold up, and find out in advance who it was a-carrying.' Old man Lane is living yet, and is as hale and hearty as you please, and if he starts on a stage ride now anywhere in Montana the driver don't even think it necessary to lock the treasure box"