The morning news., 1894-08-17
A ROAD AGENTS CACHE
He Was Polite and Managed to Ac-
quire a Surplus of S25. 900.
49, -. 49,

by a vigilance committee because he was
worse than the average. Joe went broke
on cards, got cheated out of a rich find"
of silver, and one day left Virginia City
70 pick up a new occupation. had known
him personally for two or three years. and
from his conversation and general bear
ing I had no doubt that he was well edu-
Gated ana had been brought up as a
gentleman. He left Virginia City to
blossom out as q road agent, and he had
no partner. had the honor or misfor-
tune to be passenger in the first stage
he tried his hand on. The spot was be-
tween Virginia City and Silver City and
the time II O'Clock In the forenoon.
There were seven men W. US, besides the
driver, and while the four horses were
being watered at a creek crossing the
road Joe stepped out with a gun in either
hand and-called for the passengers to de-
scend. had a seat with the driver, and
Joe called me by name as he called me
down II was the first hold-up. for a
year. and no one was prepared for il. AS
fast as we dropped to the road he looked
to see that all weapons had been left be-
hind and as we lined up he took posi-
tion between US and the vehicle. He had
9 clear. mellow voice, and there was no
menace in his speech as he said:
Gentlemen, have faileda at gambling,
prospecting. duu OlEB luS. lam now 60
Ing to try this profession for awhile. l
want your money. propose to rob you
in a genteel way. Use me like a gentle
man and will respect your feelings in re-
turn. Mr.. Black here is my friend but
under the circumstances he will shell out
with the rest of you. l will now ask him
to introduce me to each one of you in rota
ton
Joe took from me fourteen $50 gold
pieces, and then l introduced him to a
Mr. Bascomb, who happened to stand
next to him. They shook hands and said
they were pleased to see each other, and
Mr. Bascomb handed out Sl30 in gold
So it went clear down the line. the rob-
ber trusting to every mans integrity to
hand over his entire Doodle. In this in
stance | believe every one of US did, as he
got about 81 800 from the crowd. He did
not ask for watches or jewelry, and when
some one told him that he had forgotten
the stage driver, who stood holding the
leaders by the bits, he laughed and called
out:
How much cash have you got about
you, SAM" ... ....
About $50" replied the driver as he
produced the coins. .....
You are too small pickings, and know
you have a wife and child to support.
Now, gentlemen, l don't want your fire
Arms, and I don't believe any of you will
be fool enough to fire on me when you get
hold Of them. Pile into the coach and
drive ahead Should you meet with an
other gentleman in the same profession
it will console you to realize that you have
no cash to be robbed Of
A week later, though there were fifty
men out looking for him, Gentleman
JOe,' as we had titled him from the first
hold up stopped another stage on that
line. 1t contained two women and five
men, and one of the men was badly Grip
pied with rheumatism. He stopped the
horses at turn in the road, tied the lead
ers to tree with rope provided Tor the
occasion, and was fired upon three times
by the passenger on the drivers seat be-
fore his work was finished and he ap-
preached the vehicle and said
Mister man, you are altogether too
fresh fer this country! viii you beg my
pardon, or will shoot the top of your
head OFF,"
The passengers replied that he would
beg, and Joe said it was all right. The
four men he ordered down. but spoke a
few words of sympathy TO the cripple and
CALAMITY informed the ladies that they
need be in no fear whatever, as he did not
wage war on their sex. He put the four
men on their honor to shell out all their
cash, but the aggregate sum proved to be so
small that his suspicious were aroused.
He took $3.50 from the man who had shot
at him and had only turned over $50, and
then commanded him to search the others.
The result was the discovery of about
$1,000 more, and from that date on Gentle
man Joe refusedNto take any mans word
After the second robbery he was so Wig
orously pursued that he had to aban-
don the Silver City route, but in the
course Of couple of weeks he was heard
of up in the Humboldt valley. His ad-
vent was characterized by feat which
has no peer in stage robbiug. He caught
the up stage and the down stage just as
there were about to pass each other at 3
o'clock in the afternoon, One had five
men and a woman and the other four men,
woman and a boy With the drivers
there were eleven men and all well
armed. and yet he appeared so suddenly
and moved about so swiftly that it was
at first supposed there were four or five
robbers in the attack. The drivers he
paid no attention to, but he lined up the
nine passengers, searched the first and
made him go through the others 1t was
SAID that his haul amounted to s, 900,
ana as it was all in gold coin he had it
lying on blanket in the road when the
passengers embarked and the stage
rolled away.
By never interfering with the mails or
express matter Gentleman Joe escaped
making official enemies. Neither Uncle
DNAAA l'OL bLG GAiEGSS OllCldlS were QuCu
concerned about hunting down a man
VINO did not interfere with their property,
and such pursuit as was made by sherffs
eaded in smoke. In one year the robber
held up thirteen different stages, and
made gross haul of at least $40, 900 He
was never known TO enter town, and
probably lived alone in the thickets and
mountains. He had good horse and two
Tevolvers. and occasionally appeared at a
mil or country store to make purchases
OF provisions. At the end of a year the
rewards offered for him amounted to
SGQO0. His last hold-up had been on the
lloa river, in California, and seven men
SET out to capture him. They hired a reg
uIdr coach, dressed one of their number
up as driver, and hid another in the
ooot and all were of course armed to the
veeth, 1t may be that Joe in some way
ttot word of what was up, for he caught
we coach in rocky pass, shot the driver
va ms seat, ana wounded two men riding
"IIhln before the crowd were really
aware OF his presence. When he com
uldnued the reward seekers to get down.
Vuey lost no time in tumbling out. He
eluI the four unwounded men back up the
Ioad' stripped of everything, spent half
pu hour IN making the wounded comforta-
o.e as possible, and then drove the stage
iiulo the mountains and turned the horses
,oose Only one of them was ever recov-
ered' while the outfit of firearms was