The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-02-01
oUTWSTTeD THE BANDITS.

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ouTWlTTED THE BANDITS.
llsCoy shepard's Adventure II . Mount
Ss ain Pass Back OF Acapulco.
'sAN you are going to travel alone in
this country you musrcarry two revolt
vers, but one of them may be worth
less;' in fact it may be better to have
one of them Of somewhat old-fashioned
make, said Mr.. j. V. Hawkins OF
Pueblo, Mexico. Mexico has improved
marvellously in the past ten years, but
bandits are still too numerous, and l
can tell you how to protect yourself
BY relating the experience of friend
Of mine. His name was Mccoy Shop
ard, and he was on his way alone from
Acapulco to the capital. 1t is an easily
followed trail; he had been over it
once, and he spoke the language very
we'll. He had little thought of danger,
although hold-ups are common enough
on that route, but he went prepared
for business. He put in the holster Of
his saddle 44-calibre revolver loaded
with cartridges that barely had enough
powder in them to blow the bullets
out of the muzzle. and then in the
small of his back he hung the'handiest
38-calibre he could find when in 'Fris-
CO. He was making trap, aud it
worked.
ut happened that as he was coming
down out of the main range three road
agents stepped from the rocks beside
the road and had him cornered before
he could whistle. They were armed
with shotguns us we'll as machetes, but
for some reason did not shoot before
they spoke. as not infrequently hap
pens. They invited Mac to get down,
and he did perforce. Then one of
them took the big revolver from the
holster.
~'Good. 1t is big said he.
"'Yes,' said Mac, but it's worth
less thing after all. never want to
kill any one. 1 only carry it because
must make people think I am
armed
"rhe bandits laughed at that. 1t
was incredible that such pistol should
be worthless. and they said So.
"'But, gentlemen, will put my hat
in the road and you may shoot at it
with the pistol. The bullet will not
90 through the hat
AT that he took off his hat, gorg-
cous Mexican affair that cost $50 in
Acapulco, and put it on a rock, not
ten feet away, and stepped back to-
ward, but about tive feet at one side,
of the bandits. They were interested
at once. The idea was novel to them.
The man with the pistol aimed DELHI
erately and fired at the hat. Then the
three ran to look at the effect of the
shot. Macs turn to shoot had come.
out the unnoticed revolver
he shot two of them down before they
could turn on him. The third did no
more than turn round before he caught
his dose as we'll.
"Leaving everything AS it lay-bod-
les. guns, hat and all-Mac sat down
in the shade of rock and waited for
some one to come along. He did not
even reload his revolver. He had to
make out a good case before the gov
eminent officials, and he knew just
how to do it.
after an hour or so a native planter
with his servant came riding along.
*'Have the goodness to inform the
Alcalde that an American gentleman
has had trouble here with; bandits,'
said he to the native, aud the native
did as requested, of course. Three or
four hours later came the Alcalde of
the next place with half dozen SOL
diers. Mac told his story briefly, and
the Alcalde noted each point of it with
the corroborating evidence on the
ground.
"'You have done WE'LL he said. i
know the rascals we'll. You have saved
for my soldiers bys killing
them
"Then he stopped. He could not
understand how the big revolver had
failed to shoot through the hat. He
there was some kind of necro-
NANCY about it. So Mac cut bullet
from cartridge and showed that the
usual powder space was for the most
part flied with a cork. The Alcalde
turned the cork over in his hand and
then said:
"'Those wise Yankees! But they do
by subtlety what we would do by
valor!'
"Then Mac gathered up his hat and
revolver, mounted his mule, and rode
on with the Alcalde, leaving the SOL
diers to look after the dead bandits.
Take my word for it. and carry good
gun out of sight when travelling in
and another one where all can
zee it."
uTn<1