The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-07-29
HANDY WITH A GUN
4 Montana Man Who Was a Ter
TOR to Stage Robbers.
When He Went Out on Business He
Objected to Being Delayed on the
Road-How He 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 a reporter
for the Washington Star. Lane is as
| quiet and peaceable citizen as ever
/ went to church on Sunday and put his
/ four bits into the contribution box. He
has lived in Montana for twenty years,
and even in youth he never personally
INDUCED in the old-time wild excuses
of life out there, nor in any of the hur-
~ 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 peaces bic citizen in the communi-
ty. He is called Old Man Lane out in
Montana and everybody knows him.
Several years ago the old man went
down to 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
20 drop the reins he just reached back
and pulled out two 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 q
fash old man Lanes guns were stuck
through either opening and oil they
went. He got meat both cracks. Then ne
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 or SO
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 it
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 progressive eiti-
zen Of the territory, he drawled out:
Well. | had good deal of business to
attend 10 up here at junction, and L
didn't like the idee of being stopped
when was on my way to attend to it
One of the men was not very badly
wounded. and before leaving Junction
to return home old man Lane went to
SEA him in the temporary lookup
Look here, nv friend he remarked, L
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 l 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 mp, 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 d stage ride now anywhere in
Montana the driver don't even think it
necessary 20 lock the treasure box"