Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-06-23
A RACE WITH IDAHO ROBBERS.
Joaquin Miller Relates an Experience Of
His Youth.

DelOW 10 their friends or lamlileS
merchants, anticipating the tremen-
dous rush, must get letters through
the snow to Walla Walla. Would /
go? Could l goY
The snow was deep. The trails,
over open and monotonous noun
tains, were drifted full. Could any
living man face the drifting snow
and find his way TO Walla Walla?
At first the merchants had tried to
hire Indians to undertake the trip
and deliver their letters. Not ore
could be found to 60. When the
storm abated little, the men who
kept the ferry across the Shoshonee
river scraped off the snow, and cut
ting down the upheaved blocks of
ice made it possible to cross with
horse.
At first l meant to carry only
letters. But having finally consent
ed to take little gold for ons mer-
chant, 1 soon found I should lose
friends if did not take gold for
others. The result was that had
to take gold worth nearly ten thou
sand dollars.
A few muflled up friends came
down to the river bank to see me of.
1t was great event. For two
weeks We had not had a line from
the outer world. And meantime the
civil war was raging in all its terri
BILE fury. As | set out that bleak
and icy morning, after | had mount.
ed my plunging pony | saw in the
crowd several faces that l did not
like. There was Dave English, who
was hung on the spot with several Of
his fellows, not 40 days later; there
was Boone Helm, hung in Montana /;
Cherokee Bob, killed in Millersburg;
and also Canada Joe. This last lived
with some low Indians a little way
down the river. So when he rode
ahead of me l was rather glad than
otherwise; for | felt that he would
not 60 far. / kept watch of him,
however. And when l saw that he
skulked around under the hill, as if
he were going home and then got
back into the trail, knew there was
trouble ahead.
But the "Rubicon" was now be-
hind. My impetuous horse was
plunging in the snow and 1 was soon
tearing through the storm up the
hill. Once fairly on my way look
ed back below. Dave English and
Boone Helm were bidding good by
to two mounted cowboys at the
ferry house. Ten minutes later as
looked back through the binding
snow I saw that these two desperate
fellows were following me.
True, there was nothing criminal
in that. The two highwaymen had
q right to ride behind me if they
wished. And Canada Joe had just
as good right to ride ahead of me
But to be on a horse deep in the
binding snow, and loaded down will
gold was bad enough. To have ;
desperate blocking the narrow trai
before you with his two friends I've
hind you was fearful.
/ had two six shooters close a
hand under the bearskin flap OF ny
saddle-bsg where the gold was.
kept my left hand in my poke
where lay small six shooter warm
and ready. Once, as the drifting
AID binding snow broke away VI
the mountain, / saw Canada Jo'
with his head bent down in th,
storm still pushing on ahead of mi
at safe distance. A few moments
after, as I crossed and climbed th,
farther bank of an ugly canyon, th'
two robbers came close enough tt
hail me. One Of them held up ,
bottle. They evidently intended K
overtake me if they could, and pro
TESS to be friendly. This / must no
allow. l urged my ambitious hors'
to his best. But, to my dismay, as
FASTENED up narrow pass / fouL'
that was not far behind Canad
Joe. This low proved black felloV
was reported to be the worst man il
all that country. And that wss s,y
ing he was bad indeed.
l was in a tight place DOW, AZ,
had to think fast. Ny first plan W.
to ride forward and face this ma
before the others came up. But
was really afraid OF hin. II SCENE
much easier task 10 turn and XII
the two rear men and get back {
town. But. no no All this wa
abandoned almost as soon as though
Of In those days even the mos
desperate had certain rights whic
their surviving friends would enforc'
I was now but few hundred yard
behind Canada Joe. So far as
could find out, the robbers wei
closing 10 on me. But we had RI
den over the toughest part OF th
road and were within a few miles (
the high plateau, SO that the win
was tearing PAST in a gale, and IL
drifting snow almost blinded me.
Suddenly / had a new though
Why not take TO the left, gain Il
plateau by a new route, and let the
l,Iaodfh;refy rohbora oIoca fhoir y,