The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-26
Hoods oni1 S24 Hoods.

long breath, and was on the PO1nt Oh
relieving my pent-up feelings with a
resounding yell, regardless of conse-
suences, when the tough and watchful
customer with the derringers ex-
claimed:
'I'll be blamed, pardner, if you
1ain't got more nerve than that stage
could holdl But say, said he, con-
solingly, If the p'ison cuss had q
a1ppea var, wouldn't a let var suffer.
I'd run ball into var and let var out
Of it from the go in
''That bloodthirsty wretch had seen
the centipede go up into my trousers
leo. had known all the time what I was
suffering, and had been coolly watch
ing to see what the outcome would be!
For q year after that lived in the
hope that I might run across that vii
lain, and I did. It was under different
circumstances than I had longed for,
though, and besides I didn't know it
until it was too late to use the bullet
on him that T had made vow to use
if ever had the chance. It was only
the next spring after that little affair
of the Pueblo stage that ], together
with six others, WIS taken out OF a
stage five miles from Nevada City by
three masked robbers. The stage car
ried Wells, Fargo & Co.'S strong box
between North San Juan and Nevada,
and on this trip there was $4,000 in the
box. Two of the robbers blew the box
open with powder, while the third held
the seven of US up. They got the
money, took ours, and started US on to
Nevada. The stage got there as soon
as it could be driven-fve miles-and
in less than an hour the Sheriff had a
posse and was out on the track of the
robbers. I only remember the name
of one of that posse, and that was
Steve Venard. He struck the trail OF
the men along the South Yuba River.
and followed it to deep ravine that
came into the river there. This was a
wild, rough place, but Steve plunged
into it. He was armed with Henry
rifle. In narrow alley between higf
rocks in the middle Of the raEine
Steve came suddenly almost face to
face with one of the men,
Steve got the drop on the desperate,
but as he did so he saw another one
rise to his feet on the top of rock and
cover him with his revolver. But Steve
never let go his advantage over the frs!
man, and sent rife ball through his
heart. At the same time pistol ball
whizzed from the rock, passing through
Steve's hat and cutting hair from the
teo Of his head. The man who fired
that shot dsopped down instantly out
Of sight, but left the muzzle Of his re-
volver exposed to Steve's view. This
exposure was fatal to the hiding rob-
Der, for Steve instantly covered the
spot with his rife, and as the robber
cautiously raised his head, by and by,
to see how the land lay, ball went
crashing through it. Steve had hardly
killed these two when he discovered
the third one of the party trying to
escape by sneaking up the Eavine, but
he was brought down by Steve's uner-
ring rife. The three men were killed
inside of four minutes.
''Entering the rocky alley Steve
found all the booty that had been stolen.
The robbers had evidently been count
ing the money when they were sur
prised. Steve went back and found
the Sheriff and his party. They re-
turned and secured the recovered plum
der, and brought the bodies of the
three dead desperadoes to Nevada. The
leader Of the gang was recognized by
the Sheriff as George Shanks. who had
been a terror in that locality for s year.
And I rejoiced when I recognized him
as the villain who had stood guard
over me and the centipede near Pueblo
q year before. The express company
paid Steve Venard $4,000 for that days
work, and Governor Low made him a
member Of his staff, with the rank of
Colonel. It may sound bloodthirsty,
but envied Steve Venard one thing.
It was the shot he fired that laid low
that Aend George shanks. New Yorb
Sun.