The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-06
DEGENERATE OUTLAWS.
No Modern Stage Robbers Like Ches-
terrified Quinn.

Fort Sill, Okla, Dec. 1f--There are few
Of the old-time road agents LETT IN tho
west. The outlaws Of to-day are fsr in
ferior in point Of politeness. tact and ei--
cation 10 the desperadoes Of the days be-
fore the two great railroads crossed tue
west. Their nerve is every whit as good
as that Of their forerunners but heir
use Of IL is clumsy and very often disgust
ing. The natural result Of this is that ad-
miration OF their reckless brave ~ is impos-
sibie because Of contempt for their beor-
isnness A man can overlook many things
done politely, when he viii not tolerate
Them IL accomplished cIumsily. The old
time road agents knew this. and the balm
OF politcness often soothed the wounded
feelings OF their plundered victims
Foremost among these road agents Of
the old day was Joe Quinn. He was a gam
bi2r prospectOr a miner, man who
could and did shoot when occasion re-
CURED. but not one 10 be warned away
by vigilance committee because he was
verse than the average. Joe went broke
on cards, got cheated ont Of o rich find"
OF silver, and one day left Nir-inia City
10 PICK up new occupation. Among those
who knew him there was no doubt that
he was well educated and had been
brought up a gentleman. lie lett Virginia
CITY TO blossom out a road agent. and
he had no partner
JudgeHellcr famous for his decision that
Judge Lynch outrankcd the United states
supreme court. had the honor or misfor-
tune 70 be @ passenger in the nrst stage
Joe tried his hand on The spot was be-
! tween Virginia City ana Silver City and
the time ii O'Clock in the forenoon. There
We're six men, aside from the judge and
oriver While the four horses were being
watered at q creek crossing the road. Joe
ftfrF Ha-fHN D
called for the passengers to descend The
judge had seat with the driver and Joe
called him by name as he called him down.
ltwas the first hold-up for a year, ana no
one was prepared for it, As fast as the
passengers dropped TO the road Joe looked
TO see that all weapons had been left be
hind and as they lined up he took a
position between them and tine vehicle.
lie had clear, mellow voice. and there
was no menace in his speech as he said.
"Gentlcmcn, ] have failed at gambling,
prospecting and digging, I am now going
10 try this profession a while. I want your
money I propose to rob YOU i'm a genteel
way. Use me like a gentleman and ! viii
respect your feelings in return Judge
Heller here is my friend, but under the cir
cumstances ne will shell out with the
rest Of you. I will now ask him 20 intro
duce me 10 each one Of you in rotation"
Joe then took from the judge fourteen
so gold pieces. Then the Judge introduced
him to Mr.. Bascomb. who happened 10
stand next 10 him. They shook hands and
said they were pleased 10 see each other
and Mr.. Baecomb handed out $3.50 in gold.
80 II went clear down the line, the robber
trusting to every mans integrity 10 hand
out his entire doodle. The judge afterward
SAID that every passenger was honest
with Joe, who got $3.50 from the crowd.
Joe did not ask for watches and 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 picking. and ] know
you have wife and child to support Now
gentlemen. l don't want your firearms
and 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 another gem
teman in the same profession it will con
sole you TO realize that you have no cash
to be robbed OF"
week later, though. there were fifty
/ men out looking for him. Gentleman Joe.
as he had been christcncd, after the first
/ hold-up stopped another stage on that
4 line. 1t contained two women and five
men. one of the men was badly crippled
/ at a turn in the road tied the leaders to
! a tree with a rope provided for the occa-
/ sion, and was fired upon four times by the
/ passenger on the drivers seat before his
/ work was finished Then he approached
4 the vehicle and said:
Mister man, you are entirely too fresh
/ for this country! viii you beg my pardon,
or will ] shoot the top of your head off?
TN beg said the passenger
/ IAN right; come down" said joe
/ The passenger got down.
Now said Joe, repeat after me; I
! regret having insulted a gentleman in the
/ presence OF ladies. thereby preventing him
from shooting my head Off "
The passenger repeated it, Joe ordered
/ the four men down. but spoke a few words
i 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 but practiced his profession
/ for men only. He put the four men on
/ their honor TO shell out all their cash. but
\ the aggregate sum appeared to be so small
/ that his suspicious were aroused. He took
| $500 from the man who had shot at him,
4 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 Cen
( ueman Joe refused to take any mans
word.
! After the second robbery he was so Wig
] hlOuSts Rffi0uSu llldl ne udu TO ABANDON
/ the Silver City route, but in the course
/ of a couple Of weeks he was heard of up
/ in the Humboldt Valley. His advent was
! characterized ~ the feat which has no
i peer in stage robbng. He caught the up
/ stage and down stage just as they were
/ about to pass each other at O'Clock in
/ the afternoon-One had five men and wo-
| man, and the other four men. a woman.
! and a boy. With the drivers there were
/ eleven men all well armed, and yet he ap-
| peared 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 10. but
/ he lined up the nine passengers. searched
/ the first, and made him go through the
/ others. IL was said that his haul amounted
| TO $5000, and as it was ali in gold coin he
had it lying on blanket in the road when
I the passengers re-embarked and the stage
rolled away
By never interfering with the mails or
/ express matter Gentleman Joe escaped
making official enemies Neither Uncle
( Sam nor the express officials We're much
{ concerned in hunting down a man who
/ did not interfere with their property, and
!