Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-01-17
FROM NO. 8 TO NO. g.
T5e Woman Tn the Stage Coach Was
 Game to the Last.

1Ame IO the kstSts
 A sergeant and six men to escort the srage coach on the overland trail from Station No. to Station No. 9, a distance of 13 miles. It had come into Station No. with it's four blooded horses on full run and q band of Indians in close pur- suit. Fivo arrows were sticking in the body Of the coach, and ten bullets had struck it in the race of two miles.
 Good Lord, but it's womanr'
 So exclaimed n dozen soldiers in chorus as the frightened and panting horses camo to stop at last and bit of a woman with blond hair and big blue eyes and very pale face alightcd from the coach. As she stood for n moment, looking about her and not quite sure she had escaped witHher life, we gave her three rousing cheers, and a corporal guided her over to the dugout to pass the night.
 "Who is she?" repeated the driver as we crowded around him to satisfy our curi- osity. "Waal I reckon she's captains wife on her way to tho fort. We knowed the reds war out fur blood and didn't want her to come. but she jest hung right on and wouldn't be bluffed. Reckon she must hev bin skeart 0 bit when that gang jumped us, but l can't remember that she did any screcchin over it. She hain't no tenderfoot, she haint. How's the road below?"
 "Plenty of Indians D
 "Yes, durn 'cml Injuns hain't got no hoss sense nohow. Whats the use in his cuttin up and foolin around when he's surc to get hurt to pay fur it?''
 Next morning it was decided that the stage should push on and keep tho route open. The captains wife was urged and entreatcd not to take tho chances, but to N-nit Tnft net bN hnA Ia fC M in reply, but that little was to tho point If the stage went, she would go. As we wero ready to go the woman beckoned me to approach the stage and 1 whispered:
 Sergeant, do you think we'll be attack ed between this and No. 9?"
 The chances are that we will" Then borrow mo navy revolver of one of tho men. know how to use it. I got her one, with l2 extra cartridges, and 1 knew from tho look on her face that if we had a row she'd play a part in it. | About half way between Nos. and g there was sharp ridgc running along parallel with the road for half mile. The 1 heavy rains had cut deep furrows in the face of the hill, and there was room foI 100 savagcs to hide away and prepare an ambush. To tho right of the road was a l plain covered with rocks and scrub bushes, | and tho coach must keep to the road. had the hill and its ditchcs in mind when the driver pulled up his horses and said:
 Sergeant, if these noodle headed In | juns ar kalkcrlatin on raisin our ha'r they'll try it at tho hill"
 Yes, l think so"
 Then fix up things to suit yersclf. I'll hev my hands full with the hosses, who'll | probably run away at tho fust yell. ."
 My orders from the captain were tc make running fight of it if attacked The Indians would number fivo to one or there would be no attack 1.-Two made ! halt, they would shoot down the stage horses and CnCirClo us. Therefore as WI drew near the hill the seven of us fell be hind the stage, unslung our carbines, ant tho driver got fresh grip on his lines | We gave no sign that we expected an at | tack and had almost cleared the hill wheI out of n dry ravino as wide and deep as canal poured horde of mounted redskins At their first yell tho woman looked ou and nodded to mo, and the driver uttered a below at his spirited horses and let then go. Of my troop. four of us rude to the right and three to tho left of the coach | keeping about even with the front wheels In their first fright the horses were un steady but after a mile we settled then
  fire on the pur;ucrs, Tho Indians wastcG very little breath or ammunition, bu pushed their ponies to the utmost to conn to close quarters. Once upon us the, were strong enough to wipe us out. Flo the first two miles they gained but little Then we struck bad ground, and the. came up hand over hand.
 Of sudden, when tho foremost IndiaI was only pistol shot away, we droppeG behind the stage, stopped our horses ant wheeled about, and the seven seven shoot CTS which played upon that dusky crowt probably did more execution than any 5 had before. Wo pumped out the cylinder and then wheeled and reloaded as we gal lopcd after the stage. We tried the sam trick twice again, but as we wheeled afte the third time ono of tho hind wheels O tho coach gave way, and the vehicle Wa brought to standstill. Then fully 50 in dians came whooping down upon us and no man could explain what ac tually occurred in tho next five minutes Of sudden, when 1, for one, thought al was over with us, tho redskins drew of and vanished likc smoke.
 Of my six men, Peters, Larkins an Davis wcr6 dead and the other thre wounded, while l had an arrow in m shoulder and a bullet in my side. Tn drlVer hau two wounds, ana three or m horses wCrc dead Lying on tho groun around Us were nine dead ponies and four teen dead Indians. I limped over to tn stage and opened tho door. The woma lay back on tho scat dead-killed by he own hand and with her last bullet, as sh thought her capture was certain. Late on, when the mon had como up from cam and the bodies were examined, we foun four Indians who had fallen before tn bullets from her revolver.
 "Too bad; too durncd bad!' said tn driver as he wiped q tear from his eyt ''She was clar grit, jist as l told ye, bu she didn wait to sec if the Lord wouldn help us out NJ. QUAD