The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-31
ANYTHING no onLIGE A VOICE.
IN Oregon stngc Held Ups by n Man
Who Prefers 10 labor Unseen.

Who Prefers 10 labor Unseen.
From the San Francisco Examiner
Ashland Ore-A lone highwayman held
up the stage from Ager to klamath Falls
last night. and two passengers the driver,
the mail pouches and Wells, Fargo & Co.'S
box were robbed under circumstances that
are almost without parallel for sheer nerve
and bravado.
The hlghwayman stood In ambush at the
side OF the road and did not once disclose
his person, much less his identity to his
victims. But they literally obeyed his
every command. which was delivered In a
firm voice.
The driver and passengers seem to have
been imbued with the assurance that in
slant death would follow disobedience in
any particular.
The stage left the railroad at Ager at
o'clock yesterday afternoon, with Ed Wal
ter as driver, and two passengers, John
Wells, prominent and wealthy klamath
stockman and populist county commission
er of klamath county, and Emanuel Cora,
a merchant, bound home to Picard, Cal
About 10 o'clock, as the team slowed down
TO pull up the narrow Topsy grade, six
miles long, a sudden command came from
a bush beside the road for the driver to
hold up. and throw out the express box
and letter pouches The command was de-
livered in an imperious voice, and the
driver did not stop to ask questions or walt
for the robber TO come from concealment
The express box and letter pouches were
promptly thrown out.
The hidden highwayman then directed
his attention to Wells. the stockman, and
he was told to cut open the better pouches.
Wells demurred but obeyed. He secured
a pocket knife and began slashing away at
Uncle Sam $ letter bags. When the robber
was satisfied that satisfactory progress
was being made By the stoekman he d.
rected Cora, the other passenger, to break
open the box supposed TO contain Wells,
Fargo & Co.'S treasures. The merchant
reluctantly went TO work, but he seems not
to have taken the proper instruments of
destruction, and made so much noise and
confusion that the robber directed him to
desist Then he bade the driver to take an
ak from the stagel and make a more sue
cessful job and less noise. Walters did as
required.
When these things were done the high
wayman preferred a firm request from
his place of concealment in the brush Tor
the driver and passengers to take off their
coats and, besides, leave the contents Of
their pockets with the other booty. Again,
the trio complied, but It Is believed that
they lost little in that manner. The pluck
ed passengers and driver were then al
lowed to get aboard the stage and drive
on 1t It not known whether any valua-
bles were secured from the express box
or letters.
The robbery took place within a few
hundred feet of a similar robbery hardly
a month ago, and there is little doubt
that II was executed by the same lone
highwayman 1t was carried out IN al
most the same manner, the robber Civ
ing his orders from the darkness and not
being seen by the driver and passengers,
though his presence close at hand was as
firmly impressed upon them as IL he had
stood at the horses heads and covered
them with his gun.
A more likely place for a stage robbery
could hardly be selected 1t was at the
foot of the Tipsy grade, and for several
miles either way there is no human habit
tation. Eastward Topsy station is at the
top of the grade, six miles away, while
westward there are few houses nearer
than Shovel creek, almost ten miles back.
Heavy timber, rocky ravlnes and noun
tains surround the place in every direc-
ton, and make IL possible for the robber
to easily get beyond reach almost before
officers could be notified. This route has
been hazardous one for the Wells-Fargo
express for years, and so Improbable did
It become that they withdrew from IL al
together for some time, but established a
service on it again year or more ago.
Since that time robberies seem to have
been more numerous than ever. Within
a radius of fifteen miles or more there
live some uncertain and suspicious char
acters, and officers who have been trying
to intercept the perpetrator of recent rob-
berries suspect that he is a permanent res
ident of that section but his capture
seems almost impossible 10 accomplish
with so many natural advantages of the
country in his favor.