Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-07
KICK THAT SPOILED A HOLD-UP
A Pugnacious German Had Paid for His
Seat aud Kept 1t,
AvED THE BOX OF GOLD
A Piuclsy Passengers Tusslc with IA
Road Agent and the COVE
nrdicc of Five Conn
panionS,

In the days when tho mines OF old Tue
lumne were yielding gold dust by the hun
dredwoight the stages that ran from Mil
pitas to Marysvilc offered rare temptations
to men OF nerve and enterprise who hap
pened to be out Of luck and short on moral
. scruples RobberiCs were so frequent that
the drivers always expected to be held up
when they had treasure aboard and at GER
tain places alone the road Stacked up as
I matter of course and looked FOR a man with
a shotgun to step out from behind a rock
The lives of passengers being regarded more
valuable than gold dust, drivers were in
structed to make no resistance to the de-
| mands of road agents, but to stop when
ordered and throw out the box without argu-
ment. If no shotgun messenger happened to
be on the stage the road agent usually had
no difficulty in getting the box the pas
sengcrs being only too glad to be let alone,
But once in while a passenger with more
grit than discretion made resistance, says
the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the road agent
did not always get the best OF the con
troversy. One day in the early Jos three
men stopped the Marysville stage ana or
dered the passengers to get out All but
one obeyed the order and one OF the rob.
bers marched them along up the road, while
the other two remained by the stage TO at
/ tend to the treasure box, an iron affair
3
Jacob Billnger, an eXcitable and obstinate
German, had ignored the order to dsembark
and remained seated inside the coach. one
OF the robbers got half way into the coach
to examine the treasure box, and seeing
Billinger sitting there, asked him grutty
why he had not got out. By way OF reply
Bilinger placed his foot against the rob-
ber's stomach and with vigorous shove
sent him heels over head into the road.
The robber yelled when Billingers foot
struck him and his COMPANION wheeled
around and discharged a load of buckshot
at BillingeTS breast and cut OF one OF the
bows that upheld the canvas top of the
wagon, the charge striking within an inch
of Billingers head.
The report of the gun frightened the
horses, and they ran away up the road at
| the top of their speed. The passengers
ahead heard the team tearing along, and
| scattered into the brush and their guard
! had to jump aside to avoid being run down.
When the driver stopped his team and
! the passengers had collected once more,
| Billinger was asked why he made such a
| break and took the chances Of being shot.
! why" replied Billinger, that fellow hat
| no right to get in our stage already. | pay
| for my seat and don't get oudt until l was
| ready myself. What business that fellow
| half to NEEDLE with the box? Some of my
money was in there already, and you think
| let any son-of-a-gun who comes along
| take that box? No, sir.
/
| pay for my ride | kick him yust quick in
der stomach every time, you bet your life"
| Along in the summer of 1850 the Marys-
| Vile stage had another of the periodical
| hold-ups. This time John Davis was among
| the passengers inside An Italian was the
| highwayman on this occasion. There were
| four or five passengers besides Davis all
| young, strong men, who would not like very
| well to see their names in print in connec-
| ton with this incident.
| The Italian hignwayman. a tall, athletic
| fellow, stepped out from behind rock at
| the foot of steep hill. and. leveling a shot
| gun at the driver, ordered him to stop and
| throw out the box. The driver obeyed, and
| handed the box, which contained several
| thousand dollars, to the robber. who took
| 1t in his left hand and remarked that that
| was all he wanted.
Davis looked at the robber a moment and
| said:
Don't you think you've got a lot of cheek
to hold up a stage with five men in it?'
| at strikes me-" said the rObber that
| you've got a d sight more cheek to make
| any impromptu remarks on the subject
| when nobody has bothered you. HIVE you
got any money about you?'
| Yes, / have" said Davis. 1--WE got a
hundred dollars: but what of that"
| Nothing particular, except that | want
| 1t and will blow your head off if you don't
hand 1t cut lively" And so saying the rob
Der sighted along his gun barrel at Mr..
| Davis head. He looked as IL no meant
business, and Davis leisurely fshed out his
purse and held 1t out to the robber. Davis
sat on the front step, between the driver
and another man, and in handing the purse
| to the robber he had to lean forward and
across the other passengers, while the rob-
Der had to lower his gun. step up close to
| the stage and reach up for the purse with
| his left hand.
Just as the robber grasped the purse
Davis pitched forward and hurled himself
upon the fellow, landing him on the ground
| with crash.
Davis weighed over 200 pounds. and the
Italian had hard job to shake him of but
| Davis was much the older man and his
| wind did not last long. The struggle on
| the ground lasted for a minute or more, and
| had the other passengers gone to Davis as
| sistance they could have overpowered and
| bound the robber without any difficulty, but
| not man of them stirred hand or foot to
| help the old gentleman, and in a few mo-
ments the Italian got out from under him
and regained his gun, which he had dropped
| when Davis fell upon him.
you are the checklist old man l ever
saw said the Italian, Davis, almost
breathless and wholly disguised, scrambled
to his feet and began brushing the dust
from his clothes.
That's all right" painted the old gentle
man. but if any of those d towards on
the stage had stood in we'd have had you
tied up and the joke would have been on
| you"
Now, II would be a fine ending of this in
| cident to relate how the read agent, ad-
miring the spirit and courage OF the old
gentleman, returned to him his purse and
| punished the cowardice of the other pas
sengers by compelling them to give up
their money and watches, but highwaymen
OF that type went out of fashion long ago
| and the cold, unromantc truth Of the mat
! ter Is that the Italian kept Davis 500
| didn't rob the others and went away into
the brush with his gun in one hand and the
| express box in the other.
The sheriff took his trail the same day
and arrested him in a waysde saloon, but
| forgot to search him, and when the robber
was taken to Jail he gave Davis 800 to
! a lawyer to defend him. The Italian was
prosecuted, convicted and sent to prison as
| John Doe, and he never was identified other
wise, and the express box that he stole was
| never found