Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-07-10
FIELDS OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

Mistake Of Some Road Agents Who Under
took to Rob q Sherifr-Extraordinar
Heroism of Young American Naval
Oficer-A Dog Saves His Master
Zone of the biggest and most salts
factory surprises ever rung in on d
stage load of passengers, said young
commercial traveller in the New York
Sun, occurred when I was travelling
in Colorado almost twenty years ago.
There had been great many hold-ups
on the stage line then recently started
between Pueblo and Leadville, so, rs
was making my second trip over the
route, the passengers were less aston
ished than they might have been when,
at about 10 o'clock of moonlight
night, the driver pulled the horses up
short at a sharp command from some
one by the roadside ahead, and face
masked with red handkerchief ap-
peared at the window. A pair OF
cooked revolvers emphasized the
words:
"'Hands up. Get out, every one,
and be lively
''There was nothing to do but get
out, and one by one men and women
alighted and, nine in number, all hold
ing their hands above their heads,
were silently ranged into line along
the trail by two masked men, each
holding in his hands pair of re-
volvers. A third robber, near the
horses heads, kept the driver covered
with pistol.
Keep perfectly quiet said one of
the robbers, and nobody'll be hurt
''Then, while one man stood guard
over the passengers with his pistols,
the other searched the passengers, one
by one, relieving them deity of
watches, purses, pocketbooks, jewelry,
weapons-all of which he dropped in
to flour sack that he carried. Istood
seventh in the line, and next me was a
man whom I had picked up an
acquaintance with on the trip. He
looked to be about thirty years of age,
and was very quiet of manner. He
was rather reserved in talking at first,
but as this wore off proved pleasing
and interesting travelling companion.
From his dress and evident knowledge
of the countay, had taken him to be
a ranchman or small mine owner. He
had thrown hands up at the word, and
came out of the stage with the rest of
us, and seemed to be taking the hold
up very coolly-so much so that sus-
picion crossed my mind that he might
be confederate of the robbers.
"The man who was searching the
passengers had thrust his revolvers
into the scabbards at his hips, so as to
leave his hands free. He had come to
me, and, feeling for weapons in my
hip pockets, had stopped forward
little. was following orders in keep
ing my head we'll up, and so could not
see just how it happened. But I saw
the robber start backward, make a
movement with his right hand toward
his pistol on that side, just as re-
volver shot crashed directly in front of
me, and the robbcr went down on his
back. Before he struck the ground
the revolver cracked twice again, and
the robber who was covering the crowd
with his pistols dropped them, spun
half around and fell on his face. AS
the robber had stopped to search my
hip pockets the man beside me had
snatched one of his revolvers from its
scabbard and shot him dead with his
own pistol, then killed the other rob-
Der before the latter could fire shot.
"Before could fairly realize what
was taking place my fellow-passenger
sprang toward the man at the horses
heads. They exchanged shots, and
then the robber turned and dashed in
to the darkness among the trees and
rocks, the passenger following him.
The flashes and cracking of three or
four pistol shots came to us out of the
darkness, aud then the passenger re-
turned with all empty pistol. He had
had . running fight with tho robber
and was himself unhurt. Whether any
of his shots had landed he could not
tell. He made torch of pinion pine
and examined the two dead robbers,
taking from their bodies whatever
might serve to identify them, keeping
each mans things carefully separate.
He also asked the rest of us to look to
see if anyone recognized either of the
robbers. The valuables in the -four
sack he took charge of until we got to
the next stage station, where each
owner claimed his property.
"The business-li way in which he
acted throughout the whole affair was
explained when we learned that our
quiet fellow passenger was Jim Has
kell, the resolute dead-shot sheriff of
one of the southern Colorado counties,
travelling on affairs of his own. The
two dead robbers were found where
we had left them, and were identified
as tough Leadville characters who had
gone ont on the road to raise stake
Their death gave setback to the
road-agent business for while, but it
soon picked up again and fourished,
with its ups and downs, until the rail
road up the Grand Canon took the
place of the stage line
HerOism of an American Naval Officer.
It is told OF Roman sailor that in
trying to climb from small boat into
q ship he and his companions were
struggling to board and capture, he
was clinging to the ship with his right
hand, when it was cut off. He caught
hold again with his left, aud that was
cut off, but not till he had driven his
head up to the deck of the boat, and,
with both hands gone, he still clung
on with his chin and elbow; and it was
not till his head was struck off that he
fell back into the water. That was
old Roman fighting with a vengeance,
but in the annals of our own navy
there is a true story of still greater
pluck, for our hero used his head, and
saved others in the midst of his own
awful sufferings.
Lieutenant Edward Smith, in 1926,
was in command of schooner called
the Magpie. and it was wrecked in
waters full of sharks, and the Lieu
tenant and six of his men escaped