Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-03-13
A TREASURE SAVED.

Pine Ridge agency that stormy Decem-
ber night in 1890. There were number
of us-all newspaper correspondents
and few interpreters, officers and res
ervation employees. The days previous
had been full of excitement, for the
Brule and Ogalalla Sioux were engaged
in the ghost dance or messiah craze
About the agency General Miles had
grouped some 1000 troops. Beyond
their white tents clustered the dingy
tepees Of the Indians, some 800 of them.
We greatly enjoyed those evenings in
the hotel. They brought back to memory
pictures of the old west-staging, buff
falo hunting, Indian fighting. And
what a fund of information the scouts,
Interpreters and ''old timers" poured
into our willing ears Each one could
have talked all night and yet left the
narration Of his experiences unfinished
then. We were especially interested in
the singular career of B. He had left q
home in Connecticut, and after varied
EXPERIENCES in Iowa and Nebraska joined
company Of miners, and with them en-
tered the new mining camp OF Dead
wood. He was then but II years old.
That same winter he carried the first
mail out of Deadwood to the Missouri
river.
B. joined our circle while scout was
relating some experiences with stage
robbers in the early seventies and i'm
mediately entered into the conversation.
$50 far as know, the smoothest trick,
prompted by a desire to save money,
ever played upon stage robbers occurred
near Miles City in 1879. A load of pas
sengers was almost within sight Of the
town. They had been travelling all day
and were worn out, for the roads were
awful bad in those days, and all coaches
bounced and swayed very much. Hav-
ing come near their journeys end, they
were congratulating themselves. Hold
ups had been frequent. Two heavily
armed messengers accompanied each
coach, with orders to fire on any person
acting suspioiously. IL
"'Dear me, said All elderly man near
the door, I'm glad we are safe. have
about $500, and if / lost it don't know
where could get more.
"'I can get plenty of money, said a
travelling salesman, but the loss Of
what have would put me to much
trouble out here among strangers.
''Two miners and prospector, each
with large rolls, expressed their salts
faction at passing dangerous points
safely. The next speaker was little old
woman, kind and motherly in her ways.
"'My boy has started a restaurant in
town and is doing we'll. He wanted me
to come and help, SO here I am, good
ness knows fur enough away from dear
old Ohio. thought he would need his
mother, for these mining towns are
wild, hear, and full Of temptations. I
have only got 5000. It's all the cash I
have in the world. Fearing robbers, I
have put it in place where no one
would think Of looking You cannot
guess where?' Of course the guesses
were all wrong.
"'Well, ! have four $50 bills against
the sole Of my foot inside my left shoe.
'Capitalp said the elderly gentle
man. No one would ever think Of look
ing for money in your shoes. In far
corner at the front sat small, slender,
black haired man. He kept between his
feet little black valise. No one spoke
to him during the journey, and he made
no sound save occasionally to cough in
a peculiar manner. Some Of the passen.
gers thought him to be a consumptive.
Even when general good fellowship pre-
vailed he took no part in the conversa-
tion. Making bold, the old lady said:
"'And you--what would you do if
you were held up?'
IA hollow cough and a shrug Of the
shoulders was all his reply.
"'What mean fellow Z thought the
old gentleman. At this instant the coach
lurched violently to one side, and bang,
bang, bang! came the sudden reports Of
guns. One messenger was shot, the other
compelled to throw up his hands before
time for resistance, and CONSERVATION
and terror prevailed within the coach.
Lord, Lordr prayed the elderly
man.
"'Oh, dear. oh, dearl' cried the
woman.
Hustle up here; git outi and one
lslt