The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-10
COOL MEN WITH GUNS
INSTANCES IN WHICH SHARPERS AND
ROBBERS MET THEIR MATCHES.
sharrers Feazed by "a Graybeard From Cass
County-Road Agents Who Didn't Know
Jim HASKELL the Dead Shot Sheriff, Was
In the Leadville Stage.


County-Road Agents Who Didn't Know
Jim Haskell, the Dead Shot sheriff, Was
In the LeadvilIe Stage.
IAN occurrence some years ago that
amused me was the experience of a gang
OF confidence men with an old man on a
Kansas railroad, said former CONNER
cial traveller. "At the station in Atchison
one afternoon just before the Santa Fe
train pulled out for Topeka the sharpers
tried to work game on some one, but
were interrupted, and their scheme fell
through. They piled aboard the train as
the bell rang and set in TO work off their
i'll temper by chatting and maltreating the
passengers about them. Presently there
entered at the rear door Of the coach typ
ical southwestern farmer-a tall, old man,
with grizzled, patriarohal beard, steeple
crowned hat and long linen duster. As no
strobe along the aisle, his gaze bent on the
coach ahead, ono of the sharpers reached
from behind and pulled him back by the
coattail.
Hold on, old fellow he said. Don't
hurry. D'you think you're bound some
where or going to stay awhile with usS'
ihp btu llitih HIS DcuEu bIiH-
ting, his eyes flashing fire. His hand went
down to his hip pocket and came back
clutching the butt of an extraordinarily
long barreled revolver.
I'm from Cass county, Mo-, he said,
but got no further. The sharper let go the
coattail and threw up his hands.
1 see you are, he gasped. Il only
wanted to find out. For Gods sake, let
the rest of that pistol stay where it is and
go along as soon as you want to. Never
mind us.
The old man glartd moment on the
confidence men as il undecided whether to
let the matter drop at that, then turned,
pushed the pistol back where 1t came from,
and, still keeping his hand on the butt of
1t, went on through the car. The sharpers
subsidized and were perfectly orderly dur
ing the rest of the trip.
Zone of the biggest and most satisfac-
tory surprises ever rung in on stage load
of passengers occurred when l was travel
ing in Colorado almost 90 years ago.
There had been a great many hold ups on
tho stage line then recently started be-
twoun Pueblo and Leadville. So, as was
making my second trip over the route, the
passengers were less astonished than they
might have been when, at about 10 o'clock
of moonlight night the driver pulled
the horses up short at sharp command
from some one by the roadside and n face
masked with red handkerchief appeared
at the window. A pair Of cooked revoly-
ers emphasized the words;
Hands up! Get OUT every one, and be
nvelyp
"Ihere was nothing to do but get ont,
and one by one men and women alighted,
and, nine in number, all holding their
hands above their heads, were silently
ranged into line along the trail by two
masked men, each holding in his hands n
pair of rcvolvers. A third robber, near
F, the horses heads, kept the driver covered
/ with pistol.
Keep perfectly quiet said one of the
| robbers, and nobody IL be hurt.
"Then while one man stood guard over
| the passengers with his pistols the other
searched the passengers one by one, reliev-
| ing them deity of watches, purses, pocket
| books, jewelry, weapons, all of which he
| dropped into flour sack that he carried.
l stood seventh in the line, and next me
was a man whom had picked up an ac-
quaintance with on the trip. He looked
/ to be about 80 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 travel
! ing companion. From his dress and evil
| dent knowledge of the country had taken
| him to be q ranchman or small mine own
er. 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 suspicion
| crossed my mind that he might DO con-
| federate of the robbers.
"The man who was searching the pas
sengers had thrust his revolvers into the
| scabbards at his hips, so as to leave his
| hands free. He had come to me and, feel
| ing for weapons in my hip pockets, had
stopped forward a little. was following
orders in keeping my head well up and so
could not see just how 1t happened, but
I saw the robber start backward make
| movement with his right hand toward his
pistol on that side, just as revolver shot
crashed directly In front of me, and the
robber went down on his back. Before
he struck the ground the revolver cracked
| twice again, and the robber who was cover
ing the crowd with his pistols dropped
them, spun half round and fell on his face.
AS the robber had stopped to search my
hin pockets the man beside me had
snatched one of his revolvers from its scab-
DuTu anu bnOb dsou WIN hio WV P'o
toll, then killed the other robber before the
later 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 rob-
Der turned and dashed into 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, and then the passenger
returned with an empty pistol. He had
had running fight with the robber and
was himself unhurt Whether any OF his
shots had landed he could not tell. He
made torch of pinon 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 II any one recognized either OF
the robbers. The valuables In the flour
sack he took charge of until we got to the
next stage station, where each owner
claimed his property.
"The businesslike way In which he act