The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-11-06
FIELDS OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA,


Deputy Sheriff, Unknown to Fame
Who Broke 10 Il Gang of STAGE Rob.
htrs IN Five Minutea-Cl,arged The
Federal Trools With II Frying Fan.
Il was one Of four passengers Oh
lie castward-bomtl stage that left Sill
YER City, n. NJ, at ) o'clock in tae Of
:ernoon,' said L. S. kirkbrilge, who
:ormerly Travelled for St. Louis firm
IL the Southwestern Territories. "The
stage was q three seated blackboard.
With four mules ahead, aud besides
the passengers it carried the United
states mail and the overland express
packages. A trip on the overland
through New Mexico in those days-it
was lS77--was apt to prove a little
Tylng to man Of quiet tastes, for the
Apaches always were liable to be w.
ing Ill wait for stage, and road agents
we're unusually industrious that year.
IN fact there seemed to be an epidemic
81 stage robbing about this time, for
IN the last five weeks the stages had
Oeen held up five times between Silver
Jity and Mes illa, and the COMPANY
was at its wits end to find how to put
'stop to the business. The Sheriffs
u Grant, Dona Ana and Ell Paso Coun-
les had done their best to trace I'D
'obbers, but, although they felt GER
JAIN that all the hold-ups were the
work OF one gang, led by Tom McGuf,
hey could not catch the road agents
'ed-handed or find sufficient evidence
'nwhich to arrest any of the suspected
men.
"We talking about these things
IN the stage in the first two hours of
The trip: While daylight lasted, as we
spun along in the fresh exhilarating
'lr, with the mules unravelling eight
" ten miles of the smooth trail every
1our, the ideas Of these: dangers were
interesting rather than unpleasant, for
hey seemed far away. But as night
shut down, closing around us, we be-
gan to think Of road agents and Apaches
IN another light. In the darkness the
nezquite clumps and cactuses took on
lueerand uncertain shapes, and seemed
10 move with life as we passed them.
We had been pretty talkative, but now
every man kept his thoughts to him
'elf, and the only voice raised was that
II the driver as he swore at the mules.
It was relief the few minutes we
stopped at the Apacheho Station to
change mules, and most of us got off
;he blackboard there to stretch our
egs. Then we were off again with
Cooks canon between us and the next
station at Fort Cummings.
: "'None of us liked the looks or be-
haVior Of the man who got in the
stage at Apacheho. He was of medium
height, strongly built and deliberate
Of movement. So much Of his face as
could be seen under the wide brim of
his sombrero showed a straight, rather
prominent nose, mustache above
straight, thin lips, and a..resolute jaw.
Without speaking, he had the air Of
being master Of the situation, and this
effect was helped out by the bulge in
his coat at each hip in the place where
pistols usually are carried. He
climbed into the blackboard at the sta
lion and without word took the front
seat kbeside the driver. When the
passenger who had occupied that seat
came back and ventured to remon-
'trate, the stranger gave him one look
which ended the matter, and the pas
'enger meekly took rear seat. The
driver evidently did not know the man,
Ind it was equally clear that he judged
aim to be person esie to be letalone.
There was very lit;o companionship
u confidence in the company as the
mules bowled us along toward Cooks
Canon.
Cooks Canon has had the worst
aame Of all localities in New Mexico |
Tor Indian massacres, and robberies
md murders by white outlaws, and |
these things were going right on in
1877. The moon had risen when the |
blackboard passed into the canon. but |
the steep rock walls shut out the light,
leaving the trail mostly in darkness.
The driver gathered up the reins
tightly in hand and put the mules to a
smart pace, and we all felt what re-
lief it would be to draw up safe ct
Fort Cummings, at the other end Of
The canon. The stranger beside the
driver on the front seat seemed to be
asleep. AS he sat leaning a little for
ward his head was sunk between his
shoulders so that only his hat and
back could be seen from behind.
"Well, the hold-up came, sure
enough. The mules had slowed their
pace as they took a stretch Of steep
upgrade. They were half way to the
top when the call Halt! Hands up,
everybody came stern and sudden
from just ahead on the right, and I
law opposite the off wheel mule man
who had appeared in the darkness; he
u,oro h1ook cloth mouk on1 tho |