Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-12-02
IN ARIZONA,
Change Of Fashion in the Robbing G.
Western Trains.

-
Change Of Fashion in the Robbinge g
Western Trains.
The old fashion of setting a train rob
Der at either end Of a drawing-roou
car. with instructions to require IL
passengers to surrender their vain
ables under pain Of instant death, haa
quite gone out; 1t too often happened
that an irritable passenger drew Z
bead on the nearest bandit and shop
him where he stood. The custom now
is for the road agent to cut Oh the ex'
press car from the res Of the train and
rob 1t at leisure, leaving the passenger
unmolested. II the express messages
Is recalcitrant or slow in his move
ments, his car Is blown open with dyn-
amite, and the robbers make q careful
selection of Its contents. Even this In.
dustry has been checked in its infant
struggles by a tendency on the part eS
express misrepresentation left alive
to take quick shots at the robbers with
q sawed-of rifle loaded with buckshot
as they retired with their plumber. Do
pAoA%AoAS AuS VNSuAACO AAVAb
this r~eprehensible practice. It has
been observed that when a well-know1
road agent meets an untimely death Il
this way his pals retire from business
for Il time, probably for prayer and
meditation.
The most famous of the Arizona out.
laws, Black Jack, was an epicure In
his business, and toward the close Of
his life robbed nothing but postofnceA
The gains were small, but the risk was
almost nothing, the Office being often
kept by Il woman, and Black Jack was
so much of n gentleman that he never
laid his hand upon q woman save In
the way Of kindness. SC long as shs
handed out the registered mail prompt.
ly. He did some little business like
wise in looting the offices Of mining
companies just before pay day. This
branch was lucrative, but there was
always the risk that the Waterman
might get the drop on the robber.
1t became the fashion years ago for
mining companies and other concerns
which handled large sums OF money
In Arizona to employ the worst Of the
road agents to act as watchmen at high
wages. Thus, one of the most prosper.
Gus copper companies hires, ut q very
high salary, a fellow who IL said to
have eighteen murders ON his con-
science and yet is a most faithful and
trustworthy guardian Of the property
under his charge. Towns followed the
example. Tombstone had for q long
time in its employ as city marshal one
Of the brothers carp, each of whom al
ways fred with his gun resting on his
arm. Experience had taught them that
this practice gave them a start Of two
or three seconds owe the shooter who
raises his gun to the level Of his eye,
and In pot-hunting two or three sec-
onds are everything. A town not far
from Tombstone had been greatly in
jured by the riotous behavior OF some
Of its residents who were bad men,"
1t engaged, at a salary Of $4,000 .
year, the very worst desperate in tho
territory to act as city marshal. The
day after his appointment he WA ~
costed by three noted rufians. who.
drawing their guns, sneered:
$50 you're a-goin' to run this here
town, air yer?"
The new marshal had his gun up his
sleeve, and before the rascals, could
pull trigger he fired three times, and
each time laid a nan dead ut his feet.
"'Tain't everything" said he, TO
draw quick and shoot straight; yer
must put yer lead where It will do
most good. Ell yer don't, t'other party
may slice yer with his knife after
you've shot him."-Leslie's Weekly.