The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-08-25
A TIMID ROBBER.

lot OF about eighty ounces of gold
dust, and went down to Washington.
on the South Yuba Fall Creek is a
tributary of the South Yuba, into
which it empties but a few miles
above Washington, at which town
generally procured my provisions and
other supplies.
l arrived at Washington late in the
evening, and going to the hotel, got
my supper, and soon after wen to
bed, telling the landlord to wake me
mp early, as | was going to Nevada
| City Ill the morning. You see. short
ly after my arrival, | concluded not
to sell my dust in Washington, put
go on to Nevada, some twenty miles
further down, and sell to the dealers
III that place; besides, | desired to
pay short visit to some countrymen
of mine, who were mining on Deer
Creek, near the town.
The next morning | took an early
start. l hadmy dust strapped around
| my waist in buckskin belt, where it
was out of sight. Though it was very
heavy and inconvenient, l preferred
carrying it in that way to having it in
my pocket. | never once thought of
robbers, and in the way of weapons
never even had knife with me. Had
[ thought of going to Nevada on leav-
ing home, L would, no doubt, have
| belted on my revolver.
had made an earl y start. and by
sunrise was up the steep mountain
j 4rn1 hot NJ
and was passing through the mining
town of Alpha just as the breakfast
bells were ringing at the boarding
houses. Soon | was i'll the dense
forest of huge sugar pines aud frs,
through which wagon road leads,
and which extends nearly all the way
to Nevada
Not team was on the road, nor a
soul in sight. l was slowly walking
along IN the deep shade of the great
forest, with my eyes bent upon the
ground, and thoughts far away in
some of the old forests | had seen in
Germany while serving as a soldier,
when there came sharp, quick cry:
Haiti
lnstinctively l halted, hardly real
izing that | WAS not still a soldier.
obeylng the command of superior
officer. But it was only for an in
stant, for masked man, armed with
a double barreled shotgun, stepped
from behind large sugar pine, and
about ten feet from where | halted.
Hold up your handsw cried the
masked man, and the shotgun was
| leveled at my head.
held up my hands.
The fellow seemed not to know
what to do next. He stood for some
moments without speaking, and as if
considering how to proceed.
Take off your belt"
How can take off my belt if l am
to hold up my hands?"
The man seemed nonplussed, and
hesitated again.
You have no pistols?" he said.
THAT is my business"
Again he hesitated and surveyed
me. Seeing no pistol outside my
clothing, he seemed assured, and
said:
You can put down your hands and
take off the belt you have about your
waist-that dust is what l want. Be
| quick about it, toor and again he
leveled the gun.
l took my own time, nevertheless,
and as long a time as possible, closely
watching the robber, who several
times for an instant glanced nervous
| ly up and down the road. / also oh
served that his hands trembled Ap
parently he was great deal more
frightened than l was. Having passed
through many battles and dangers of
all kinds, [ did not feel at all alarmed
at my situation. In a moment l IN
derstood the whole business. l knew
that the man only wanted to get all
my dust, and did not want to kill me: +:
if he had not feared to commit mur
der he would have shot me withou.
speaking-would have taken no chan
ces with me-
While slowly taking off my pouch
of god dust my mind was not mac
tive. | saw that the robber was a
trembling fellow, not at all fit for the
business. A man that l could have
cowed and commanded in almost any
situation, had we been placed on an
equal footing.
When the belt WAS off the highway
] man said:
Lay it down and be off,"
| laid it down and turned rs though
to go away, but as the fellow picked
up the dust l turned about and said ::
Do you know who l am-who you
are playing this trick upon7"
No, nor do l want to know. Go
away said the man.
Did you ever hear of Big George,
of Siskiwon, the stage robert" said
| |, moving toward him.
He made no reply, but stood
trembling and evidently quite be-
wildered
Poor soul, how nervous you arew
cried |. why l am quite ashamed of
you for man in your business,
There's not bit of style about you"
[ was now quite close upon him,
and suddenly and sternly said:
Hand me that gun, you trembling
ass, and I'll show you how to do
things in a way that will make you a
credit to the profession"
The demand came SO unexpectedly
that l had the gun in my hands before
the man knew what he was about.
Drop the belt" cried l, leveling
the gun at his head.
He let it fall to the ground.
Take off that maskr
| 10
took off bis mask-a piece or black
muslin with holes for the eyes-when
| saw before me a man of about thir
ty years of age, pale as ghost, and
by no means desperate looking.
What is your name"
George Robinson" came besitat-
ingly from his quivering lips.
Il didn't ask you to tell lie. Tell
me your true name, or it will be the
vvorsa for Won