The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-09-29

I
| lowing and continuing to shoot until
| the robber was out of sight. Returning
! to the stage, he heard the first man
| grOaning, and calling that he was
| wounded and dying and would surren-
der. He assisted the fellow into the
/ coach and took him to Ward.
/ The next day the robbers arm was
amputated and he died. AS soon as the
inquest was over Blair started alone in
pursuit Of the other rObber. He took
20 the trail. followed 1t for ten days on
foot, captured his man in southern Ne
vada and brought him safely to White
Pine, where he was sentenced to ten
years in the state prison.
On Sept. 4, 1877, there was a large
shipment of money from Eureka, New,
to Typo, to pay OFF the miners there.
Eugene Blair and Shotgun Jimmy"
Brown were assigned as guards for the
treasure. It was generally believed
that this money went up by the stage
about the first of every month.
Four desperate characters. all ex-
cOnvicts, had organized to capture this
particular shipment. big Jack Da-
Wis., Thomas LAURA, Bob Hamilton
and his brother composed the rObb
gang. The stage left Eureka late in
the evening. LAURA waited until he
saw them depart, then he slipped out
of town and rode desperately 70 %
neighbOring mountain peak and bulI-
two signal fires, lighted them and huf-
ried back into town.
The three other robbers. hidden near
Willows station, where the stage Was
due at 9 o'clock, steaIthily crept uD ON
the place, and at the muzzle of their
guns captured the two men in Charas
and bound and gagged them. As It.
grew darker they saw the two distant
beacOnS and learned from them that
there were two shotgun messengers
accompanying the treasure.
The stage coach rumbled up the road
and swung into place before the open
stable doors, ready for the change OF
horses.
Eugene Blair, surrender came a
voica from the darkness. Blair thought
it was joke by the stGbleman. Get
down off there and surrender COM
manded the same voice, with a fierce
ness that meant business. Blair jumped -,
down with his shotgun, saw no one. b4t
rushed in the direction whence the voi.s
had come. Two shots were fired at him
almost sfmultaneOusly-One from tho
side and one from the front. Big JACK
Davis then lodged past Blair and
turned and thrust the muzzle Of his
shotgun against the messengers breast.
Blair seized the barrel with his LETT
hand, forced it up with the quickuess OF
lightning and clinched with the big rob-
Der.
They We're in death grip. each clutch
ing his gun Blair swung the man TO
throw him, and as he did so the light
from the stage lamp struck the fellows
race, and displayed a target that Shot
gun Jimmy Brown, from the dickey
seat on top Of the stage was eagerly
waiting for in the darkness He fired in
that fraction Of a second. and a charge
OF nine buckshOt rtddled the roboer in the
small Of the back.
I m shOti L surrender" he yelled,
and fell to the ground from Blair's arms
ftT0Wn then started clam from
stage top One Of the robbers shot HIM
in the leg, SCATTERING the bone. Bob
Hamilton and his brother fled in the
darkness. Blair pursued them on the
run, firing as rapidly as he could. Tns
rObber died next day, the 9th
srS being subsequently captured.
Once Eugene Blair went to Phoebe,
New, to arrest a notorious fellow known
as Wild Bill Men were afraid Of thu
desperate. but Blair stepped right up to
him, clinked on the handouts, and.
when the time came. started with his
prisoner in the stage for Carson.
BILL said Blair. I've heard that your
friends are going TO try to ger you away
from me between here and Carson. Likely
they'll do it all right. but it's fair TO tell
you that it'll never do you any good. for
will shoot you dead at the first break
they make
"AlE right, Blair" replied wild Bill"
eheerfu1ly. But as the stage nsared EIkO
ebecame very nervous, and finally oIurt-
I'd out:
The fact is, I've got friends at EIko,
and L m afraid If we go there they'll put
lp move to rescue me. and 1 know IL
hey Try you'll do what you said And
lie pleaded to be taken back TO Phoebe,
where he preferred to face possible lynch
ng. But somehow his friends thought
letter Of their plan TO attack Eugene
Blair, and the prisoner went through to
Carson.
Several years after that Bill Davis was
eie9sed from state prison because ne told
he hiding place of $40. 600 of the plunder
10 and his confederateS had taken from d
central Pacific train they had robbed be-
ween Reno and Tahoe. He took to the
Dad, and laid In wait for Blair One night
s the stage was running between Phoebe
nd Elko. Davis. who had another rob5er
Win him, suddenly yelled from the road
ide. Hands up Blairl I've got YOU
blair had not an instant to lose Ha
umbled sidewfse off the seat, darted
ound back OF the stage, sprang upon tho
nan. grappled with him, wrested his gun
way, and with the robbers own weapon
hot him dead right there but few sec
nds after the man had spoken. The in
om1table Blair then turned and ran after
he other htghWayman. He pursued him
Or four hours through the brush in the
arkness, and finally Overhauled and cap
1red him
Shotgun Jimmy Brown. one of the in
inclbles, died at Helena. Mont several
ears ago, after a long illness caused by
ounds he had received in fights with
bad agents. It was said of him that he
onS in a given time than any other man
no ever guarded a stage coach Before
e was 50 badly SCARED by bullets and
lckShOt. Shotgun Jimmy was .consid-
ed quite a handsome young fellow.
In the early seventies he was shotgun
essenger on the stage run between Hell
"a, Mont, and Virginia, New. A pretty
)ung woman in deep mourning was a
lSsenger on the coach when it rolled into
irginia at dusk one day, and as the men
the town saw Shotgun Jimmy gal
uftyr iSr ia Ia DIV h.
hich she had been Sharing with him,
ley became instantly and jealOuSly in
rested. When she appeared in the hotel
ming room the men filed in and ate an
-tra supper just to get the chance to see
e pretty girl She had told Shotgun
mmy" during the ride that she was a
dow and had come way out to Nevada
hunt up an uncle who had been made
ecutOr Of her fathers estate in the east
1T Jimmy had never heard of the man
e was looking for.
The next morning, when the stage was
out to start, the pretty young woman
me running out upon the hotel porch
q pleaded that she wanted to go right
ok, and said that if the driver would
lit five minutes she would be ready As
hotgun Jimmy" readily acquiesced tho
ivers murmuring remOnStranCeS at the
lay was of no avail.
The idlers saw Shotgun Jimmy help
2 fair passenger inside the coach and
en get in and occupy the seat beside
r. And they muttered about some peO-
being born lucky anyway. few
les out from town Shotgun Jimmy
,used himself and climbed I'D to his
It in front But after awhile the pretty
called to him that she was quite lone
and wished he would come back and
k to her. Jimmy" complied taking
sawed-Off shotgun with him as before
they talked the messenger became
re and more fascinated by the young
mans beauty and personality. and fin
proposed to her, and was accepted
uddenly there was fusillade of shots
the horses from the side Of the road