The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-10
ROAD AGENTS oUTwITrED.
The Trick by Which n Shreyvd Ger.
man Secured Cash.
(From the New York Sun.


when l was attending to business in
Phoebe, New, twenty odd years ago." said
veteran miner. 1.-The town was 40 miles
from railroad and lacked a good many
OF the ornaments of real high civiliza-
ton. But the money part OF it was well
represented. and among the lucky chaps
was Fred Schuster. thrifty German from
Frisco. who wandered out there and cop
pered the brewing business. He had a
brewery which, however good 1t might
have been as producer of beer. shove
promise enough for him to get $4,000 in
cash out Of It. not to mention a n0te or
two. and Fred concluded at once to get
out with his money and go back to the
luxury Of San Francisco. 1t was easy
enough to talk about, but there was that
100 miles ever q wild and lonely road and
Phoebe, just at that time. held twenty-five
road agents who needed about SIS 900 in
their business and were hanging around
waiting for the Dutchman to Start for the
railroad with his stuff. They didn't care
for the notes especially, but they did want
that cash. and wanted ii bad enough 10
have spilled blood for it. Schuster knew
all this as well as they did. AID at the
same time he did not let up en- his propo-
sition 10 get out OF town. The boss saloon
keeper and politician of the town was
named Lynch, and he was good friend OF
Schuster's. So was the livery stable
keeper Trayers, the same ore who has the
mail contracts in New York City now.
and Travers had a pair of fine horses that
could go the distance better than any
thing in that country. The three friends
talked the matter over. and the next day
Schuster announced that he would eele-
brate his departure. which was to occur
on Tuesday of the following week. by a
wide-open banquet the Friday night be-
fore at the hall over Lynch's saloon. In
the mean time Lynch came to me and told
me to hold myself in readiness to go at
a minutes notice to a mine OF his dozen
or so miles down the road TO put up a
pump.
The banquet came off according to an
nouncement. and was the biggest social
function that Phoebe had ever known. All
the town was out, including every road
agent in the place, and the champagne
flowed like wafer. Schuster was there in
dress suit-think of that, will you, in
Phoebe, twenty-five years ago-and nobody
offered to shoot holes in it. The host
forced the festivities. so to speak. which
began at in the evening, and by 10.o'clock
most everybody was drunk. including
Schuster. who seemed to be drunken than
anybody. About this time l was called
cut being duly sober, as ! don't drink to
excess, and. going downstairs, found Lynch
at the side dcor with Tiavers' team Of
bays hitched 10 buggy. There was no.
body around the streets, and | wondered
what Lynch was doing there instead of be-
ing at the banquet, where ! had seen him
not half an hour before. He wanted to
know if was ready to start at once for the
mine. and although it was entirely unex-
pected promptly told him l was. | didn't
have en- my working clothes. but that didn't
Z IN sx1N ant and
got in, and before l had got myself fixed
Schuster in his dress suit and as sober as
/ thought before he was drunk, Joined us
hurriedly and got into the buggy with me.
He had light overcoat around his shoul-
Gers that he put on before he sat down. l
didn't quite understand what Schuster had
TO do with the pump. but berore / could
ask any questions Lynch told me he would
explain after We had got started, and said
it was time for us to be off.
I'VE drove away slowly and quietly, as
Schuster said he didn't want to wake up
the police. and as soon as we got beyond
the town he told me we were to drive to
the railroad, and that he had his traps and
his So, 900 in gold in the buggy. This was
more than my contract called for, but
wasn't going TO back out then. and, hit
ting the horses lick. We flew along the
road like cyclone. j had always wanted
$4,000. it seemed such nice, poetical
kind OF a sum of money to have. but now
that | did have II / never was more I'M
comfortable. | knew that If those road
agents discovered Schuster's absence, or
guessed that he had skipped. they would
be after us on horses. and l did not like
the idea of being chased for few dozen
miles and being shot out of a buggy.
would have much preferred not to have
the $4,000. 1t was a fine night for driv-
ing just warm enough and as we kept
the horses up to the best the road would
allow we kept or ears turned backward
for the sound of hoof- beats, and each OF
us had two revolvers in easy reach.
I'VE stopped for breakfast forty miles
from Phoebe, Schuster changing his clothes
as We drove the last mile or two. We
gave our team a good rest, with an eye
on cur buggy all the time. and at noon
We started again. making forty miles by
dark. and the next day We reached the
railroad in time to catch the train for
Salt Lake City. / went there with Schus-
ter and as we pulled out of the station
and knew We and the S75, 1000 were safe
Schuster tapped himself on the head with
peculiar German smile, ard said: 'Meppe
l vas Dutchman vat don'd know some
dings: aber NIGHT Then he waved his
hand toward Phoebe in farewell. He want
ed me to go to Frisco and stay year
with him. but had other business to at
tend to. When got back TO my team,
four days later. they were as good as
ever. and l went into Phoebe as though |
had not driven more than dozen miles.
but everybody knew where I had been
The road agents had very little to say,
but one Of them told me. in speaking in
cidentally of Schuster. that he hated
liar" .F5