The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-08
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f,,c,uresnue tales of Bark Barts scientific
| methods of pillaging stage coaches are cur
| rent on the coast. Almost every valley IN,
| California has its own characteristic tale on
some romantic achievement Of the famous
road agent There are Il dozen different
\ stories OF how, in his paimy days. he useo
. 10 rob n stage coach at evening time on q
| mountain trail. and how, when the convey
| ance numbered up to the inn a dozen niles
| distant he himself would be there on the
| front porch to syrnpathize with the stage
| load of frightened passengers as they tolc
| their SORROWS. OEce at the country note
near Monterey, Cal, he sat up win ahe
I helped 10 nurse an elderly man who was Cd
the verge Of nervous prOstEatlon because
DlacIt Bart had thrust the barrel or riffe
against his cheek and made him disgorse a.
| his personal vaiuaoles. Barts consumma'
nerve carried him through these ordeals a.
serenely as though he were specially com
missioned ph.iantATopist sent py some re-
lief society 70 console the newly robbed: ano
never In a single instance did his effrcnter,
fail TO place him utterly outside OF the re
hottest possibility OF suspicion.
Black Bart found fun in writing bits o
rhyme and pinning the manuscript to somt
subject at the scenes OF his exploits. In
July. 1879. the stage running from Sonora
TO Milton was robbed by lone highway.
man The express box was thrown OUT
and the stage was allowed TO proceed with
out it, When a searching party went back
TO CAPTURE the rcDDGE li.S EOA "1s
broken and empty In the roadway, anc
scrawIed upon the lid was verse affirming
the robbers need OF the stolen gold anc
attesting his cheerful willingness to have
the matter thoroughly understood in 1t
true lght-that OF straightforward, I'm
equ!vOcal robbery. The verse was signed
"Black Bart. PVS."
The late George NJ. Hackett. who died a.
Marysville. Cal. was pointed out as the
nervy guard OF the Wells-Farso express
box who almost shot Black Bart to death
IN 1850. During the time that Hackett rode
stages Black Bart won fame. Stages on
the Oroyille and Downieviiie routes were
likely TO be held up any day. and ths mes
sengsrs kept their eyes strained on every
patch OF chaparral. for out of such hid
ing Places usually came persons OF tn
Back Bart stamp. One day. when Their
was a largo amount OF treasure aboaI
IN charge OF Hackett. and the stage W. :
swinging along through territory TIL
Black Bart regarded as his own, that ind.
vidual suddenly appeared As usual.
went 10 the heads OF the horses. as he dc
pended upon the shelter afforded by them
spike team was IN use that day-that IS
instead Of pair OF leaders. there was 6
single horse In the lead Hackett failed
to hold up his nands: instead, he tried &c
shoot Black Bart with a shotgun. But the
lead horse plunged and Hackett's aim wa,
thrown of. However. he fired at Bart
who sent a charge Of buckshot IN reply.
Bart lost his grip on the plunging horseAA
and the stage went on. Hackett had re-
ceived some buckshot IN the face. one or
two perforating his tongue Black Bari
caught two buckshot IN the back Of his
skull. along which they plowed q couple o.
burrows. He thought his time had cor,A
Rushing biindly into the chaparral. he tell
and for some time lay as II dead. 1t was
some time before he regained conscious
ness; but after while he dragged him. =
self TO spring, washed tie blood from his
head and dressed his wound He remained
IN hiding in the woods until the wound had
healed. Then he went back to San Franz
cisco. and a few weeks later robbed ans
ether stage coach q