Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-06-22

reached the end of our car journey
this morning, and after breakfast at5l
the station at six o'clock, started Ia
a four-hOrse coach, five men and Ave-
women. At breakfast we were all
laughing and joking about a hold
up" last week in the park, where
one man held up two stages, but did
not get much. Just before we left
the station, about sixty mounted
cavalry 18th Cavalry started before
us for their summer camp near thel
valley, to guard the forest reserves.
We kept passing them and repassing|
them until about nine O'Clock, when1
we all stopped at a relay station to
change horses. Our coach started
on ahead to avoid the dust, and had
only gone two miles or 80, when, as we
turned q bend in the road at aclump
of trees, we saw drawn up at one
side a coach Containing eight or ten
stone cutters) which had preceded
us about an hour and a half and
to the wheels of this were hitched
two cavalry horses. Drawn up be-
hind this was a wagon loaded with
wood. and lounging at the foot OF a
tree were four men. We thought
they had stopped for us to pass
them. Then man quietly stepped
out from the other side, and directed
our driver to ''haul up here" His
face was covered with a blue spotted
handkerchief and his hands blackened
like a negro, and around his eyes,
which could be seen through the
holes in the handkerchief, backing
was visible also. We thought 1T
nothing serious even when he ordered
the men to get out, and I said infun;
iss..This is9 a held mp, better hand out
! your money" No one moving, MIR.
Holdupper pointed, his magazine
rifle at us and said: "You are all
mighty slow about it." Well, even
then the men looked at him, and he
repeated that they might hurry up.
Some one asked, "you want the men
to get out?'' He replied: eyes, and
lyou better not be so slow, they are
all to get out, no exceptions" So
down they climbed, and were stood
In q row, he, a little way off, with
rifle cooked, covering them, and all
of the first arrivals: Then he d.
rected one passenger to 'pass the
That" and advised the men to hand
out all they had, or they would be
sorry for it. So one passed his hat,
and the four men (the drivers were
not disturbed) began to make their
contributions-Alex pulled out q roll
of bills from his vest pocket, and
while turning them in his hand to see
how much there was, he was told he
need not mind looking at the number
but put them in. Then, NOW your
pants pockets and he drew out his
silver, guying the man all the time.
He first asked: care you going to
\ skin us dry?'' and az he gave him the
silver from his pants pockets. "Do
you want silver or do yon only care
lfor gOld?" You see Alex knew the
|soldiers must be very close and might
turn the corner at any minute, when
there would he achange Of scene. No
lone seemed much excited or alarmed,
the whole affair seemed almost
|ludicrous. One man from Bombay
pulled out his pocket book with $7S.
| When all had made their dona-
tions, the rObber turned and said:
"You need not try to make me think
that is all you have, turn your peck
cts inside out, last week you gave
me the slip at the Flats. but now I'll
make UP for it this time.'' One Of
the men found an extra quarter in
i his pocket, and offered 1t to him, but
suggested he might let him keep it
tospay his bills, which was gracious
" allowed him. The robber was
too much occupied to notice whether
the men were very particular IN find
ing all their pockets. Alex and an
other man managed to forget their
most important pocket. They were
ordered to place the hat on the
ground and climb into the coach
without looking around. IA Ia. !
After pocketing the cash, the rob-
Der handed back the new straw hat to
it's owner, with black finger marks
on the white satin lining pc sou
,venirs. ;<l3 \; Vt Nh h. ts z;1
knew that Alex had not given
Eup all he had, although he turned
and asked the driver II they would
take us through, and Il we could get