Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-03-30

men climbed in again and we bowled
along lively for quite patch. Driver
slowed the horses up around bend
where a bunch of willows or alders or
chapparal or something grew close to
the road, an just as we turned the
corner we came bang up against a
man with a double-barreled cannon
up against his shoulder.
The man looked at us over the
sight and says:
stop her. Throw up your hands
and climb down."
Well, / never climbed down with
my hands up in the air before, but It
comes easy when you get used to 1t.
We came down without waiting to
discuss any tariff questions. The
folks in the coach came spilling out
like peas running out of gourd--
couldn't get out fast enough.
When 1 got on the ground I no
ticed out of the corners of my eyes a
queer machine by the side of the
road, like tricycle. or something.
say the corners of my eyes, because I
was using the middle of them to see
that Mr.. Highwayman didn't think
was hostile. Don't pay to be hostile
when you're "held up"-just be calm
and generous an undeceiving-don't
try to keep anything back, but your
feelings.
When we were all out and down,
with our hands up, Mr.. Man lined US
up an says:
Ladies and gentlemen, you will
confer a great favor upon me by NOV
ing over out of the road, to that ma
chine which you will observe near
by"
We all went because the request
was 30 reasonable and polite. I al
ways do like a highwayman to be q
gentleman, polite gentleman.
When we were near the machine
the gentleman desired us, in lovely
language, to take hold of the long
iron bar on top of the tricycle.. No
sooner did we all have hold of that
thing than Mr.. Road Agent Just
turned a jolt of electricity into II
that nearly lifted us off our feet. BY
jinksi he hit US hardl Storage bat
terry affair, see? The women
screamed and the men yelled-all
but me and the driver, but we didn't
let go-no, we didn't let COVE
couldn't.
We just hung on for dear life, and
that nice, gentlemanly fellow dispap-
sionately laid down his cannon an
went through our pockets for him
self-systematically, too. Oh, he had
a great system. he found one or two
pistols, which he unloaded an flung
out In the brush, but he was careful
to keep all the watches and money. I
noticed that. He gave me back three
st. Louis beer checks, though, which
was square; no use to him, anyhow.
After our pockets were cleaned QUA
the gentleman climbed onto the stage
and got down the treasure box him
self, not troublin' anybody 30 help
him.
Course, we were hangin' on all this
time and feelin' numb and paralyzsd
with the bloomin' electricity.
By'mby he got everything In the
crowd which was worth havin', re-.
sumed his cannon an turned on tAs
current of electricity. Some of TIE
passengers just slumpsd right down
done up--fslt . little queer myself.
not very mueh, but still q little.
Driver couldn't climb on the box for
half an hour.
Mr.. Robber Just moved us awav
from that machine, jumped onto her,
turned on his everlasting powerful
electricity an away he sailed on the
thing, like a train of cars. Goshi
How he did gol Taken q streak OF
chain lightning to have caught him.
No uss talking. boys, this here sles-
trioity il getting into everything
going to supplant everything, oan's
stop her, can't stop these modern I'm
Pre- -emsnts-that's what