Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-30
MEN WHO HELD
UP THE STAGES
Higf,waynen Who in Early Days Made Famous
the Travels of Tourists and Rendered Over
land Trips Very Dangerous

,S Very Dangerous

The lone hiRhwayman still to some
extent fourishes in the northern and
central counties of California, though
happily for the southland, he has not
been much in evidence hereabouts of
late. lie has disappeared with the
stage coaches which were wont to
ramify i'm all directions in the old days,
and which have been replaced by a
mammoth system of railways which
actually gridiron the country. Under
present conditions the Joaquin Muri-
ettas and Vasquezes of the old days
would be impossible, and, with their
decadence has gone much of the ro-
mantle glamour of travel in our noun
tains and canyons. "a good riddance,
truly" the practical man of affairs will
say.
But Los Angeles has had her full
share i'm the excitements which attend
the presence of the knights of the
road. One bright November evening
in the year 1869 the coast stage, driven
by William Gift, left this city for the
north. 1t carried nine passengers,
among whom was our townsman Maj.
Ben c. Truman, at that time n special
agent of the postoffice department.
About two miles out of the city it was
halted by four husky highwaymen, and
Maj. Truman was ordered to throw
down the Wells, Fargo g. Co.'s box,
which he promptly proceeded to do.
A great many people have an idea
that it would be a good notion to re-
sist highwaymen; and, in their mind S
eye, they picture a gallant fight, with
the discontinue of the knights of the
road. and so on. These valiant folk
when the time for action comes, al
ways get out of the stage, line up
on the road and meekly hold up their
hands, as did our travellers in the
present case.
The highwaymen got, between the
box and the pocketbooks of the pas
sengers, about $4,000. Maj. Truman. be-
ing a government official, felt it in
cumbent upon himself to take some
action in the premises; and, after rid
ing four or five miles, he dismounted
from the stage and walked over the
hills to the sheriff's office, arriving
about midnight. H. C. Wiley, who died
recently, was at that time sheriff, and
William Pridham, the Wells, Fargo &
Co.'S agent. They at once set the wires
in motion and the thieves were cap
tured inside of week. They were Of
the high-roller sort. They blew in $4,000
of the $4,000 at faro and poker at the
Belle Union hotel the very night of the
robbery. They were arraigned before
Judge A. j. King, then county judge,
and landed in the penitentiary in short
order.
A Lively Experience
The noted old-timer, Judge Dick
Egan, of San Capistrano, had lively
experience in the fall of 1878. The
stage between Santa Ana and Las
Flores was being driven by George Fl.
Smith, popularly known as "Smithy,"
when the command to halt came from
a lone highwayman. Instead of halt
ing Smith lashed his horses into a
gallop. The robber fired and struck
Smith, inflicting severe wound. Judge
Egan. taking in the situation. crawled
out of one of the side windows on to
the top of the coach and took the lines
from the drivers hands and lashed
the horses ahead, leaving Smith at
San Jose and driving to Las Flores,
where he handed over the stage to
the station agent quite content with
limited apprenticeship as stage
driver. as four or five balls had whistled
past his ears after "Smithy" had been
pumped. 1t was equal to anything the
Judge had experienced in his service
the Confederate army.
About thirty years ago an incident
happened in the Tehachapi mountains
which was without a parallel in stage
and highwaymen annals. A man whose
name / have forgotten and who drove
the ambulance of General Miles when
that gentleman was commander of the
department of the Arizona, with head
quarters in the Bryson block in this