The San Francisco call., 1906-07-19
LOSES SIX DIMES,
BUT SAVES GOLD.
!. V. Dusenberry Tells
HowHe eOutwittedYo-
semitic Valley Robber

]. V. Dusenberry, assistant passen-
ger agent of the Oceanic Steamship
Company. was one of the victims of the
Yosemite bandit, who last Saturday
week held up the passengers of five
valley stages in one continuous per-
formance. Dusenberry lost six dimes.
He has returned from the vacation
to which the experience with the
masked robber added the spice of ad-
venture. He was telling his friends
yesterday of his experience.
Dusenberry lost only so cents, but
on his person when the highwayman
searched him were ten $40 gold pieces
and a gold watch and chain.
Dusenberry had left the stage short
ly before it reached the bandits am
bush. He was following slowly behind
gathering wild flowers and intending
to take cross country path later on
and head off the stage, which was
obliged to follow the tortuous road
The highwayman stopped the five
stages one after the other. AS he
stopped one he ordered the driver to
pull off the road in such a way as TO
conceal the coach and horses from the
stage following The passengers he
lined up behind clump of trees
Dusenberry, ignorant of the excitement
ahead, was dawdling along enjoying
the beauties of nature and adding bios
som by blossom to the bunch of wild
flowers in his hand.
He turned a sharp bend in the road
and found himself looking into the
barrel of rifle. Behind the rife was
a tall, STOPPING figure with head, face
and neck swathed in cloth. Through
one of the crevices in the face cover
ing cleaned an eye
Hands up" came in quiet tone of
voice from another crevice.
Now stand at the head of that line,
continued the voice.
The shjghwayman then resumed the
operation of stripping the passengers
of the wealth, which Dusenberry's un-
expected appearance had interrupted.
Instead of standing at the head of
the line, however, Dusenberry saun-
tered down to the other end and joined
those who already had been robbed.
Behind the friendly shelter of an old
lady's parasol Dusenberry made a re-
arrangement of his personal property.
The $500. part of which belonged to q
fellow traveller. and the watch and
chain he dropped inside the waistband
of his pataloons and a sudden chill
around the ankles told him of the safe
ARRIVAL In his socks of his valuables.
1t was not until all the passengers
had been ordered back into the stages
tndI the Oan01t remembered DuSen-
berry. He found the passenger agent
and demanded his money. Dusenberry
handed over the 60 cents and a knife.
Better let me keep the knife" said
Dusenberry. If you take it 1T might
cut friendship"
The knife was returned and after
sounding the outside of Dusenberry's
pockets for more coin, the highway
man told him to chase himself"
cfa ~, ft,n 81 he
passen gers, says Dusenberry, threw
their valuables into the brush. They
returned later to find them gone. They
had been picked up, however, by the
detectives who took the bandits trail.
and were restored subsequently to the
owners.
The highwaymah opened the Wells.
Fargo box. but refrained from taking
the $50 he discovered there. His mod
esty, he explained, was due to a dislike
to interesting the express company in
his capture for so small sum- He
borrowed Dusenberrys linen duster.
spread it on the ground and on 1t laid
all the loot he did not want. He turned
this bundle over to one of the passen-
gers for distribution later to the
owners.
He was very cool,s said Dusenberry,
but took no chances either of sur
prise or subsequent Identification. The
mask he wore hid even his hair and
disguised the shape of his head. He
wore loose fitting suit and his feet
were swathed in gunny sacks. The
detectives found that after we had left
the fellow had discarded his mask and
the loose fitting clothes and burned
them. He was tall man. but main
tained a crouching position and I do
not suppose any who saw him could
guess his height to within couple of
inches In the valley nobody seems to
think there is much chance of captur-
ing him."