The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-05-23
TOLD BY The Old
STAGE DRIVER

| L
one of the few surviving stage drivers
of the early days He is native OF
| Missouri, and for several years drove
| a mail hack between Columbia and
! Jefferson City. In relating his expert
ences recently Mr.. Thorp said:
The first regular four and six-horse
stage that [ drove ran from Columbia
to Providence, on the Missouri river.
This was in 1858 and 1859. | next
drove in Arkansas, from Pine Bluff to
Napoleon. From there | returned to
Missouri and drove next from Column
bia to Centralia Huntsville and Glas-
gov. This was during the civil war
and in the time of the Jayhawkers.
"On one occasion just as | reached
the place the James and Anderson
crowd captured a train, killing IA of
the soldiers having charge OF it. They
ran the train off some distance and
robbed the passengers. There were
50 of the gang. They went into camp
near the place to which they took the
train. One hundred and fifty militia
men were sent to capture them. The
militia did not effect their capture. On
the contrary, Sc of the militia were
buried in a single grave.
Next | drove for Barton and San
derson from 1865 to 1870, from Fort
Scott to Kansas City. | also drove
ahead of the Missouri, Kansas e
Texas railway when it was being con
structed in the 70s, driving ahead of
its terminus until it reached Sherman,
Tex.
Was | ever held up? Yes, more
than a dozen times. | was more fire.
quently held up by the James and An
degson gangs than by any others |
was never molested personally The
robbers always took the valuables of
the passengers and the registered let.
ter mail and rided the express. Some
times the Jayhawkers would also rob
me of my horses. leaving the stage
standing lonesome in the middle of the
road
Once when the Jayhawkers held me
up their leader, who was named Ander-
son, went through the express bundles.
One Of them contained pair OF very
fine bots and box of good cigars for
a colonel of a regiment. When Ander-
son opened the package and saw its
contents he sat down, pulled off his
own boots and tried the new ones be
longing to the colonel. He emptied the
cigars out of the box and handed the
cigars around, giving me several of
them. He then told me after the rob
berry had been completed to give his
compliments to the colonel,
Anderson was a picturesque char
aCter. | remember one incident that
occurred that impressed me with his
admiration of grit and bravery. On this
occasion a tail, lanky, raw-boned chap
was among the passengers, Anderson
asked him for his valuables. He re-
Piled:
81 hain't got none.
Anderson then asked him where he
was going. lie said he was going to
look for the leader Of the Jayhawkers,
man by the name Of Anderson. An
derso asked him what he was going
to do with him after he had found him
The lanky chap said:
"'Jine him and his gang.
could you swim the Missouri
river?
81 guess so, if had to-
Anderson next asked
could you kill a MANI The would
be recruit replied
Guess so, if had to-
Anderson then spat in the ianky
chaps face He had hardly done SO
before the lanky one had knocked An
dcrson down and was on top of him,
Andersons gang, who had been snick-
ering at the stranger, promptly pulled
him off and Anderson got up, shook
the dirt off him and said:
You'll do; I'll take YOU
The lanky one asked then:
Who are YOU
"'Oh, I'm only Anderson, the leader
of those Jayhawkers you have just
joined
The stage went on without the
lanky passenger. | heard aftcrward he
became one of the most daring and
prominent members of the gang.
"On another occasion. just as | got
into Huntsville, the Jayhawker gang
was there They had gone into mum
Der of stores, took what they wanted,
and had either made the merchants
open their safes, which hey rihed. or
had broken the safes open with a
slcdge hammer
George Damon was a liquor drum
mcr. He was in town when the Jay
hawkers were robbing the place and
was about to go into the hotel They
ordered him to halt and throw up his
hands. Instead he ran into the hotel
Just as he entered the hotel door he
was killed
During the many times | was
robbed there were frequently women
on the stage None of them was ever
robbed or molested by the robbers.
The women usually appeared at first
TO be badly frightened, but finally
wound up by laughing and flirting
with the robbers or chatting with
them. | frequently noticed the women
putting powder on their faces or fixing
mp their hair, primping and straighten.
ing their attire while the men were
being relieved of their valuablcs."
Real Embarrassment
Does 1t never embarrass YOU" we
asked of the Pittsburg millionaire,