The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1909-05-07
STORIES or STEWART
Former Nevada Senator's Excit-
ING Adventure With Indians.
HOW HE AWED A BAD NAN.

Experience In courtroem with Ne.
vada's champlon Dsspsrads-Ex-
amplss Of HE Remarkable Absent
mIndsdnoss.
United States Senator william NJ.
Stewart. who recently died I'm Wash
ingtOn. distinguished himself for hts
Interest IN the Indian question. "a all
the country knows. Among other
things he induced the government to
establish an. Indian school at Carson.
II the senator was like ordinary men.
he would have rejoiced in the oblItera-
ton Of the redskins. for 1t Is owing
only to bis own nerve. mules and the
interpretation Of heaven that he es-
capped alive some years ago.
In 1880 Stewart was driving his own
wagon, heaped with his law library.
from Bonneville TO Carson. -Four
mules were drawing him at the rate
OF eight miles an hour. and as be sped
through the sagebrush and sunshine
he dreamed Of fees. The future SEN
ator ratified down through the Henness
pass. crossed the Truckee at Hunters.
q few miles west Of Reno. and was
rolling along toward Steamboat
Springs when he noticed an Indian
armed with rife In the road ahead OF
him.
News got over the ground slowly In
those days. and Stewart had not heard
Of the uprising Of the reds or received
tidings OF. the ormsby defeat. In which
nearly a hundred whites had fallen.
So when the Pluto In his path raised
his hand Stewart pulled up his mules
and readily consented TO give the saw
age a ride on the seat beside him. The
Indian held his rife upright before him
and talked cheerfully.
The conversation was progressing
amicably when another Indian came
into view. he was on top Of a hig
rock 200 yards ahead. and be also held
a ride. The two red men exchanged
signals. and there was something 1
their manner OF doing Il that awoke
a feeling Of suspicion and uneasiness
IN Mr.. Stewart There were more sig
mails. and q look at the face Of the
Piute beside him froze the lawyers
blood. for he saw exultant murder
there. The situation broke upon him.
The mules were rapidly bringing him
near the Indian on the rock, who was
evidently getting ready TO IRE.
Something must be done. and that
mighty quick too. Stewart did It. He
dropped the reins. In q dash had his
arms around his Piute passenger and
gave YEN that scared the mules into
q mad SaIiOp. Then he held hts wrig-
Cling prisoner between himself and the
enemy on the rock. maintaining that
advantage until the mules had run
three miles, Again In safety, the
problem OF what to do with bis Indian
pressed for solution, A common man
would have killed him. : But Stewart
was M Uncommon man and On I'M,
naturally fOrstving one. This Il what
he did: He wrested the rife away
from the savage, smashed its lock on
the wheel and tossed L into the sage
brush Then the big. SIX foot lawyer
took good. square look at the per2di.
ous Piute. hauled OF and hit him be-
tween the eyes. Al Stewart gathered
up the reins and checked the mules
that Indian lay hat on bis back I'm the
road insensible, with his nose smashed
Dat.
81 have never yet seen a desperate
or man killer who. II he thought an an
tagOnist were ready for him with
weapons equal to his own. would not
back out Of a fight" remarked Sen
ator Stewart some years ago.
There was Sam Brown. the cham
pion bad man Of Nevada In the old
days. He was a giant. six feet four
inches high and weighed $50 pounds.
and as ferocious a looking man as ever
mortal eye beheld. Killing was his
trade. and one winter In Virginia City
he slew sixteen men.
81 had been retained by a client
whose interests were opposed to the
desperate. and I thought It best on
the day Of the trial to put a couple
OF old fashioned Derringers in my over
coat pockets. When l saw him enter
the idea came into my mind that he
had come to make me bis latest vic
tim. His favorite weapon was a big
bowie knife, and the knowledge that
the villain meant 20 stab me to death
made me feel exceedingly uneomfort.
able. Butt knew Il would never do to
show the creature that he had me
scared. and. looking him squarely IN
the eye. Ebroughts the pockets Of my
overcoat around to where be would
see the fuiF shape OF both my Der
ringers. My hands were grasplng the
handles, and I was ready to shoot on
the second. These pistols shot with
terrific force and would knock down