Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-03-13
DEADWOOD DICK
VISITOR AT BEACH
FAMOUS TREASURE GUARDIAN
ON VACATION
HERO OF MANY ENCOUNTERS ON
DAKOTA TRAILS
Famous Express Messenger Rich in
"Reminiscences of Early Days
in West--Still Active.
Iy Employed

VENICE, March 12-Rlchard Bull
lock, the original "Deadwood Dick"
known throughout the entire west for
more than thirty years and who got
his nickname long before the day Of
the dime novel, Is a visitor at the home
of Mayor II. i. Eakins of Ocean Park.
Bullock came here to spend a short
vacation with Mayor Eaklns, who was
a close friend of his In the early days
in the Dakotas, and was taken i'll.
Although the condition of the famous
"bullion guard" Is not considered crit
ical his advanced age compels him to
remain at home and forego the beach
pleasures which he is accustomed to
enjoy on his visits to Southern Can
fornia.
Deadwood Dick Is So yearA old, but he
looks not a day more than 80. Until
his present spell of illness he was ever
active, seldom day being missed from
his work as American Express messen-
ger between Lead, South Dakota, and
omaha. The famous messenger is ex-
ceedingly modest and it is a hard days
work to get him to tell any of his ex-
periences on the frontier Through the
agency Of friends, however, few
scraps of his life history We're OBJ
tanned.
1t was away back in the early seven
ties that Bullock entered the service
of the stage company which carried
gold bullion from Lead City to Omaha.
The famous mining camps name has
been changed to Lead, and Deadwood
Dick, instead of travelling the old route
by stage, has at his disposal the finest
express cars I'm the service of the Bur-
lington & Missouri railroad. Without
the shade of doubt, Bullock has stood
guard over more gold bullion than any
other man in the country. He was held
up many times by the bad men" of
the Dakota country, but in the major
ity of cases managed to escape injury
and protect his charge of treasure from
the bandits.
More than twenty years ago Mayor
Iakns was also employed as messen-
ger by the American Express company
and was frequently chosen TO take the
place of Deadwood Dick when the lat
ter laid off. Bullock is still actively
employed as the most trusted messen-
ger in the service of the American EX-
press company in the west. and COM
mands a high salary. on the third
and seventeenth of each month Dead
wood Dick escorts more than 100000
worth of gold bullion from Lead to
Omaha.
Bullock, who claims no relationship
to the famous Dakota United States
marshal, Seth Bullock, was first given
the name of "Deadeye Dick" because
of the loss of an eye in mine explo-
sion in Pennsylvania. The name of
"Deadwood Dick" was applied to him
because of his apparent lack of fear of
any soul that lived in or ever visited
the famous Dakota mining camp.
Deadwood Dick likes good story,
especially when he figures in 1t as one
of the characters. He tells of an
amusing experience when he was held
up on one of his early trips to Cali
fornia.
with his money belt filled with gold,
he started from Deadwood 10 San
Francisco in the early sos. While
travelling as the lone passenger on the
old stage between Deadwood and Chey-
enne, Wyo., bandit dashed out from
behind a bend in the road and brought
the driver TO a quick stop with
wckedlooking rifle.
Throw down the express box and
mail pouch" called out the robber,
and the driver didn't lose any time In
obeying the orders.
Inside the coach, stretched out on
the seat asleep, was Bullock. The sud-
den jar caused when the stage was
brought to a stop awakened him, just
as the bandit inquired of the driver:
who have you got in here?'
without waiting for the driver to
reply, Bullock shouted out:
"Deadwood Dick"
At this the bandit quickly let go of
the leather curtains beneath which he
had been peering into the interior of
on the box:
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