University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1913-10-03
DROVE STAGE IN THIS COUNTY
Robert Thorpe, Who Died in San Antonio,
Texas, Recently, Was Pioneer
MiSsOurian
M1SSOurlan.

He frankly admitted that he was going
to look for the leader of the Jay
hawkers, man by the name of An
derson. This seemed greatly to in
terest Anderson Immediately. An
derson asked him what he was going
to do with him. The lanky chap re-
plied
'Jine him and his gang
Gould you swim the Missouri
river% asked Anderson.
Il guess SO, if | had to-
Gould you kill a man.? was the
next question. The reply was the
same.
Anderson then spat in the lanky
chaps face. He had hardly done so
before the latter knocked him down
and lit on top of him. Anderson's S
gang, which had been snickering at
the simple-minded stranger, prompt
ly pulled him off their leader, who
Immediately said:
1 guess you'll do and I'll take
YOU The lanky cuss then said, Why
who are your
THE Jayhawker leader answered: ::
Me? Why, I'm only Anderson. You
are the Jinnerul. l kinder command
this gang. We are the Jayhawkers
you are lookin for and you have
jined.'
When my stage went on it went
without the lanky passenger. l heard
afterwards he became the most dar-
ing of all the gang.
| The Death of Lincoln.
While was driving the bus there
received. l was the second person
to hear it. The first one was Ben
Key, the telegraph operator, who re-
ceived the news over the wire
! Through him | got the news. At
first he did not know whether to be-
lieve it or not, and he told me not to
mention it to anyone. 1t took some
time for confirmation to come Final
ly when Key posted the bulletin after
the confirmation came there was
great excitement in Kansas City.
During the intervening period of the
first reception of the message and the
posting of the bulletin it was hard to
keep the news to myself. This
brought with it feeling of RESPONSE
bility that was very unpleasant to
me and | was very glad when it was
relieved when the bulletin was
posted.
Drove Out of San Antonio.
The first time l drove a stage in
and out of San Antonio was in 1873.
| drove on the line from San Antonio
| to San Angelo and Fort Concho. Jim
Lewis was one of the other driers
on this line. I ran by Peg-leg and
Robbers Roost, two places where
Lewis was held up several times and
where | came very near being rob-
bed and had very narrow escape.
Usually in this vicinity the stage was
accompanied by a guard of soldiers.
When there were no soldiers escort
ing it there were civil officers. On
this particular occasion we had re-
ceived tip that the stage was to be
held up at Robbers Roost. There
fore l had the sheriff on the box
with me. There were two strangers
inside the coach and several others
rode short distance behind us.
We got by the place, all right,
and without any attempt to rob us.
but the stage going the opposite way
was stopped and robbed. 1t was not
guarded, as ours was, because it did
not have as much money or other
Valuables in it as my stage had.
THE robbers had members or
agents in the different towns along
the route, who informed them of the
contents of a stage and kept them
posted as to when to make a rich
haul.
When 1 drove the stage in the Vi
cinity of San Angelo and Fort Con-
cho there were many Indians and
buffalo, and the Indians hunted and
killed the buffalo often in sight of the
road along where I drove. have
mad many exciting experiences with
Indians, but was never wounded by
them, although 1 had some very
narrow escapes"