The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-18

men. I1e women expressed IeaFS or being robbed, for the coach had been stopped by the agents Ut least one day In the week for Q month. One of the women expressed wonder why the authorities did not do something to clear the roads of the robbers. At this q quiet looking little man in a corner seat said that to eradicate them would be impossible. He hoped that he would reach Denver in safety, and if he did he would never ride in q coach again.
 Suddenly the coach stopped. The little man trembled from head to foot When it was learned that the pause was to enable the driver to fix some part of the harness the other passen- gers jeered the little man for his tlmid- ity, whereupOn he wrapped himself up in his greatcoat and settled back in his corner. The men passengers clustered q good deal about what they would do if attacked, and the women were very snecrlng in their remarks about the coward.
 The coach had passed down from an eminence and was about to climb an- other when a shot was heard. The coach again came to stop, and this time it was evident that something serious had happened. In twinkling the door was thrown open and a man with an enormous revolver pointed into the coach appeared at the opening.
 The women screamed, two of the men turned pale-und. as for the little coward, he crOuched in his corner wrapped in his overcOat, which also covered his face. The only uncon- Cerned person in the coach was Joel SimOnson, who, not having anything valuable to lose, was not at all wor- ried.
 "Come out of there" said the man at the door in q tone that indicated he would be obcycd The two women alightcd first, handed out by the rob Der, who was quite dcfcrential to them. Then came two of the men, followed by Joel. The coward still crOuched in his corner, with his face covered. The robber had not the stamina to kill such an insignificant person. Instead he mounted the steps of the coach and reached across it to the other side, where the man was, and, seiZing him, was dragging him out when there was a crack. and the robber fell on the floor of the coach.
 The coward made one leap, in which he reached the ground, and there were two more shots in quick succession, each bringing down rObber. When the passengers recovered from their surprise they Suw the coward standing with a smoking bulldog" revolver in each hans, quite cool, but his eyes darting about him in search of any other mau who needed his attention. Seeing no more robbers, he turned quickly to one of the men he had shot, who was raising himself. Another shot finished him, and this exciting scene that had occupied about thirty seconds was over.
 VI Al.t II lllA bIEll NllsANtNI NllN wv robbers who were not engaged in get ting the passengers out of the coach, greedy for booty, had relieved the two women and one of the men of their belongings. As soon as the tragedy was over tho little coward said:
 "NIy friends, l was sent out on this trip to lay for Jim Dugan, who has been robbing the coaches single hand ed and alone thought I'd meet him alone and didn't expect that he would have any one with him. If his two pals hadn't been in such hurry to get the stun and had been tending to busi- ness instead of going through the pas sengcrs that had been taken out of the coach l would have been goner, for one of them, if not both, would have dropped me"
 He then proceeded to relieve the fallen men. who were both deadr of what they had taken. One of the ar tclcs was a lump of quartz which made Joel SImonson open his eyes. He rec ognizcd the identical nugget of which he had been robbed the night before.
 "Scc here. you little stick of dyna- mite" he said to lhc man who had killed the road agents. that thing there is mine
 "What makes you think so?' said the other,
 If you examine it you'll find my in- itials, T. s. cut on it."
 The little man turned the nugget till he brought the letters before his eyes, then turned them over the passengers with a scgutiuizing glance. It did not take him long to spot one of the men passengers.
 "Who are you?" he asked.
 The man made no reply.
 If mistake not I've seen you once before"
 With that the little man clapped a pair of bracelets on the fellow, who made no resistance.
 When all had been attended to the coach was driven on, and on its ar rival In Denver the stolen property was returned to its owners on proof of own ership. Joel receiving his nugget The coward from the time of his quick