White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-04-15

4 - ~ tA&
ter in the mining regions of the west,
has a survivor here. He Is Elias
Dart, who as long as forty-seven
years ago was one CT The daring rid
ers for that picturesque and histo
rical enterprise.
Mr.. Dart for twelve years has been
in the employ of the Adams-MeGill
Company as a driver of big teams OF
four or six in hands and at sixty
three is as husky as he was forty
years ago, but Is not able TO stand
the jolting of fifty miles in a saddle
in five hours as he did when he was
hurryipg letters out TO the mining
camps at what was little less than
average automobile speed on country
roads today. He spent several days
in Ely this week but does not come
to town often. His place OF employ
ment is at the Cleveland ranch.
Mr. Dart came TO this district n
1year before ". \. McGill arrived
from Virginia City and as a stage
driver remembers distinctly the day
he hauled a fine, florid-eompleSioned
! young man as a passenger to the
then bustling camp of Ward. Incl
dentally Mr., Dart took pleasure in
conplimenting the White Pine News
on the accuracy and completeness Of
its recent sketch of Mr.. McGilfs
long career in these parts.
He was just a young kid Of 0
fellow. rs or II. when he came 10
Nevada" said Mr.. Dart. I was
young, too young, when / rode the
fast mail. All of US were only kids,
the riders and a lot of the stage
drivers
Mr.. Dart was in the employ OF
Gilmore & Salsberry, who were noted
men of their day in several ways.
Besides having stage lines and pony
mail service over the west, they
were the principals in the great gov
eminent star route scandal of the
late '70s and early SOS.
At that time there was no Ely
Hamilton, Cherry Creek, Ward and
Osceola were the towns of this dis
trict. The nearest railway point
was Eureka and the next nearest
was Frisco, Utah. Mail came across
the Great American desert from Salt
Lake to Deep Creek by stage arr
pom From Deep Greek. which was a
lively spot then and a place where
there were many killings and other
border-day excitements. now called
Ibapall, he rode the fast mail out
Schellbourne way during a part of
the time that he was in the service.
He also rode and drove on many
routes and yin many directions. One
of his runs, both by pony n stage,
was between Ward and Osceola. He
has driven stage on every route IN
this part of the country. One was on
the route between Eureka and Typo,
also between Austin and Belmont.
lie has driven through Lake valley,
through Cave valley and TO Single
springs, from Eureka through the
White River valley. which was the
route into this part OF the country.
also in and out OF Phoebe. One OF
the famous old stage roads that he
has traversed many a time Is that
w~ashed-out and unused old stage
highway between Frisco and Phoebe
Speaking OF this Mr.. Dart says a lot
of blood was spilled there. There
were holdups near the Phoebe end.
but at numerous places on the way
lone travellers were slain and robbed
Ivy bands of robbers infesting those
mountains.
Mr.. Dart was held up several
times. four of which he mentioned
One was near Ward. when il hap
pened that the strong box contained
but little money and 1t did not
amount TO much as a robbery. He
was held up twice when driving on
the old Tuscarora run. One of those
times he had a miner in the seat with
him and some women and children
in the coach. 1t was dusk and he
was crossing an old tailings dump a
few miles from Tuscarora. Two me
showed up from behind the tailings
PIE anu COIuulduutl nduuS UP. lh'
women were frantic but were not
harmed, though some watches and
valuables were taken. The miner
noticed one of the shotguns closely
and that formed a clew. Around it,
hand grip, where ii had been slightly
broken, was a rawhide to bind II.
This gun the miner said belonged to
Butcher Jack in T~usearora. That
night with the sheriff Mr.. Dart went
into a hall where the society of the
town was dancing. Butcher Jack
was leaving the floor, where he had
been dancing with his young wife.
and they called him out. He said
that 1t was his gun but that he had
loaned 1t to two blacksmiths who
ran a shop there. The next morning
Mr.. Dart and the sheriff went in the
shop. placed the blacksmiths under
arrest and they weakened and con
fessed right there. They got long
prison terms.