Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-12-25
: STAGE COACH
TALES ts'oa
BY E. eTAYL OR
The Gun Girl

7~HE Gun Girl, little more daring,
= perhaps, but not so quick on the
trigger as the gun girls Of the large
cities today, made her appearance
along the National pike, as early as
1884. Il She was accompanied by four
men, and it was only the courageous
conduct of Samuel Luman,o stage
coach driver, that this highway girl
and her highwaymen aides were re-
pulsed. aeat43 HAat 13A3a e7si'tll'
Samuel Luman was one Of the best
known and best equipped drivers on.
the old National road, He was
giant in stature, and reputed to be
fearless. He began driving a stage
coach in 1882. s,.t...
On August u, 1884, his coach was
waylaid in the mountains between
Piney Grove and Frostburg, Md. 1t
was night, and humans teams almost
ran into a rude obstruction of logs,
stumps and brush that had been
placed across the road.
The spot was lonely, and surround
ed by a thick growth of pine trees.
was uIdtncuy anu LuC OHlN
gun among the passengers in the stage
coach was an old brass pistol, which.
however, was not brought into play
AS the stage coach reached the bar
rier across the road, one highwayman
stepped forward, seized the bride and
ordered Luman to descend from his
seat and surrender the mail and
money the coach carried. Human re-
fused.
'What do you want?" he temporized.
1--WE are traders" the highwayman
answered.
81 have nothing to trade" said
Luman. 81 am satisfied with my trap
pings and not DESTROYS of exchanging
them"
The highwayman holding the lead
team thereupon called out to one of
his companions hidden In the trees by
2 the roadside to shoot Luman.
The robber leveled his pistol at the
stage coach driver and pulled the trig-
ger. There was snap, and Luman
owed his life to the fact that the
night air was damp and the powder
would not explode.
While the hghwayman holding the
horses was turning the lead team
around so that 1t faced the opposite
direction from the stage coach, the
girl called out from the darkness of
the roadside, and ordered another
highwayman to bind the driver.
One of the robbers mounted part
way to the drivers seat, and wrapped
the reins tightly around humans arm.
Luman saw an advantage, and started
violently lashing the highwayman
with the ends Of the reins. The
beaten robber backed Off and as he
did so, the horses still attached to
the stage coach leaped forward, broke
from the lead team, and leaped over
the barricade on the road. The coach
came within an ace of capslzing, but
humans skill with the reins kept 1t
on its wheels, and the coach and Its
passengers flew into Frostburg.
Luman told the authorities that the
bandits he saw were all heavily dis
guised. He did not get look at the
gun girl or two Of the highwaymen
with her who had remained In the
dark shadows Of the pine trees The
robber who held the brides Of the
lead team, he said, wore long dress
like Mother Hubbard, and the one
who bound the reins around his arm
wore white vest, dark pantaloons
and black mask. They were never
captured
When the attack was first made on
the stage coach, Luman told the pas
sengers of the impending danger and
asked their assistance, but they
crouched In their seats and made no
effort to help him or defend them
selves
They were all western merchants
travelling east to buy goods, and be-
tween them they carried 100000 In
cash.
When they reached the Highland
house In FrOstburg, Of which George
Evans was proprietor, the grateful
passengers took up a collection with
which to reward the brave stage
coach driver. 1t was so ludicrously
lhOuShf UNIT
he Indignantly refused 1t.
"They were mean set" was his
comment
Luman gave up driving stage
coaches in 1879, and for several years
after that Interested himself in de.
tectlve work and furnishing robbers
Of the nall coaches that ratified along
the National road.
His life was threatened so frequent
~. however. that finally Lucius W
Stockton. president OF the National
Road stage company. feared for Lu.
mans safety. Luman then moved
east Of Cumberland. where he con.
tlnucd his activities. and until re
Gently lived in UnIontown, Pa.
10 1881. Western Hewspnpor Union1