The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-02-02

messenger, rode a horse ahead of the
coach as lookout. Another messenger,
also mounted on a horse, followed the
coach as rear guard.
"All unsuspecting, the stage coach
driver stopped at the Canyon Springs
station. A moment later the coach
was pelted with bullets.
Hidden within the stage station were
the Infamous Blackburn and Wall BAN
dts, noted for their cunning and
brutality. The robbers had rushed down
upon the station, had taken the keeper
captive and had trussed him up. Then
they knocked out the thinking from the
log wall and waited.
Just as the stage came to a stop,
the bandits opened fire. Gail Hills
horse was shot from under him. The
rear messenger and his mount were
killed, while against the boilerplate side
of the stage coach beat the rat-a-tat-
tat Of outlaws bullets.
Gene Patch's hands reached for the
sky as soon as the first volley burst
forth. Gene knew the ways Of stage
robbers and he knew the only thing to
do that would save his life. He kept
his foot on the brake and a tight hold
on the lines, but he kept his hands in
the air.
THE command. of the robbers to the
express messengers to "git out of that
thar coach!' was answered by a volley
from sawed-off shotguns. The mes
sengers had decided to fight it out to
the death against the bandits. They
did.
1.-The bandits fired from between the
logs of the stage station wall. The
messengers fired through the door of
the coach. Every time they fired, they
exposed themselves to the robbers aim,
which in the end proved deadly.
while squad of robbers pour
ed a leaden hail on the stage coach,
another squad blazed away at Gail Hill,
who, on the fall of his horse. had gain
ed protection of a tree. When I saw
this tree the bark showed more than a
hundred bullet holes.
1.-The messengers in the stage coach
were shot down one by nj as they con-
tinued the unequal battle. All three
of them were killed. Hill, behind the
tree, had been popping away at the
robbers, but with what success nj one
knows. If the express messengers killed
any of the bandits, it was never dis
closed. Whatever of dead or wounded
there were among them disappeared
when the outlaws left the scene.
when the last guard inside the
coach had fallen, the robbers rushed
out from the stage station. They
blocked the wheels Of the coach so that
it could not roll down the steep hill,
thus permitting Patch to take his foot
off the brakes and relax for just a
minute or so. He had been sitting on
the high seat with his hands in the
air, foot on the brake, talking to his
horses throughout the battle. The rob-
bers made him dismount and turn the
lines over to n Of the thugs.
"A bandit then stepped behind Patch
and clapped down two revolvers over
his shoulders, close to his neck, with
the barrels pointing forward.
"March to that tree!' the bandit Or
dered, pointing to the m behind which
Hill was hiding, and tell your mes
senger he will kill you If he shoots
Till took in the tense scene at a
glance and ran for his life, escaping
injury. He ran II miles to the next
stage station, known as Ben Eager's.
There he aroused Eager and q bunch
Of cowboys, who came tearing down to
Canyon Springs to wreak vengeance up
on the highwaymen. They we're too
late. The robbers. the stage coach, the