Year: 1875

1t was nearly year ago (says the Sal


Francisco Chr0nicte), when the mai


agents connected with the overland stag


route were completely puzzled by a rob


berry which, leaving no clue in its wake


baffied the shrewdest detectives, and lef


neither train nor track for the specia


agents of the Government to follow.


mail pouch containing valuable drafts


gold-dustand greenbacks, was dispatched


from Portland to San Francisco, but die


not arrive. 1t was expected and looked


for, inquiries were instituted, rigid meas


ures were taken to discover its where


abouts, but all efforts to find the missing


pouch were fruitless. Ithad disappeared


The robbery and the utter darkness,


which enveloped it were fruitful theme.


of conjecture and surmise, and the topic


was worn threadbare by the people round


about. As other subjects rose, engrOss


ing their immediate attention, the theme
of the robbery would be dropped only to


be revived again with the same interest


The affair found its way into tho col


umns of the press, from which vague in
situations commenced to emanate, to the
effect that the agents of the Postoffice
Department knew more regarding the
robbery than they were willing to divulge


A political canvass was then pending


and hints began to be dropped here and
there by the press that the missing pouch
was enacting prominent part in the
farce of politics. The newspaper criti.
cism was incisive; and impelled by its
sting the agents renewed their efforts to
recover the missing pouch. About this
time it was by chance discovered that
one of the parties on whom suspicion
had rested had left for parts unknown.
He was Dan Smith, one of the stage
drivers. 1t was known that he had been
accompanied on his hegira by the wife OF
one Montgomery. Here was a clue.
Slight, but nevertheless a clue. The
authorities reasoned that q man who
would take another mans wife would not
hesitate to plunder mail pouch, and by
inquiry speedily ascertained that Dan
Smith had been discharged, and for over
turning coach. The ground where the
vehicle was upset was carefully examined
and the conclusion was that the coach
was overturned, not through accident,
but by design. The clue Increased de-
cidedly in plainness, and was briskly
followed up. As driver, Smith was an
expert, and the best whip on the route.
The overturning of the coach was evil
IDENTIFY by design, as mere child could
have driven the coach over the ground
with no danger of overturning. There
was but one and ready inference; Smith
upset the coach as a pretext for being
discharged in order that he might leave
the country. Special Agent Underwood,
knowing that Montgomery had been in
innate with Smith, and reasoning that
Montgomery, if he had anything pertain
ing to the affair to disclose, would readi-
ly do so in spirit of revenge for Smiths
treachery, interviewed him. The result
was gratifying in an unexpected degree.


Montgomery confessed that Smith had
stolen the mail pouch and was the guilty
man. After carrying it for several days
in his feed-sack, Smith rifled its contents,
filled it with stones, and sunk it in the
Umpqua river. Acting upon this con-
fessi0n, the bed of the stream adjacent to
the stage road was carefully searched
and the long-missing mail pouch found.
1t was opened, and contained, besides
portion of the valuables, a striking illus
tration of the love of Californian for
hard coin and his contempt for paper
money. The bag of gold dust amount
ing in value to four thousand dollars,
was nowhere to be found; but all of the
drafts and roll of greenbacks were re-
gained intact. Smith and his paramour
were tracked to San Francisco. and very
soon Special Agent Underwood arrived
and registered under an assumed name
at the Russ House. With the assistance
of Special Agent Alexander, of Califor-
MIA, vigorous plans of pursuit were
adopted. The telegraph was put in re-
QUESTION, and it was ascertained that the
fleeing Dan had gone to Salt Lake, from
thence to Iowa, and finally to Philadel-
phia, where it was subsequently ascer-
tanned he had disposed of the bag of gold
dust. BY this time special agents and
detectives of every State were hot upon
the robbers track. But as Dan had been
cunning before, he was wary and suspi-
cious now. He suspected that that ter
rible invisible phantom, the detective,
was shadowing him, and he sloped for
Texas" Special Agent Stuart, of Iowa,
and Underwood followed closely and
swiftly behind, and finally at Sequin,
Gaudaloupe county, Texas, overhauled
Smith and his paramour, who had so long
defied capture. Smith whose real name
is Hamilton, came to this coast from
Iowa. His object in carrying the mail
pouch for nearly week without opening
it previous to his fight was that if he
could get run with no passengers he
could then have an opportunity of alb.
stracting the desired plunder alone and
i'm safety. He never succeeded in OBJ
tanning the "empty rum" but finally one
night, while his solitary passenger was
sleeping at a station, entered the barn
and distracted the gold-dust unseen.