| Show rond moad ageng absents highwaymen have literally ridden roughshod over the mountains through tho the gulches and across the plains of california ever since and before it wab was a state here wab was their harvest home affording them at different periods 1 an undisturbed field heid of operation opera tlona tiona 11 fira first at tho the territory immense in ex extent and sparsely settled enabled them to waylay and rob the luckless traveler with impunity again the thousands of traders and minors miners and pressmen ex who came down from the mountains to the low lands and cities were fat geese to be plucked for years they nearly all had greater or less quantities of gold dust which fact was invariably known to the shar pers who followed and fleeced them moat these fellows whom mark alark twain first dubbed as road assuta are the renegades rene gades godes and rascals in existence many diany of them first drew breath in the purlie purlieus us of st giles or the five points some boyne are 19 ticket of leave men 10 bailing from new now south wales while not a few graduated from the classic precincts of san ban Quent quentan ln during the last three years or more these road agents have received several severe lessons emboldened F m bold ened b by y success and escaping detection after taking desperate chances they commenced attacking stages laden with moneyed passengers and plenty of the oro stowed away in the boxes of the express messengers stimulated by liberal rewards the highway freebooters were generally either captured or killed on the spot while making resistance A fw fow escaped from rom th the state eState and quite ton toa dumber limber timber are at present ser ber serving V out their time in the penitentiary still ther thele e is left as their successors as reckless a band of ruffians as ever went oakland transcript |
