Show LETTER A rn ROBBER AGENT arent WHO HAD A HESPECT RESPECT A ROAD FOR THE PRESS of B ita mau 1 avile l lio the tit story H lk 1111 ll ll tp 1 fr f another At ller HO tint ct off tot free ith all III ch th alie ll leobe olT end tl copyright fee by charles tl lewa it was S la in the afternoon of a 11 hammers summers day and the stage over ft A eel tain route in montana held three othia r egem passengers ng em we V e were all prospectors fu fur the matter of that but the others wen wert raw bands in kansas and not aked tr the way ways 0 ot f the tile country the driver bad given iriven me ft a hint that it was about tine time jhc thc t c su seiw e was held up again four or alv R weka having elapsed but when I 1 the word amodo the passengers made lill li of it and we were thus unprepared A lc ir the all summons trillions cacie came it v as a hot day mid I 1 guess we were all nodding when the tl horses hordes were suddenly pulled up nt at tin tilt crest of a it hill it thirty Pe condi later before a niall was H as at the right baud hand door calling aull now then you are behind time and I 1 dont want to detain you longer than I 1 can help climb C limb down gentlemen and throw up your handal had we bien blen ready for the call wo we would have killed him at the door we were not ready and the man who tries to get ready utter after a road agent baa has got things fixed to dint suit himself hini elf is either a lunatic or an idiot we probably looked as cheap as sheep thieves tine tea as we climbed out and threw up tip our hands for the robber chuckled to him self and remarked feel so cut up about it boys an as I 1 held up A lefaga with six to in it 16 lost last ni olith conic come now tiow shell begin at the right of the line and place your guns on the ground in front only one at a time and be lively in about a minute we were all disarmed the driver had a double shotgun within reach but he made no effort nt at rescue there was only the one man and the driver could have dropped him had he so 0 o dt desired alred if he stand in with the robber then he was an arrant coward now tor for the boodley bood lel baid said the robber as ho he secured the weapons 1 I 1 want watches pina pins rings and wallets begin on the right I 1 shall search ion roil afterward and the man who has kept back anything will w ill bo be left lying here when the stage et artal sl wo we stripped ourselves of everything of value and be he gathered the plunder into a small leather mail sack brought along for the purpose lie got nearly t 1 in lit co cash cosh sh and be was so pleased with the haul that he lie gave each one of bf us twenty dollars from front the pile explaining 1 I always leave a man a grub stake t to 0 begin anew on if you are ambitious and energetic get along all right nest best i country in the world tor for a poor man you t can now climb back into the stage six months previous to that date a man named thompson had made a rich find and sold out for in cash ifie was still in the country coun arwe were getting buck back into the stage the robber drew closer to me lifted the hat off my head and anti ex claimed well tills this Is an unexpected how are you thompson my name la Is not thompson I 1 replied oh oil come off I 1 ive seen you t ice before and know who you are how ilow comes it youre so 90 short 1 I gave you every dollar I 1 had got the rest in bankett ban bank keht eh air mr thon thompson 1 p I 1 guess ill hang to you for a f few ew days you ought to be willing to pan out at least on th this is deal I 1 vigorously denied that I 1 was thompson but be he only smiled at me I 1 made a move to get into the stage and his eyes flashed as he lie covered me with a revolver and said dont try to fool with me mr thompson soni I 1 hurt anybody yet but if you dont obey orders ill drop you in your tracks driver you cau can go on I 1 did ca calculate I 1 id have to shoot you but youve acted very sensibly and im very well pleased I 1 shall probably hold bold you up ag again II 11 in in a couple of weeks w ecks and I 1 hope you NV will ill remember how to conduct yourself the stage rattled off and I 1 w was left alono alone with the robber there were four revolvers and the mail sack suk under his foot he I 1 le picked up tip the weapons removed the tile cartridges and then turned to me with thompson ini im not a bad fellow unless Y you on buck against my game just knuckle to circumstances and well get along U right you toko tale the tile guns and ill can earl the sack right my boy always submit to the inevitable turn in by that rock rock and keep to the west your object in holding me a it prisoner prison ert I 1 naked asked as I 1 picked up tip t the 1 le weapons oh oil ive got three or four objects in the first place I 1 want about as a ransom going to play greek brigand you see in the next im confounded lonesome up here and want some one to talk to thirdly I 1 may inny induce you to go into rou partnership in this holdup business theres there both fun and profit in tt it I 1 forgot to say to you ou that it if you should RO so far forget your manners as to make a sudden bolt for or it I 1 should drill a bole hole in your back in short order I 1 had no thought of it we lve were ina in a wild spot thirteen milea miles from a stage station and night was coming on I 1 took the tile lead as he directed and we traversed halfe halt a mile ile of very rough ground and then struck the head of a rocky gulch we took the left hand side for a quarter of a mile and then descended and as we reached the bottom I 1 saw fire and a cave under the tile rocky bluff it exactly a cave but the overhang of the rocks made a fine flue shelter there were blankets and cooking utensils ecat tere A around an as I 1 could see we when the robber threw on oil amah nel fool and aa as I 1 blood looking around be lie turned tome ionic with ita its not a palace my dear buy but just a kate rare and comfortable roost ivo ive put in three weeks heie here all alone and im mighty g glad I 1 I 1 to hae have company just make your self at homo home while I 1 cook supper I 1 threw myself down on a his blanket n ket and lie made coffee fried route baicon a and d mixed up and baked a flour cake now and then he lie looked at me but we had no conversation until supper was served 1 I excuse cuse lack of dishes and cutlery he salda said as s he be placed placid the eatables on oil pieces of bark just all tall right to and cat hearty that Tha was a lucky find you made last fall mr thompson As I 1 told you before my name Thomp thompson soon I 1 replied no I 1 bg lg b L g to differ with avith you I 1 saw yon you at diamond Disatio nd city in december and aud im sure im not mistaken have some more bacon mr thompson thank you if im thompson im worth to you am it III the figure mr thompson well Wel lyou you are left on Thomp thompson bon imay I 1 may resemble him but hes in IW heiso City Jda lit at this very date while a im here look into my wallet there and find cards and ani letters to prove who I 1 am I 1 wanted to eay say as much to you before the stage started but you ivere were in finch such a hurry and BO so anxious to slit sli t r that I 1 ge get lachance ta a chance A all tuu the money you can get out of me buy you ft a pound 0 of f bacon 1 lie ile looked look edat nt me very verb steadily for or a min ute late and then went wen lover over to the mail mall rack sack emptied out its contents and seArel led through my wallet there were plenty of proofs that I 1 was not thompson Thom pHon he ile was satisfied after four or five minutes and he turned and held out his hand and said mr blank I 1 beg your pardon vow you ure are not mr thompson as I 1 perceive I 1 fur ther discover that you are a newspaper man sorry for the blunder no man mail liin has a greater respect for the press in general than I 1 entertain if I 1 I 1 turned road agent I 1 should probably have become an editor I 1 am ashamed of myself and I 1 wish you would tell me how I 1 can square the deal you have still M of my money exactly I 1 eve the first step is to restore your money of course allow nieto me to present you with this wallet and contents content 4 no thanks thank I 1 have always made it a rule never to interfere with the liberty of the p press ress lie ile had bad a box of good cigars ami and as we smoked we fell into a general conversation my robber was a man of about thirty well educated and a gentleman in bis his manners I 1 was returning to bandoch from a flying visit east and ho he asked me a hundred questions about politics and general new news ho ile knew chicago st louis louls philadelphia and new york like a book lie ile knew all the prominent men of the country by reputation at least and was A great admirer of zachariah chandler As we became better acquainted I 1 began in a journalistic way to pump him for information but he lie met ray my efforts with a laugh and explained pla ined you wont need any additional facts to make an interesting article lets turn in for the night the chances are that I 1 shall have half a dozen men looking for me tomorrow and I 1 may have to hunt for a it new hiding place what do you think of this as a profession VI what stage robbery t yea yes I 1 suppose the technical name for it ilow would you like to go bards with met me 1 I cant say it strikes me favorably you are not only liable to bo be shot down every hour in the twenty four but I 1 cant tee see how you are tire to enjoy your profits well dont decide offhand but think it over there are some drawbacks of course but they dont count when compared to the excitement of it after the first adventure ortho or two I 1 think like it good goodnight night he ire was asleep before I 1 was A bear came up from the lower end of the gulch gul ch sniffing and growling and I 1 got up ani and threw more wood on the fire to frighten him away it was long after midnight before I 1 dozed off and I 1 was it w e again when daylight began to liter filter down through the trees tree sand and rocks you were a bit nervous and of course you sleep well said the robber as he sat up and robbed rubbed his eyes on m rny y part I 1 slept like a top nothing on my conscience you knowl well well have a bite to eat there wa was a paring fifty feet farther down the gulch we went down and had a and then I 1 helped him cook 1 re 4 k fast we had about the same as tor for st lf per while we wore were eating ho lie budde suddenly i lly burst out laughing laughl ns and wild quito quite a drop from the fifth avenue botezat hotel at new now york the tremont at chicago the planters at st tiuis eh well w we 1 are not out here for or style and we ru run 3 n no 0 risk of dyspepsia what do you think of my proposition t ion 1 I dout dont we see my way clear to go into partnership with you in the first place I 1 dont believe ive got the tile nerve to make a good road agent in the next im interested at bannock and dont went to lose what ive put in thirdly be bunted hunted down and killed within a year looking at it from a business standpoint it wont pay I 1 per cent on the capital invested well for you to decide he quietly replied id like a pard and I 1 bo lieve beye fill the bill but it all rests with you it ha its drawbacks as I 1 said in last r t night and no doubt you are right as to the windup I 1 expect you want to bo be moving soon it if you have no objections oh none in the worldly ill go with you and how show you a short cut but let acta kou have av e a smoke first As we smoked we talked in a way during the conversation ho be mentioned market street fh th philadelphia fifth street in cincinnati ma main in street in buffa lo 10 and euclid avenue in cleveland and all in such a way as to lead me we to believe he was quite fA familiar millar with the cities when wo we hod bad finished our cigars I 1 said to him suppose oba we form a partnership the other way you cry quits to thia this sort of life and go down to bannock with me too intel he lie replied forcing a la laugh 11 gh As I 1 have sowed bowed so must I 1 reap thanks for your kind interest however It its latime time to be moving lie Ile returned me rny revolver and made me a present of another lie also buckled on a pair put things in the cavo cave to rights ta and then we climbed out of the gulch we walked over the wildest kind of a country tor for two hours or more and at length be lie slopped and said the stage road Is 11 right down there not twenty rods away and you turn to the right im borry for my blunder of yesterday but tin im rather glad of it well weil I 1 try to act square im glad we met and sorry to say goodby we may meet again some day hood good day to you we shook hands and he turned aw away ay we did meet again three throe mouths months later that la Is I 1 saw his dead body lambek atrom the back of a mule following a sheriffs posse pow and the blood was still oozing from a bullet bole hole in the center of his bl forehead he ile bad been hunted down |