Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1891 — A RACE WITH IDAHO ROBBERS. [ARTICLE]

A RACE WITH IDAHO ROBBERS.

Joaquin Milter Relates an Adventure of His Youth. St. NlcholM. I was lying ice-bound at Lewiston, Idaho. Men wanted to send money below to their families or friends; merchants, anticipating the tremenaous rush, must get letters through the snow to Walla Walla. Would I go? Could I go? The snow was deep. The trails, over open and monotonous mountains, were drifted full. Could any living man face the drifting snow and find h ; s way to Walla Walla? At first the merchants had tried to hive Indians to undertake the trip and deliver their letters. Not one could be found to go. When the storm abated a little the men who kept the ferry across the Shoshone river scraped off the snow, and cutting down the upheaved blocks of ice made it possible to cross with a horse. At first I meant to carry only letters. But having.finally consented to take a little gold for one merchant, I soon found I should lose friends if I did not take gold for others. The result was that I hatTto take gold worth nearly ten thousand dollars.

A few muffled up friends came down to the river bank to see me off. It was a great event. For two weeks we had a line from the outer world. And meantime the civil war was raging in all its terrible fury. As I set out that bleak and icy morning, after I had mounted my plunging pony I saw in the crowd several faces that I did not like. There was Dave English, who was hung on that spot, with several of his followers, not forty days later; there was Boone Helm, hung in Montana; Cherokee Bob, killed in Miliersburg; and also Canada doe. The last named lived with some low Indians a little Way down the river. So when he rode ahead of me I was rather glad than otherwise, for I felt that he would not go far. I watched him. however, and when I saw that he skulked around under the hill as if he were going home, and then finally got baek into the trail, I knew there was trouble ahead. , But the Rubicon was now behind. My impetuous horse was plunging in the snow, and I was soon tearing through tho storm up the hill. Once fairly on my way I looked back below Dave English and Boon Helm were bidding good bye to two mounted cowboys at the ferry house. Ten minutes later, looking back through the blinding snow, I saw that these two desparate fellows were following me.

True, there was nothing criminal in ■ that. The two highwaymen had ai right to ride behind me if they wished. | And Canada Joe had just as good a right to ride ahead of me But to be on a horse deep in the blinding snow and loaded down with gold was bid: enough. To have a desperado blockading the narrow trail before you, with his two friends behind you was fearful. ; I had two six shooters close at hand under the bearskin flap of my sadd.ebag where the gold was. I kept my left hand in my pocket where lay a small six-shooter warm and ready. Once, as the drifting and blinding snow broke away up the mountain, I saw Canada Joe with his head bent down in the storm still pushing on ahead of me at a safe distance. A few ■Maeeats after, as I crossed and

climbed the farther bank of an ugly 1 canon, the two robber* came close enough to hail me. One of them held, up a bottle. They evidently intended to overtake me if they could, and profess to be friendly. This I must not allow, I urged my ambitious horse to> his best. But, to my dismay, aa I hastened up a narrow pass I found that I was not far behind Canada Joe, This low-browed, black fellow was re • ported to be the worst man in all that country. And that was saying he was bad indeed. I was in a tight place now and had to think fast. My first plan was to ridw forward and face this man before the, others came up. But I was really afraid of him. It seemed a much easier task to turn back and kill the two rear men and get back to town. But, no! No! All this was abandoned al. 1 most as soon as thought of. In those days even the most desperate had certain rights which their surviving friends would enforce. I was now but a few hundred behind Canada Joe. So far as I could find out the robbers were closing la on me. But we had ridden over the roughest part of the road and were within a few miles of the high plateau, so that the wind was tearing past in a gale, and the'drifting snow almost blinded me.

Suddenly I had anewthonght. Why J not take to the left, gain the plateau by a new route, and let these bloodthirsty robbers close their net without having me inside? I rose in my saddle in excitement at the idea, and striking spurs to my horse was soon climbing up the gradual slope at a gallop. Ah! but I was glad. Gallop! gallop! gal--lop! I seemed to hear many horses! Turning my head suddenly over my shoulder, I saw my two pursuers not a hundred yards behind me. They, shouted! I was now on the high pla» teau and the snow was not so deep. Gallop! gallop! gallop! Canada Joe, thank heaven, was away to the right, and fast falling behind. Gallop! gallop! gallop! I was gaining on the robbers and they knew it. Fainter and fainter came their curses and their shouts, And then: Whiz! Crack! Thud! I looked back and saw that they both had thrown themselves from their saddles and were taking deliberalßaim. •"<J- < ' ..C. But to no purpose. Not one shot touched me or my horse, and I reached the first station, and finally rode into Walla Walla with my precious burden, safe and sound.