Black Hills Highwaymen

The stage-coach eiïtered the grandly icturesque Whitewood gulch, whose anking mountains, friuged with pines, ;so hundreds of f eet on either side above ie road. Upon the box sat the driver, Tohnny Slaughtor, as jolly a fellow as ver held the rema, and as harmleRs as a hild. By his side sat Walter S. Her, of he firm of Her & McCaffroy, wholesale iqnor dealera of Omaha and Deadwood, who was returniug from a business visit o the East. The other passengers were naide the coach. As the weather was warin, every curtain was rolled up. )owu the geutle incline the four steamng horses went at a good round pace, the passengers singing and joking. Sudlenly five men were seen ahead, walking u single file and in silence. Johnny said 0 lier: " I wonder what gang that is ?" 'Oh, I giiess it's only a crowd on a ark," replied Her. Scarcely were the words out of his mouth, wlien the strangers turned, leveled their guns and pistols, and ordered Jie driver to stop. Johnny reached for 1 closer grip upon the reina, but, before ie conld check his team, the outlaws ïred. Fonrteen buckshot, piercing the coat of Mr. Der at the shonlder, passing across his back and out on the other side, struck the drivef's left breast just above the heart. Poor Johnny feil from liifS aeat a corpse. Another bnll slightly wounded Mr. Iler's fiuger. That gentleman, believing death certain if he stayed on the box. leapod to the ground. In the meantime th desperaiioes, separating to right and left, kad fired throngh the windows of the coach. Henry Lake seized the barrels of two revolvers with a grip that the robbers could not break. They pulled him f rooi his seat, threw him upon the ground, and ordered him to give over his weapons. He replied that he had none, and tossed bis empty pistol-belt toward thera. He was ordered to "git," and obeyed with alacrity, jumping Up and running down the road in pursuit of the coach. The team, frightened by the fusilade, had started off, driverless. The cnase continued for half a inile, when Messrs. Her and Lake overtook and stopped the conch, and tlio former, mounting the box, drove into this city, a distance of two and a half miles. The only othor passenger hurt was B. P. Smith, of Denver, whose face as badly bumed with powder. - Deadwood Cor. New Vork Sun.