The Unseen Servant forums

Before heading to the courthouse, William inquires at the Wells Fargo. Stagecoaches with fine woodwork and surprisingly small passenger compartments sit in a garage and workshop. There's a large corral with a dozen or so strong, healthy horses. When he inquires in the office, a clerk leads him into a manager's office. A man in a business suit that looks too hot for a June day in Texas says, They happen on the roads west to Fredericksburg and Northwest to Burnet.
Sometimes in wooded areas. In that case, the robbers usually have dragged a log onto the road to stop the coach. They approach carrying rifles, shotguns, and scatterguns and wearing kerchiefs over their faces. Usually four men, sometimes up to six. They make the driver and the guard throw down their guns and lie facedown in the dirt. Two men hold guns on them.

The other men make the passengers get out and stand in the road. The search them and take all of their belongings-- money, watches, rings, brooches, fine combs-- anything. With the women, they just take the whole handbag, they don't spend the time to open it and search it. Then they make the passengers open up their luggage, and they help themselves to anything they want. They're probably pretty well-dressed bandits by now.

Then they take the horses out of their harnesses, put ropes around their necks, and ride off with them at a gallop. Which leaves the passengers and crew to walk to find help at the nearest dwelling they can find. The procedure is the same on the prairie, but instead of laying a log on the road, they come riding head-on from the front at a gallop, yelling for the coach to stop.

They've killed three guards and a driver. And murdered one passenger in cold blood, apparently because he had a Back East accent. They didn't directly kill an elderly lady, but she died a day or two after a long walk in the sun. Oh, and they victims say that two of the robbers have accents that aren't from Texas. More of Kansas or Missouri accents.

The Rangers say they plan to investigate as soon as they can, but they say they're shorthanded. They say they've got a company dealing with a strong bandido gang south of San Antonio. They say they've got two companies out west dealing with Iron Shirt's Comanches. Why isn't the Army dealing with that, I ask? I asked the Governor himself that. "Why are the state police fighting Indians and letting highwaymen terrorize the highways?" His answer? "I suspect it's because they don't believe the Army is smart enough or fast enough to catch Iron Shirt." And the other companies are all around the state dealing with "prior and ongoing disturbances." The Wells Fargo Coach Line's problems are problems that will just have to wait.

Mr. Moore, if you can eliminate these murderers by any means, the company will reward you well. If you can find the men, the Rangers or the sheriff of the county will have no choice but to assist with capturing-- or killing-- them.

William will quiz them a bit more. Just a few more questions, if you don't mind. Which way were the stages going when they were hit? Towards or away from here? Oh, and while I would attempt to capture them, do the rewards apply if they insist on shooting it out?

After these answers, it's probably time to get to the trial and to meet up with the group. This looks like a good interim moneymaker.

Along with the discussion with the Rangers, William will pop in to let the Wells Fargo folks know that He's looking into it.

The Wells Fargo manager replies to William, This is good news, Mr. Moore. The Rangers are finally taking some action. I don't know if you've seen the news in the papers, but we had to make the decision to suspend service to Burnet and Fredericksburg and other points to the west. Passengers from Texas don't think much about lawsuits. Their mentality is generally, "The whole state is full of dangers and risks. If you take the risk, you're responsible for the results. But the more educated and sophisticated passengers, such a reporters and their papers, do think in terms of lawsuits, liability for negligence, that kind of thing. The risks are presently too high to continue operations. Not to mention, hiring and retaining drivers and guards has become exorbitantly costly-- if one can find a willing new hire at all.

If the Rangers assure us that the threat has been eliminated, and we can successfully test their assurances with successful service runs.... The reward bounty will be yours.
Though it will be divided among others whom the Rangers deem to have provided information leading to the elimination of the danger.