93 Gold and a Stagecoach Hero

Somehow the word gold, even in a hushed whisper, does strange things to people. What do people do? They rush, almost in a panic, to the newly discovered fields. For example, over 10,000 rushed to Alaska to pan the Klondike gold.

But one of the biggest rushes was to California in the 1840s. The “forty-niners” poured in from all parts of the world to pan the rich deposits. The miners brought thousands of ounces of gold into the banks. This was a good business for the banks, but it also presented a problem. The gold had to be moved eastward to stronger banks. The only transportation was the stagecoach.

Bandits, of course, would watch for shipments of gold. Watching paid off. A man named Sam Bass, for instance, stole $50,000 in gold. A fortune in those early days!

The favorite target of bandits was the stagecoach. The bandits would pick a deserted spot. In such a spot some bandits waylaid Charley Parkhurst’s stagecoach. Parkhurst was a stagecoach driver widely known for driving skill. The first time he was stopped and threatened, he gave up the gold. But he said, “I wasn’t expecting this, but next time, I’ll be ready for you.”

The next time came soon. And, as promised, Charley was ready. He shot the leader of the ill-starred gang. Then he whipped his horses right through the gang. They scattered like rabbits.

What made Charley’s feat all the more remarkable was revealed at his death in 1879. The doctor’s death certificate showed that Charley, old rough-and-tumble Charley, was actually Charlotte Parkhurst.

不知怎的，金子這個詞，即使是輕聲細語，也會對人們產生奇怪的影響。人們會怎麼做？他們幾乎陷入恐慌，急忙趕往新發現的礦區。例如，超過一萬人湧向阿拉斯加淘克朗代克金礦。

但最大的一次淘金潮發生在1840年代的加州。成千上萬的“49淘金者”從世界各地湧入，去淘取富含金礦的沉積物。礦工將數千盎司的金子送入銀行。這對銀行來說是筆好生意，但也帶來了一個問題。金子必須運往東部更強大的銀行。唯一的運輸工具是驛馬車。

強盜當然會盯著金子的運輸。監視終於有了回報。例如，一個名叫山姆·巴斯的人偷走了五萬美元的金子。那在當時可是筆巨款！

強盜最喜歡的目標是驛馬車。他們會選擇一個荒涼的地方。在這樣的地方，一些強盜攔截了查理·帕克赫斯特的驛馬車。帕克赫斯特是一位以駕駛技術聞名的驛馬車司機。第一次他被攔下並受到威脅時，他交出了金子。但他說：“我沒料到這事，但下次，我會準備好。”

下一次很快就來了。正如他所承諾的，查理已經準備好了。他射殺了那個倒霉幫派的頭目。然後他驅馬衝過幫派。他們像兔子一樣四散而逃。

讓查理的壯舉更加非凡的是，他的死在1879年揭示了一個秘密。醫生的死亡證明顯示，查理，那個粗獷的查理，其實是夏洛特·帕克赫斯特。