Funny thing happened on the way to Grass Valley, Calif., in '73 ...
A reporter in 1889 wanted to get some good tales of justice from Wells Fargo lawman James Hume. Hume recounted a beauty.
The stagecoach was on its way from Colfax, Calif., to Grass Valley in 1873. Aboard were 11 male passengers and one Miss E. Webber. Miss Webber was on her way to marry a wealthy miner, sight unseen, she met through a lonely hearts column in the newspaper.
On that trip, the Wells Fargo stagecoach had a strongbox aboard that contained $7,078 in gold coin. After crossing the Bear River, the stagecoach was stopped by five masked bandits who removed the passengers and placed explosive charges on the treasure box.
In the gentlewomanly ways of those times, Miss Webber engaged the scoundrels in conversation. She nicely asked the robbers to spare her luggage. It contained all her possessions, and the crooks had no immediate interest in it. One thief gallantly agreed to bring it down for her. As he pulled the trunk from atop the coach, Miss Webber caught a glimpse of his face. She told Hume later that conversation with the perpetrators might help identify them by voice. Under duress, Miss Webber was outthinking everyone at the scene.
Explosives opened the treasure box, and the outlaws faded into the forest with the money. Wells Fargo stagecoaches were very well made, and the coach survived the blast. Passengers and crew continued to Grass Valley, made their reports and went on with their lives. Miss Webber got to her destination and waited a short time for her unknown fiancé. He came to call a few hours later and brought a clergyman with him to perform the nuptials.
The groom was unusually shy and kept his head down. But when the minister declared the couple married, he faced Miss Webber full on for the consummating kiss. Miss Webber recognized his face—the scalawag who had robbed the stagecoach only hours before! She screamed and fled the room.
Hume was able to track down the larcenist, Louis Dreibelbis, and got the full confession with names of his accomplices. All paid for the crime in prison.
Miss Webber, meanwhile, was able to take some solace in the fact that the marriage was not official—she did not have to bear the pain of marriage to a criminal. She returned to her hometown in northern Indiana and married her childhood sweetheart.
"It was Fate!"
I absolutely love this story. It really is "A funny thing happened on the way to Grass Valley." I am a Dreibelbis Cousin of America so I really hope we aren't to closely related. If we are I am ashamed of this family member! Hehe :)