Indians Attacking a Stage-Coach BAH-p243

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a shotgun messenger was a private "express messenger" and

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

, especially on a

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

but also on a

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

, in charge of overseeing and guarding a valuable private shipment, such as particularly the contents of a strongbox (on a stagecoach) or

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable enclosure used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body ...

(on a train).

History

In the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

, express messengers of the

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...

company typically carried a short (or sawn-off) 12- or 10-

gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

double-barrelled

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...

, loaded with

buckshot A shotgun cartridge, shotshell, or shell is a type of rimmed, cylindrical (straight-walled) ammunition used specifically in shotguns. It is typically loaded with numerous small, spherical sub-projectiles called shot. Shotguns typically use a ...

. The express messenger typically rode in a seat on top of the coach, on the left next to the driver, who typically sat on the right side, operating the wheel brake with his right arm. Such weapons were sometimes referred to as "messenger shotguns" ("

coach gun A coach gun is a modern term, coined by gun collectors, for a double-barreled shotgun, generally with barrels from in length, placed side-by-side. These weapons were known as "cut-down shotguns" or "messenger's guns" from the use of such shotg ...

" is a modern term, coined by gun collectors), which was an effective weapon for use against pursuing riders. If a stagecoach had only a driver and no messenger, this meant the coach carried no strongbox and was thus a less interesting target for "road agents" (

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

s). To some extent, these weapons were also carried over to use by private guards in trains with strongboxes or safes, where they were also effective. Like " gunslinger", the actual term " riding shotgun" first appeared in fiction about the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

, dating back as far as the 1905 book ''The Sunset Trail'' by Alfred Henry Lewis. See also " calling shotgun" which dates from use in autos to about 1954, at a time when it was being used in the popular TV series ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

''.

References

{{reflist 19th-century establishments 20th-century disestablishments American frontier Obsolete occupations Protective service occupations History of road transport