Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-01-21
EVENING STAR.
THE IRIS q ROBBER.

and with his own sleek and well fed horses
instead of trusting his bones to tho tender
mercies Of an Irish postchaise, and the un-
broken garrons used for drawing these crazy
| vehicles.
One part Of his route was through a wild
and mountainous district and the Bishop,
being n very humane man, and considerable
OF his cattle, made point of quitting his
carriage at the foot Of every hill and walking
to the top. On one occasion he had loitered
10 look at the extensive prospect, indulging in
| a reverie upon its sterile appearance, and the
| change that agriculture might produce, and
In so doing CHANGED to suffer his family ana
| servants to be considerably in advance Per
| celving this, he hastened to make up for lost
time, and was stepping out with his best speed
! when fellow leaped from behind heap of
loose stones, and accompanying the flourish of
a huge club with demoniac yell, demanded
Money" with ferocity Of tone and man
ner perfectly appalling.
| The Bishop gave the rObber all the silver
| he had loose in his pocket, hoping that ii
would satisfy him; but he was mistaken, for
no sooner had the ruffisn slowed it away in a
| capaciOuS rent in his tattered garment, than
with another whirl of hi. bludgeon, and an
awful oath, he exclaimed
"And is it with the likes Of this I'm after
letting you of? few paltry tinpennies. It's
| the gould I'll have, or I'll spatter your brains
Arrsh, don't stand shivering and shaking
| there, like Quaker in the ague, but lug out
your purse, you divil, Immediately, or I'll
| bate you as blue as a whetstone.n
| His lordship most reluctantly yielded his
| well filled purse, saying in tremulous accents,
My good fellow, there it is, don't ill use
| me-Ive given you all, pray let me depart"
Fair and softly, if you plase sure as
L m not a good fellow, haven't done with
you yet. L must sarch for your note case, for
I'll engage You have few bits of paper pay
oh Ia NJ fhn k han
sorrow to night
1t was given up; glance at the road
showed that all hope of assistance from his
servants was unava.llng. The carriage had
disappeared, but the Bishop made an instinc-
tive movement as though anxious to escape
from further pillage
Wait awhile, or maybe L shall get angry
with you. Hand over your watch and sales,
and then you may trudge."
Now, 1T happened that the divine felt par
ticular regard for his watch-not 80 much from
its being Of considerable value, but because it |
had been presented to him by his first patron, |
and he ventured to expostulate.
Surely you have taken enough leave
me my watch, and I'll forgive all you have |
done"
Who Ak your forgiveness, you old var /
mint Would you trife with my good ma Il
ture, Don't force me TO dc anything I'd be |
sorry for-but, without any more bother, just |
give your Wdtcn, or Dy all mat holy
And he jerked the blud geon from his right /
hand to his left, spat on the horny palm # the /
former, and regrasped the formidable weapon /
as though seriously bent on bringing il into /
operation. This action was not unheeded by /
his victim-he drew forth the golden time /
piece, and with heavy sigh handed it to his
spoiler, who, rolling the chain and seals
around it, found some wider aperture in his
apparel into which he crammed it and Civ /
ing himself shake to ascertain that it had |
found, by its own gravity, place Of safety,
he said
"And now be off with you, and thsnk the
blissed the saints that you leave me without
a scratch on your skin, or the value of your
little finger hurt
1t needed no persuasion to induce the Bish-
op to turn his back upon the despoiler cf his
worldly goods, and having no weigh to carry
he set off at what equestrians term g hard
canter;" scarcely, however, had he reached
the middle of the precipitOus road, when he |
perceived his prosecutor running after him. |
He endeavored to redOuble his speed. Alas |
what chance had he in race with one whose
muscles were as strong and as elastic as highly
tempered steel
''Stop, you nimble- footed thief of the world, "
roared the rOOber-" Stop, tell you; I've a
parting word mith you yet"
The exhausted and defenceless clergyman, |
finding it impossible to continue his flight, |
suddenly came to a Stan3-still. The fellow |
approached, and his face, instead Of its former
ferocity, was lit up with a whimsical roguish- | $
ness of expression, as he said and is it
likely I'd let you off with better coat | I
on your back than my own? and will L be
after losing the chance Of that elegant hat and 1
wig? OFF with them this moment, and then I
you II quit O. me?
The footpad quickly divested the Bishop of II
his single breasted coat-lad violent hands /
upon the clerical hat and full bottOmed wig
put them on his own person, and then insisted / c
on seeing his late apparel used in their stead; |
and with loud laugh ran of, as though his
last feat had been the most meritOrious of his
life. S
Thankful at having escaped with unbroken t
bones, his lOrdship was not long in overtaking {
his carriage; the servants could not represS q
their laughter at seeing their master in such '
strange and molly attire but there was in |
his face such evidences of terror and suffering ,
that they speedily checked their risible incli-
nations, particularly when they learned by a | {
few brief words the danger he had undergone. | $
90 Ny dear w exclaimed his affection {
ate wife, after listening TO the account Of the S
perils to which her husband had been ex | {
posed, " for Heavens sake take off that filthy {
jacket and throw it out of the window. You /
can put my warm cloak over your shoulders 4
till we reach the next stage, and then youlwill b
be able to purchase some habit better suited f
to your station and calling. III
" Thus ~ more easily said than done, my [
love-" he replied; 81 have lost all the money O
l possessed; not guinea is left me to pay our I
expenses to night. My watch, too, that SO
dearly priced Miserable man that smn'
Never mind your watch, or anything else, | ,
just now-only pull off that mass Of filth, i'm )
plore you; who knows what hOrrid cOntagiOn '
we will all catch, you persist in wearing it" }
"Take it off, dear papa" observed the J
/" but don't throw it away it may /;
lead to the detection of the wretch who robbed /,
you"
The obnoxious garment was removed; the !
young lady was about to place it under the '
seat, when she heard jingling noise that at !
tracted her attention; and on examination,
found in various parts of the coat not only the /
watch, pocketbOok, purse, and silver, Of :
which her father had been deprived, but a :
yellow canvass bag, such ss is used by far !
mers, containing about thirty guineas.
H In Winchester Centre, Conn there has
not been death in one and half years, and
but two or three deaths in three years. The
H.. =. IL L