Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1860-12-01
Tough.

VII wiz AAADPPi AitSIa IUlu IaCUG
tough stories about London thieves
A Cincinnati chap named Case, heart
these narratives with a silent but ex
pressive humph! and then remarked
that the Western thieves beat the Lon
don operators all hollow.
"How SOP" inquired the Englishman
with surprise, Pray, sir, have yor
lived much in the West?''
sSNot great deal. / undertook tc
set up in business in Des Moines
Rapids, a while ago, but the rascally
people stole nearly everything I had,
and at last WEIGH miner ran off with
my wife"
"Good gracious!' exclaimed the Eng
lishman, land have you never found
her."
"Never to this day. But that was
not the worst Of it"
" Worst! Why what could be
worse than stealing a mans wife %
"Stealing his children, l should say"
said the implacabls Case.
"Children -
yes, a negro woman, who hadn't
any of her own, abducted my young
est daughter, and joined the Indians"
"Did you see her ?"
sESee her! yes; and she hadn't ten
rods the start of md; but she plunged
into the lake and swan off like duck;
there wasn't q canoe to follow her
with"
The Englishman leaned back in his
chair and called for another mug of
"alfand-alf," while Case smoked his
cigar and eyed his credulous friend at
tho samc time most remorselessly.
sI-I shan't 60 any farther West, I
think" at last observed the excited |
John Bull
II should not advise any one to co."
said Case quietly. "My brother once
lived there, but he had to leave, al
though his business was the best in
the country"
"What business was he in ?"
"'Ehe lumber business. lie had
saw mid"
"And they stole lumber?''
eyes, aud saw-logs, too"
"Saw-logs ?"
Eyes, @kale dozens of the black
ma'1lnutilogs wore carried away in a
single hight
"TrHe upon my hanor, sir. He tri-
ID every way to prevent it, and hired
nen to watch his logs, but was all of
10 use. They would take them away
IS easy as if there had been no one -,
here. They would steal them out of
.he cove and even out of the mill q
,ouse."
Good gracious
"Just to give you an idea how they
can steal out there" sending sly
wink at,the listening company, Gust to !. !.
give you an idea~-did you ever work
n saw-mill % o
s'Never." nn
"Well one day my brother bought
IN all fired fine black walnut four a
eet three at the butt aud not knot in !,
{, He was determined to keep that I
og anyhow, and hired two Scotchmen
o watch it all night. Well, they took
demiiohn of whiskey with them,
,traKed the log up the hill above the
nil, built fire aud sat down on the
og to play cee:S,ds, just to keep awake II
ecu o. e-'Twas monster"".~s DIG log, |,
bark two inches thick. Well, as l was
saving, they played cards and drank
whiskey all night, and when it began
to GROW light went to sleep astradle OF
the log. About minute after day
light brother George went over to the
mill to see how they were getting on,
and the log was gone"
"What were the Scotchmen doing?'
"Sitting OH the bark! The thieves
had driven an iron wedge into the
butt end, which pointed down the
hill, end hitched yoke of oxen on
ana pulled it right out of the shell,
leaving the Scotchmen there astrsddle !,
of it, fast asleep"
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