Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-02-26


such wishes was only waste Of time, |
quickly gave il up, and began to consider what
,,had best do under the existing circumstances.
] wasn't long in making PIP my mind upon
few essential points trat, the man behind
me was william second, be had cut open the
mailbag, aud robbed i Of some valuable mat
ter He must have known the money letters
| by the size aud shape third, he means to
leave the stage ON the frst opportunity; and
lourthly, be was prepared to shoot me IL / at
tempted TO arrest or detain him.
resolved these things over in my mind,
and pretty soon I thought Of course to
pursue. knew that 10 get my hands safely
upon the rascal, | must take him unawares,
and this | could not do while he was behind
me-ior his eyes were upon me all the time
so must resort to strategem. Only little
distance ahead was a house an old farmer
named Longee lived there, and directly before
it was a huge snow-bank stretched across the
road for which a track for wagons had been
cleared with shoYels
As we approached the cot, l saw light in
the front room, as l was confident / should,
for the old man generally sat up until the
stage went by. drove on, and when nearly
opposite the dwelling stood up as had FIRE.
quently done when approaching difficult
places. | saw the snowbank ahead and
could distinguish the deep cut which had been
shoveled through it l urged my horses to
good speed, and when near the bank forced
them into it.
One Of the runners mounted the edge Of
the bank, after which the other run into the
cut, thus throwing the sleigh over about as
quick as though lightning had struck it My
passenger had not calculated on any such
movement, and was not prepared for it;-but
had calculated and was prepared. He rolled
out into the deep snow, with q heavy bu fialo
robe about him, while | lighted upon my
feet directly on top of him. punched
his head into the snow, and then sang out for
old Longee | did not have to call q second
time, for the farmer had come to the window
to see me pass and as soon as he saw my
sleigh overturned, he had lighted his lantern
and hurried ont
i What's to pay asked the old man as he
came up
Lead the horses into the track, and then
! come here said |.
: As | spoke, | partially loosened my hold
upon the villains throat, and he drew pistol
, from his bosom but | saw it in season, and
ammed his head into the snow again and got
the weapon away from him. BY this time
l lIOuRee nhu leu tht huihtS out anu CAME DUCK
3 and | explained the matter to him in as few
words as possible. We hauled the rascal out
2 INTO the road, and upon examination we found
t about twenty packages of letters which he had
q stolen from the mailbag and slowed away in
9 his pockets
/ He swore, and threatened, and prayed, bu
l. we payed no attention to his barney. Lon
It gee got some stout cord and when we hat
d securely bound the villain, we tumbled hin
/. into the pung. ] asked the old man if HI
8 wonld accompany me to Littleton, and hi
y said "of course So he got his overcoat anC
l muifier, and ere long we started on.
L reached the end of my route with M
y mail all safe, though not as snug as it nigh
d have been, and my mailbag a little the worR
II for the game that had been played upon it,
h However, the mail robber was secure, an,
ID within a week he was identified by some off
GERS from Concord as an old offender; and
y am rather inclined to the opinion that he
sr in State prison at the present moment A
| any rate, he was there the last heard of hin
That's the only time that ! ever had an
10 mail trouble, and think that under all cir
cumstances | came out Of it pretty we'll