Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-02-06

ing round now and then and objurgating old
Barnett, the mail guard, who occasionally
opened the window and pushed his head out
to inform himself of the trains whereabouts,
bringing it back always with puff, and
snort, and an exclamation that the frost was
''reglar black 'un tonight, and no mis-
take" Close upon Exeter now, all of old
Barnett's sacks for delivery are ready on the
floor close by the door, handy for the porter
TO seize, old Barnett himself sitting on the
pile, clapping his hands, stamping his feet,
and whistling to himself softly, the while
With prOtracted grind, a bump and shrek,
the train ran alongside the Exeter platform,
and old Barnett pushed back the sliding door
of the traveling-Office and handed the sacks
TO the expectant porter. But ere the man
touched them, he said, while his face was
CHASTITY white and his voice .trembled,
I" Lord Mr.. Barnett such a smash to-
night !"
8 Smash !" said old Barnett; what, an ac-
cident 2"
pooh p said the porter, "no, that would
be nothing-no-they'v robbed the up
mail?"
Robbed the up-mail !"
"Ah, tender broke open, bags all cut and
hacked, and letters all strewn about the
floor You never see such like"
a moments pause swell, Simon my boy, I'll
take devilish good care they don't rob my
mail. Here, clear these bags out, and let's
pass"
He jumped down on to the platform, ran
to the next carriage, which was the post
office tender" second class carriage fitted
up for the reception of mail-bags, unlocked
the door with a key, saw all secure, relocked
the door, and returned to the travelling post
office Just as the train began to move.
Old Tom Barnett had been in the Postoffice
service in one capacity or other for nearly
forty years, during the whole of which time
no word of complaint had ever been uttered
against him, and, a strict disciplinarian him.
self, he naturally felt that there must have
been some dereliction of duty on the pars OF
his brother-guard of the up-mail, OF which
the robbers had taken advantage. Conse-
quently, as the train flew through the black
darkness at forty-mile- speed, Barnett,
ut fve-minute intervals, lowered the window
of the travelling office and peered out in the
direction of his = tender" lie could not dis
tinguish much; all he could make out land
this principally from the shadows on the en-
bankments) was that the train was, as usual,
a short one; that Immediately after the en-
CINE came two second-class carriages, then
the travelling-office in which he was, then his
tender, then frst-class carriage, and then
a luggage-van. Nothing particular was to be
seen, nothing at all Save the invariable ramp
ing, roaring, and rattle) was to be heard; on
they sped through the darkness, and never
stopped until they came to Bridgewater,
where old Barnett descended, took his key
from his pocket, unlocked the tender, and
fell back calling at the top of his voice,
Helpi-thievesi damme, they've done me ~
At his cry two of the train-guards came run
ming up, and turned their bulrs-eye lanterns
on TO the tender, into which Barnett at once
climbed The mail-bags, ordinarily so neatly
arranged, lay scattered in pell-mell disorder
on the floor, the Plymouth bag had been
shifted from the hook on which it had been
hung, and, on examining it, Barnett found it
had been opened, and re-tied but not sealed 4;
short bits of string, splotches of sealing-wax,
and drifting pieces of tindered paper covered
the floor of the tender, and the window on
the further side-which had been carefully
closed when they left Bristol-was OPEN
They've done me !" roared old Barnett again,
g but they shant escape ! they're somewhere
in this train, and I'll have them out ~
At this juncture, two gentlemen, one of
whom was recognised as Mr.. NARROW, one of
the directors of the company, the other as
safe keeping of a great portion of the per-
manent way was confded, came up and in
quired what was the matter. On the affair
being explained to them, they agreed with
Barnett as to the necessity for closely search
ing the train, and all proceeded at once to
the frst-class carriage which was Immediately
next to the pOst-Ofice tender. This, as is
usual, was divided into three double COM
partments. The first was that from which
Messrs. NARROW and Joyce had just emerged,
and was, of course, empty; so was the second
in the nearest division of the third compart-
ment was an old gentleman named Parker,
well known on the line as a solicitor of Mod
bury, whose business frequently took him to
London. The door between the divisions in
this carriage was closed and the blind drawn
down. On being recognized, Mr.. Parker at
once answered to his name, and stated that
the further division was occupied by two men
who had entered the carriage at Bristol and
had at once closed the door and drawn down
the blind. Had he noticed anything further
about them? No, he had not. Yes? as they
got in he noticed something dragging after
them; nnpreceived by them, he put down
his hand and found it to be piece of string.
lie cut off what remained on his side when
they shut the door, and here it was Barnett
looked at it, aud exclaimed, "Bag string, Off
cial bag string without doubtp One of the
railway guards then opened the door and
looked into the other division. In it were
two men one of them with a Jim Crow hat
pulled owes his eyes, and enyeloped in large
cloak, was lying with his legs upon the seat,
and was apparently suffering from the tooth
ache, as he held his OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES up
to his face the other a tall man in a dark
Chesterfield great-coat, was screwed into
his corner of the carriage, and was apparent
ly asleep. Ticket, please! !" called out old
Barnett, and as the reclining man raised him
self to get at his ticket the handkerchief fell
from his face, and the railway guard, recog-
nizing him at once, called out, " Halo, Pond
is that you? What are you doing down the
line ?" Instead of answering this question,
Pond told the guard to go to the devil; but
Mr.. NARROW had heard the exclamation, and
asked the guard whether the man in the car
riage was Pond, formerly a guard in their
service, who had been dismissed some six
months before on suspicion of robbery. The
guard replying in the affirmative, old Bar
netfs previous suspicious were fully confirm
ed, and he insisted on having both the men
(who, of course, declared they were strangers
to each other) thoroughly searched. Nothing
at all extraordinary was found on either of
them, but from the pocket of the carriage in
which they had been travelling were taken a
Grape mask, pair of false moustachios, a
bit of wax-candle, and some sealing-waxed
string. As the time for the starting of the
train had now arrived, old Barnett and Mr.
Parker Travelled in one compartment with
Pond, while the two railway guards took