The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1865-10-18
Tom Rocker. the nighwaylnan
Ey ALBANY roNBLANors, JR

BY ALBANY ToNDLANQrE, JR
~ happened 70 my father said the tai
man IN the sAilnney corner, !. and that hov
came to know all about fl
The chimney oornc. IL that Of the Riain.
sun, q pleasant little roadside inn, nbou
Two miles from Northampton, and the tai
man IS president OF 4 bowling club thai me
there onoe fortnight, principally 10 dine
The it, q which the speakers relative wa
The hero. ia the adventure which fnrms tn,
subject of this narrative
The reason why we were listening I,
stories instead Of playing bowls, was simply
this One Of the heaviest thunder ct orm.
TINT l can remember, broke over the Rising
sun that afternoon. All during dinner WI
could see great ragged copper colored clouds
banking ~ against the wind. and the cloth
Wa hardly of the table. when spit spat
spat against the diamond shaped window
paues came few heavy hail stones, then
came the lightning, then came the thunder
AMI then came the rain. rs though it had no,
rained for ten years, and was determined Ia
mako up for lost time So there waa moth.
ing flr it but 10 sit still and to amuse our.
selves, a. beet we could. indoors and the
conversation having turned upon travelling
were invented. MIR. Josh SaniiRer, our
president sitting and smoking his pipe in
the chimney corner, volunteered 10 tell u q
tale OF those times. and, said he. . 1t hap
penca to my father, and that how came
70 know all about it.
| do not think you would like me to give
you the story just as Mr. losh+gsv il 10 Ms:
You might get yexci with h.s pipe He al
ways smokes very long clay pipe, which
seems TO require great deal Of manage
nent to get il to draw properly He never
says more than about ak words at time :
then he has pull st his pipe, and goes on
again. giving you Whit Of words, aud then
Whit Of smoke, whilst You are turning
tham ever IN your mind. aud wondering
Whit 10 coming next About every tenth
wifi, he takes his pipe out his mouth and
looks gravely into the bowl; then he takes
The tobacco stopper, presses down tina ashes
carefully, ana shakes them out on the hob
:, then he Looks into it again. and ii 1t is all
right. he tips the shabk end into his brandy
and water, LOOKS into the bowl q third time,
and gives it rub with his cuiI Next he
opens his mouth vide puts the senlingwax
end in closss his lips upon il slowly and
then goes On again with his story, SIX words
\ vt a time as before He il reckoned 1 very
emphatic speaker in IL ese parts, il our pre-
siicnt. Aud 80 Of course. he ia but; ]
must confess, out Of his hearing, that all
this iidEetting. these pauses. and pufiings,
and stoppings, and nlbhings. and looking
at not hing al all. in the middle of a story
initiate me sometiIncs 10 that degree that
feel inclined tSltun at him, knock his pipe
ont Of his IL outh, ulM air., sat hin. to get
Oh faster--that | do
Itwould be ae well, perhaps, then. if
were to quote his own words as nearly as
can recollest them straight on And put his
PIE. out.
Nv father (contisuei Mr. JOSH usei Of
ten to say he would like 10 see tho man who
could rob him upon the highway, and on
one fine November evening he did see him
You Young fellows " no are accustomed to
he whiaked away . hundred miles between
yeur breakfast. and yonr dinner by IN Elk
ten minutes behind time, don't know much
country travelling specially. Folks did not
leave their homes then II they could help it
It's oil very fine to talk about the beauties
Of the country, md the delights Of change
II scene, but when there are more highway
uASA toNVuAcAe VI VVbSS nVoubt wv
roads are not 60 worry charming, ! can tell
you Why, il was weeks Journey from
hereto London aud back in those days, and
il YOU got home with whole bones and a ftsll
purse. you were not in a hurry to tempt
Providence and Tom Rocket second
time
Tom Rocket was highwsymsn. No one
ever christened him Tom. and his father 3
name was not Rocket. When he was tried
for his life at Warwick Asaizes. we was al
raigned as Charles jackson. and they were
particular about names then. II you in
dicted man o. Jim. and his true name was
joe, he got of; and when the law was al
terei-so that they could set such matters
right at the tris.-peopls, leastwise lawyers,
snid that tho Rritiah Constitution was being
pulled up. root and branch. But that's nei-
Their hero nor there.
Il cannottell you how it waa that he came
to be known rs Tom Rocket. and il
could il would not have anything to do with
my story. For six years he was the most
famous thief in the Midland counties. and
for six years no one knew what he was like
He was lazy fellow, was Tom; he never
came out except when there was good
prize to be picked up, and he had his scouts
and his spies all over the place 10 give him
information about booty. and warn him Of
danger Butte judge BY what people said.
he was Z. on the road al half dozen Diff
ferent places at once every day Of his life !;
for you Aee, when any one was robbed Of
I his property, or found it convenient SO to
sccount for III why ne laid It upon Tom
Rocket as 9 sort. Of excuse for giving it up
ssssily, because, you aas, - one thought OF
resisting Tom, - sess . ssa s8
50 II WAS chat AL sorts Of conflicting de-
soriptions Of hts person got abroad One
said that he was M awfnlly tall man, and
had i voice ike thunder; anosher that he
Was ., mild itals man. with black eyes and
light hair. He WASH fiery fat man. with
blue eyes and black hair with some he had
. jolly red face he was as pale as death :
his nose vas Roman one day, Grecian or u
annb the next His dress was all tho colors
Of the rainbow, and as for his horse that
was Of every shade and breed that was
ever heard Of and Of . good many more
beside. that have yet to be found out. He
wore black half-mask. but some how Or