Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-07-18
The NAL Rnhher.

| GRANT shall be our PRESIDENT J
The NAL Robber.
Fourteen years ago | drove from Dan
bury TO Littleton, a distance Of torty-two o
miles, and as | had to await the arrival
of two or three coaches, did not start un
til after dinner, so livery often had good
distance to drive after dark. 1t was in
! the dead OF winter, and the season had
been a tough one. A great deal of snow
had fallen, and the drifts were plenty and
deep. The mail that carried was not
duo at Littleton by the contract, until
ono o'clock in the morning, but in winter
! the Postmaster was often Obliged to sit
up a little later than that for mo.
One day in January, when | drove up
for my mail at DahGury, the postmaster
called me into the office.
"Petc," said he, with an important, Sc
rious look, ''there's some pretty heavy
money packages in that bag" pointing
to tLle bag as he spoke. lie said the
money was from Boston to some land
agent up near the Canada line. Then he
asked me if | had got any passengers
who were going through to Littleton. l
told him did not know, but, Suppose
I fhavcl't," says |.
Why" says he, qthe agent of the
lower route came i'll to-day, and he says
that there has been two suspicious char
acters on the stage that come up last
night ana he supsccts that they. have
an eye upon this mail, So that 1T will
.,o,,,I ,-o,, - bnp / 70 La q, Ettlo 1orof,,I -
He said the agent had described one of
them as a short thick set fellow, about
forty years of age, with long hair, and a
thick, heavy clump Of beard under his
chin, Jnt none on the side Of his face.
lie didn't know mach about the other.
/ told the Old fellow / guessed there was
not'much danger.
ooh, not if you had got through pas
sengers but only told you this so that
you might look ont for the mail, and look
out for it wien you charge horses
| answered that [ should do SO, and
then took the bag under my arm and left
the Office | slowed the mail under my
scat a little more careful than usual,
placing it so that could keep my feet
against it; but bcyo5d this did not feel
any concern. 1t was after one when
started, and | had four passengers, two
of whom rode only to lhy first stopping
place. / reached Gowan's Mills at dark,
sShere we stopped for supper, and where
my other two passengers concluded to
stop for the night. >'.-.-[
About six O'clock in the evening | left
Covers Mills alone, having two horses
and an open pung. -.....
] had seventeen miles to go, and hard
seventeen it was. The night Was quite
clear, but the wind was sharp and cold,
the loose SNOW flying i'll all directions,
while the drifts were deep and closely
packed. IL was slow tedious work, and
nay horses soon became leg weary and
restivP.. 5a- ..sz--E.
At the distance of six miles I came to
little settlement called Balls Corner,
where | took fresh horses. I'd been tw-e
hours going that distance. AS l was 60
ing to start 1nancasae @p and asked me /
if [ was going through TO Littleton. L
told 'him1 should go through if the thing
could possibly be done. lie said he was
very anxious to go, aad as he had no
baggage, | told him to jump in and make
himself comfortable Twas gathering
up my liucs, whet. the hostler came out /
and asked me if knew that one Of my
horses had cut himself badly. | Jumped
out and went with him, and found one of
the animals had got a cork cut on the off
fore foot. l gave such directions as |
considered necessary, and was about to
turn away, when the hostler remarked |
that he thought came alone. | told him
that had come alone.
'sThcn Where did you get that passen-
ger?" said he.
ole just got in" I answered.
'Got i'll from wlIerc p. ,1rF.' !
81 don't know"
Swell, now" said the hostler, "that's
kind o curious. There amt been no
such man at The house, and ] know there !
amt been none at any OF the neighbors."
"Let's have a look at his face" said /. !
We can get that much at any rate. Dol
yoA go back Yith NE to the pung, and
when / get in, just hold your lantern so I
that the light will shine i'll his facc.;'
He did as l wished, and as 1 stepped
into the pltng gotta fair view of such
portions of my passengers face as ~as
not muffied up. saw short thick frame,
Jul hard features, and l could alse see
that there was heavy beard under his
chin. L thought of the man whom the
postmaster had described to me; but / |
didn't think seriously upon it until l had I
started. Perhaps had gone half mile,
when l noticed that the. mail bag wasn't
in its old place under my feet.
"Hallo p says ], holding up nay horses
q little "Where's my mail %
My passenger sat on the seat behind
me, and turned toward him. =.
''Here' is a bag Of some kind slipped
back under my teet.o said he. giving it |