Litchfield enquirer., 1868-07-30
THE MALL ROBBER.

two or three coaches, did not start unt
 after dinner, so very often had, a zoe
 distance to drive after dark. ItFFwas in tI
 dead of winter, and the season lad been
 tough one. A great deal of snow had ia
 len, and the drifts were plenty and dee,
 The mail that carried was due by ii }contract at one o'clock in the mornins but in the winter the Postmaster was yer often obliged to sit up a little later tha that for me- a54 EEa - aaFs
 One day in January, when drove up fe my mail at Danbury, the postmaster calle me into the office.
 '.Pete," said he with an important seri ous look, ''there's some pretty heavy mon ey packages in that bag" pointing to tn bag, as he spoke. He said tn money was sent from Boston to som land agent near the Canada line. Then h. asked me Ii had got any passengers wh were going through to Littleton5 I toll him, did not know, but, suppose haven't says I. 4
 "Why," says he, :'the agent of the lowe route came in to-day, and he says tha there has been two suspicious character on the stage that come up last night; and he suspects that they have an eye upol this mail so that it will stand vol in hand to be little careful"
 He said the agent had described one O them as short thick set fellow, about for. ty years of age, with long hair, and . thick, heavy clump of beard under hi chin, but none on the side of his face. He didn't know much about the other tolf the old fellow guessed there was not mucl danger.
 ''Oh, not if you had got through passen. gers; but only told you this so that you might look out for the mail, and look out for 1t when you change horses"
 answered that l should do so, and then LOOK the bag under my arm and left the of flee. slowed the mail bag under my seat little more careful than ususl, placing it so that could keep my feet against 1t; but beyond this l did not feel any concern It was after one when I started, and, had four passengers, two of whom rode only to my first stopping place. reached Cow ans Mills at dark, where we stopped for supper, and where my other two passen- gers stopped for the night. About six o'clock in tho evening I left Gowan's Mills alone having two horses and l an open pung. @'-
 had seventeen miles to go, and hard seventeen 1t was. The night was quite clear but the wind was sharp and cold, the loose snow flying in all directions, while the drifts were deep and closely packed. It was slow tedious work, and my horses soon became leg weary and were quite res tive. 4a G-o-As s.. 1sss
 At the distance of six miles I came to a little settlement called Balls Corner, where took fresh horses. I'd been two hours going that distance. As I was going to start man came up and asked me if was going through to Littleton. I told him I should go through if the thing could pos sibly be done. He said be was very anx- ions te go, and ads as hs had ap ny fvs; when the hostler came out and asked me if I knew that one of my horses had cut him self badly. I jumped out and went with him and found one of the animals had got a cork cut on the off fore foot. gave such directions as considered necessary, and was about to turn away; when the hostler remarked that he thought I came alone. I told him that l had come alone. -.-;.. ..... ....-t a.r
 "Then where did you get that passenger?" said he.
 "He just got in" answered. a
 "Got in from where?" ,.. .t.r.
 ''I don't know" .--,- ..>-..s
 "Well, now" said the hostler, that s kind O curious. There ain't been no such man at the house, and l know there ain't been none at any of the neighbors."
 sLet's have @ look at his face,'' said I. We can get that much at any rate. Do you % back with me to the pung. and when I get in you just hold your lantern so that the light will shine right in his l face.
 He did as I wished, and as stepped in to the pung got fair view of such DOT tions of my passengers face as was not mufied up, saw short thick frame, full hard features, and I could also see that there was heavy beard under his chin. I thought of the man whom the postmas' ter had described to me; but didn t think seriously upon it until had started. Per haps had gone half mile when noticed that the mail bag wasn't in its old place un der my feet. a#ob S3
 ssHallo!" says I, holding up my horses { little. ssWhere's my mail?''
 My passenger sat on the seat behind me and I turned toward him. aI,.
 s'Here is a,bag of some kind slipped back under my feet,'''' said he giving. Il hard kicked as though he'd showed 1t for ward. o4ao1 ->ia 5a
 | Just at this moment my horses numbered . forward into deep snow drift, and wa forced to get out and tread down the sno' 10 ahead of them, and lead them through It.
 This took me all of fifteen minutes, an' when~I got in I pulled the mail bag tol ward and got my feet upon it..
 As I was doing this, saw the man tax K l something from his lap, beneath the 1 puma To and put it in his breast pocket. Ihls thought was pistol. I had caught tn gleam of barrel in the star hght, an when had time to reflect knew l coh not be mistaken. a.a.1. -esi- p. , About this time began to think some what seriously. From what had hear and seen, I soon made up my mlnd ths the individual behind me not only mean to rob me of my mail, but he was prepare 5 to rob me of my life. If Ireslsted him
 would shoot me, and perhaps he lntende
 to perform that delectable operation 2 any rate. While was pondering the ho b ses plunged. into another deep snow drl is and I was again forced to get out an \, tread down the snow before them l aske !" my passenger if he would help me- put ]
 did mt feel very well, and would nt try so
 worked alone and was all of quarter of { = hour getting my team through. the drift when I got into the sleigh again, l bega
 to feel for the mail bag with my feet rv found it where had left it, but when l sb tempted to withdraw my foot, 1 discover' Of it had become entangled ln something ty thought it was the buffalo, ana tired