The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-10-23
THE MAIL ROBBER,
AND HOW he WAS CAUGHT

bury TO LlttlelOD, u ulSIduSo VI way
two miles, and as had to await the ar
rival of two or three coaches, and dld
not start till after dinner, L very often
had good distance to drive after dark.
1t was in the dead OF winter, and the
season had been a rough one. A great
deal of snow had fallen, and the drifts
were plenty and deep. The mail that l
carried was not due at Littleton by con-
tract until o'clock in the morning, but
that winter the postmaster was obliged
to sit up little later than that hour for
me.
One day in January, when drove up
my mail 1T Danbury, the postmaster
called me in his Office.
"Pete," said he, with an important,
serious look, there's SEINE pretty heavy
money packages in that bag" and lie
pointed to it as he spoke. He said the
money was from Boston to some land
agents up near the Canada line. Then
he asked me if I'd got any passengers
who were going through to Littleton l
told him did not know. "But suppose
l have notH" says l.
"Why," said ho, "the agent of the
lower route came in to-day, and he says
that there were two suspicious charac-
on the stage that came up last night,
and he suspects that they have an eye
upon this mail, so that it will stand
you in hand to be little careful"
He said the agent had described one OF
them as q short, thickset fellow, about
40 years of age, with long hair and
thick heavy clump of beard under his
chin, but none on the side Of his face.
He didn't know anything about the 9th
er. told him l guessed there wasn't
much danger.
ooh no, not if you have got passen-
gers way through; but only told You
of this so that you might look out for
your mail, and also look sharp when you
change horses.
/ answered that | should do so, and
then took the bag under my arm and
left the office. i slowed the mail under
my seat alittle mere carefully than usual
placing it so that | could keep my feet
against it, but beyond that | did not
feel any concern. 1t was past one when
we started, and had four passengers,
two of whom rode only 30 the first stop
ping-place. reached, Gowan's mills at
dark, when we stopped for supper, and
where my other two passenger conciud-
ed to stop for the night.
About six o'clock in the evening left
Gowan's Mills alone, having two horses
and pung.
had seventeen miles to go, and u
hard seventeen it was, too The night
was quite clear, but the wind sharp and
cold, the loose snow flying in all direc.
tions, while the drifts were deep and
closely packed. Ii was slow, tedious
work, and my horses soon became leg
weary and FESTIVE. At the distance of
six miles | came 10 little settlement
called Bulls Corner, where took some
fresh horses. I'd been two hours going
that distance. As | was going TO start,
man came to me and asked me if was
going through to Littleton. / told him
Ishould go through If the thing could
possibly be done. He said he was very
anxious to go, and as he had no bag
gage, told him TO jump in and make
himself as comfortable as possible. |.
was gathering up my lines, when the
hostler came up and asked me if knew
that one of my horses had cut himself
psdly. jumped out and went with
him' and found that one of the animals
had got deep cork cut on the Oft fore
1901. gave such directions as | con-
sldereu necessary, and was about TO turn
away, when the hostler remarked that
he thought l came alone. told him |
did. Then where did you get that
passenger 7" said he
ale just got iD," answered.
"Got in from where ~
81 don't know"
"Well, now," said the hostler, "that,s
kind of curious. There ANT been no
such man at the house, and | know
there amt been more at any Of the
neighbors."
"Let's have look at his face" said |.
eve can get that much at any rate. Do
you go back with me, and when | get
into the pung just hold the lantern so
the light will shine into his face"
He did as wished, ard rs | stepped
into the pung got fair view of such
portions of my passengers face as was
nov mulned up. | saw short, thick
frame, iull, hard features, and i could
almost see that there was heavy beard
unaer the chin. | thought of the man
Mhoil the Postmaster had described to
me, S9t Gid net think seriously uDon il
until mad started. PerhapsI had zone
NAN mile, when | noticed the mail
oag WASN'T In lis place under my foe,
haIo: says |, holding IN my horses
little, where's my maIIs,
My passenger SAT on a syathrbi,a -.
"Here is bag of some Kind .i iH rue;
back under my tee.," he said. piTi ;ppeu
akick, as though Sc woald shove !, Co. -
ward, '0
Just at this moment my horses Iumb.
cred into deep snow drift, and was
forced to get out AID tread down the
snow In front of then and lead them
throughit.
This took me- all of fifteen minutes;
and when got in again l pulled the
mail bag forward an got my feet upon
1t. AS was doing this saw the man
taking something from his lap, beneath
the buffalo, and pnt it into his breast
pocket. This l Thought was pistol. |
nau caught the CLEAN of barrel in the
ssarhght, and when had time to
taken. " D'' 'o MIS-