The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-08-27
ROBBING HIMSELF.


make It conyenient to stay with her n
niqht while on my way TO Jackson.
On the morning of the second day after
leaving home, I reached the home of my
friends in the town Of S.. My niece,
Mrs. NJ, was delighted to see me; and, after
the ordinary snluiations were over, she re-
me to stable and feed my horse, as
Mr.. Nj. was absent from home. Immediate
Nv complied, for the comfort Of my horse is
always my first care. Having made Bob
rs comfortable rs horse leah could reason
ably wish to be, / returned to the house.
where q hastily prepared supper was al
ready waiting me. Those who have ridden
al day over n rough country, without stop
ping Tor 'tho inner comforts" can under
stand how readily dispatchedthe delicious
Hght bread, cold sweet milk and rich yellow
butter, together with good things 'too
tedious to mention, that my tidy little
niece had set before me. In the course Of
the evening, which passed pleasantly aud
rapidly, / learned that Mr.. M. had left
home on the same morning that had left
mine. aud that he would be gone two days
longer. This l regretted, os 1 very much
wished TO sec him. l promised myself,
however, that 1 would stop again ON my
rpiufp. when tho sheriff would be at homo.
Before retiring for the night, Mrs NJ. con-
fdcd 10 me that there was q large sun of
money ia my bed-chambor, mostly in gold,
of which her husband, as collector Of the
county, had charge, and with which he was
10 start for jefferson city in q few days:
and, also, that he had charged her not to
| let any one stay in the house during his
absence. l laughingly replied that the no.
tice camo too late, as / had already taken
M NV quarters, but that I would stand
guard over the money-bngs till morning.
With TINT l took a candle and retired to my
room.
I took out my two pistols, Ibid them on
the table by my bedside, and undrcssed for
bed. The possibility Of danger, however,
strongly impressed my mind. Tho great
risk Of no large a sum of money being
guarded by only q helpless woman i'm.
pressed my mind moro aud more the long
en- / thought about II. / became so rest
less that I arose from my bed, %rclighted
my candle, examined my pistols 10 sec that
they were dry, reprinted and recapped the
tubes, and, having placed them under my
pillow in such q position that could grasp
them nj n moments warning, / again re-
tired TO my bed, almost disposed TO laugh
at my folly. Soon I fell asleep. How long
/ slept / don't know. l slept long enough
for my mind TO indulge IN one Of those
stmnge. mysterious freaks that we call
dreaming. Three men seemed TO enter by
force. / heard the screams of my neice,
heard the robbers demand the money, heard
them advancing up the stairway, and saw
the bright fash of lights as, with candle in
hand, they entered my chamber, During
all this time / lay utterly helpless. |
knew that il / could shake on this ter
rible spell that bound me / could
save all; but my body refused obedience to
my will-not a hand, not q finger could /
move. The robber for there now seemed
TO be but one in my chamber, instead Of
approaching tho chest containing the
money, walked directly toward my bed. I
wonder that the agony that / then suffered
didn't turn my head Grny at once. Tho
robber who approached me seemed to be- q
man of gigantic stature, and in features
more terrible than anything myniind could
imagine. lie seemed clad in q looso-how-
ing robe, parted ut the neck, in his left
hand be held what seemed to bo q flaming
torch, and In his right q strangc-looking
weapon of huge size. AS he almost reach.
cd my bedside, bya protraotcd and terrible
effort | broke the spell that bound luo, and
in q moment ] was rwakc. Instead of my
grim, ]Cigantic v%isiinnt, with hiB flaming
torch and huge blundcrbuss, q little woman,
none other han my niece, stood before me,
with her long white gown reaching almost
10 the floor, the very counterpart OF that
worn by my imaginary robber. la her left
hand she held Il candle, in her right the
koy Of the money Ghost, In short, she was
the giant Of my dream; and my excited
imagination had converted q very pretty
woman into q frichtiul monster.
in a moment ! was myself again; aud q
significant motion Of my niCcC's head and
hand imposed silence. l was not q lttlo
puzzled. What could Il mean / didn't re.
main long in uncertainty, for my niece dis.
closed in q whisper that three mon had en-,
tered the house, and ordered her, ut the
peril OF her life, TO deliver them all tho
money IN her possession.
Danger frequently quickens our wits. aud
in this easel think Il had that effect with
mo. had il all in q moment. Sualchind
mp IN apron that Glanced 10 be lying in tho
chair by my bedside, | directed Mrs. NJ. Ia
tie il around her body, aud in this 10 plac,
the money. Then cooking one of my pis.
tolls, ] placed il in her right hand, and di.
rected her to hold the apron in her left, and
with the pistol firmly held in her rights and
concealed in the folds OF her apron, she
was 10 descend, and 10 whichever of tn,
robbers came forward 10 receive tho moncy
she was TO give the contents of the pistol
] was to follow carefully down tho stairs
and conceal myself behind tho stair doul
until she fred; then | was 10 spring ont o
my hiding place, and with my remaining
pistol, give n salute TO ono Of thoronnininf
two, leaving the disposition Of the thirl
one TO be determined by tho circumstances,
a ia loo tas.a NLn.. "a N.1.Aa Al o. Al T.
plan was carried into execution. The few
moments TINT elapsed aflor | reached III,
foot Of the stairs before / was Giaualcd Il
the scene Of action, seemed almost endless
Would the little woman have nerve enouQl
to fire 2 That was tho rub. SO intense wa.
my excitement, that / feared the violen
beating Of my heart would bettay my pres
ence. A few seconds, however, answered tn.
question, A stunning report told me that
Mrs. Nj, had done her part and Hinaled mi
TO do mine. As ! lcaped from my place O
concealment, i was Just in time TO see tn,
forms of two men rushing out of the door
| discharged my pistol at the flying forms
but, so Ear rs ever heard, without effect
Mrs. NJ. had made q better shot, anu hat
secured her game. The wounded man In,
upon tho floor, groanIng hideously, appar
emily unconscious of the glitterinQ coin
that lay in strange profusion nh aroundh him
Poor scoundrell no had got far moro than
he had bargained for. On examination
found that he had received o worry severe
but | didn't think mortal wound. But th
strangest part ofmy story is yet to be told
When stripped Of his disguise, our rcbbo
turned ont to DO no other than the veritabl
sheriff himself, arrested in tho execution @
q deep scheme of rascality by the hand Q
his own wife.
The whole matter was now explained
NJ. bad conceived a plan Of robbing himseI
of q large amount Of money belonging I
the state, and, with this nice snm, h
would remove TO parts unknown, and enio
| Lilo an yoItan foVVrVn nYI tla I..4 ~