The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-12-22
ess than that the telegram from M

| lief asked had been sent. To this an
nouncement Mr.. Dane replied that he
could not understand it, that something
was wrong, and that he should await
Mr. Wilmot's explanation at the station
at M. The false telegram had been
craftily conceived, and, unfortunately
for me, was in the private code of our
bank. When it was telegraphed from
NJ that the train had arrived minus
my carriage, the case against me looked
doubly strong, and the two men who
entered at W were set down as con-
federates who were to help me to carry
off the booty. When, however, l was
Il und in the carriage, a new light broke
in upon the minds of my rescuers, and
it was seen that l was the victim, not
the chief criminal.
1t remained now to try to discover the
daring scoundrels who had planned and
executed this nefarious deed, and if pos
Sible, retake the booty. This seemed a
very hopeless task. Men of proved skill
had been taken to the scene of the out
rage from both W and M with
the spe ial engines which came to the
rescue, but it was very doubtful whether
they would find any clue. A second
time was the special engine sent from
W, and it ere long returned with
one of the detectives. This man had
found gold watch on the ballast near
where the carriage had stopped on the
level. Now this watch did not belong
to me-mine being still in my pocket -.
nor indeed to any among our party. 1t
was therefore very evident that it had
been dropped by one of the thieves in
the scuffle, or in getting the cases off.
The detective handed the watch to Mr.
Wilmot and Mr. Dane, but they could
not make anything of it. By this time
news of the robbery had sp->2d into the
town, though everything was done to
keep it quiet, and many people had
come to tue station to satisfy their curl
usity. Among others, matchmaker
who worked for Mr.. Wilmot came on
the platform. The detective at once
suggested that Mr.. Wilson, the watch
maker in question, should m, Ike an ex-
animation of the watch, and that re-
port of such examination should be
drawn up. Mr.. Wilson was accordingly
called into the room, and the watch
handed to him. He opened it and took
off the case, while the detective prepar-
ed to note down the result. No sooner
had Mr.. Wilson removed the case, than
an exclamation Of surprise fell from him.
"Why, Mr.. Wilmot." said he, "this
watch is one that used to belong to Mrs
Wilmot, and which was stolen some
three years ago."
"What" said nv. Wilmot; Mrs.
Wilmot's watch. Are you surei"
"Yes, sir, quite sure, remember many
pecullarities about it; and here can
identify. some special repairs that made
myself
This is very strange" said our mana
ger. 1.-The thieves who stole this watch
must be closely connected with the pre-
sent outrage"
"Mr. Porter, can we have special to
N at once" said our manager ad-
dressing the station master.
Il will order one immediately, sir;
and also telegraph to see if the line is
clear"
While this was being done, Mr.. Will
mot asked the doctor if could be safe
ly moved, as he wished to take me to
N, to be ready to identify my as
sailants, should they be captured. The
doctor gave it as his opinion that l
might be taken; and he expressed his
Willingness to accompany us, to be ready
in case of need. We were soon on our
way to N, and in the morning we
arrived there. Mr.. Wilmot and two de-
tectives at once proceeded to the bank
and in about half an hour Mr.. Wilmot
returned to the inn, where l remained
with the rest of the party. He said that
Mr.. Garstang was not there, he having
gone away early in the morning; but
the detectives had been stationed where
they could watch all who approached
the bank. Wilson, the Matchmaker,
had gone round to several of his fellow
tradesmen in N, and at last he found
a person who recognized the watch as
one which he had cleaned on several oc-
casions, for Garstang Thus, then, we
mad got another link in our chain--one
stronger than any of the others. Porter,
the station master, had ascertained that
Gdrstang often drove out of N in
dog cart, and mostly in one direction.
On arriving at this town we succeeded
in ascertaining where G4rstang's dog
cart invariably went. This was to a
house in the suburbs, standing in grounds
of its own, and inhabited by an old wo-
man and her daughter. When we reached
this house, part OF our force approached
it by the front and part by the back,
the doctor remaining with me in the
carriage at the corner of the lane. While
we waited i'll suspense for the result of
the raid upon the house, we heard the
sound of wheels, and the doctor looking
out, saw a carriage, the horses of which,
he said, seemed hard driven, coming at
rapid pace down the lane leading to
the house. Where our carriage stood, it
could not be seen by the driver of
the other. To run in by the back way
OF the house was but the work of mo-
ment with the now thoroughly excited
doctor; and he succeeded in warning
our party just in time for them to con-
ceal themselves. As we expected, the
carriage turned into the grounds of the
house. 1t was instantly surrounded.
The occupants, it is needless to say, were
the two who had attacked and robbed
me. They at fist showed an incliuation
to use their firearms; but seeing the
hopelessness of resistance. they desisted,
and gave themselves up. When they
were confronted with me, at once iden-
titled the man whose face l had seen
and though they had changed their
dress, the station-master was convinced