The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1870-05-26
IlANC sTER. OHIO, May 5ae. 1870

PVVpif Wnat Tor returned the
other, IN evident surprise.
For at least two good reasons, .
Twas The reply, Emphasized with 4
couple Of Derringers, cooked and
fpresented. ~
Is Help, shouted the roBber..
Stop the Quaker again ex.
claimed, and II any. one Of thy sin.
ful Gompanions advances a sfer %
Ethy relief, the spirit VIII surely
moye me o,bIow thy brains out.
The robbef at the opposite win
dow and the one at the leaders
heads thought Il a good time to
leave.
'sNow get IN, friend, 2 said the
Quaker, stilIcovering bis man, "and
take The middle seat; but first de-
liyer,up thy pistol.o
Tie other hesitated.
.Thee had battaE mt .dala.s, I
feet the spirit begin to move nv
right fore finger"
The robber did as he was direct
ed, and the Quaker took his place
by his side, giving the newcomer
the middle Of the seat.
The driver, who was frightened,
half out of his wits, now set for
ward at q rapid rate. The lively
lgentleman soon recovered his vi
vacity. He was especially facetious
on the Quaker's prowess.
"You're rum Quaker, you are.
Why you don't quake worth a
cent"
II am not Shaking Quaker IL
that's what thee means"
"Of the Hickory OR rather of
the odd Hickory stripe, should
say" retorted the lively man. But
the Quaker relapsing into his us
ual monosyllables, the conversation
tagged.
Sooner than we expected, the
coach stopped where we were to
have supper and a change of hor-
ses. We had deferred a re-distrib-
ution of our effects until we should
reach this place, as the dim light of
the coach lamp would have render
ed the process somewhat difficult.
1t was not necessary, however,
that it should be attended to at
once, as our jovial companion had
previously announced his intention
of leaving us at this point. He
proposed a postponement till after
supper, which he offered to go and
order.
eNay," urged the Quaker, with
an approach of abruptness, and
laying his hand on the others
arm, business before pleasure, and
tor business there is no time like
the present.
"Will thee be good enough to
search the prisoner" he said to me,
still keeping his hand, in friendly
way, on the passengers arm.
l did SO, but not one Of the sto-
len articles could be found.
"He must have got rid Of them
in the COACH" the gay gentleman
suggested, and Immediately offered
to 60 and search.
"Stopw thundered the Quaker,
tightening his grasp.
The man turned pale and strug-
gled to release his arm. In an in
slant one of the Derringcrs was
leveled at his heart.
Stir a hand or a foot and you
are dead manp'
The Quaker must have been aw-
fully excited, so completely to for
get both the language and the prin.
ciples of his persuasion. at
Placing the other pistol in my
hand, with directions to fire on the
first of the two men that made a
suspicious movement, he went to
work on the lothario, from whose
pockets in less time than it takes
to tell it, he produced every item o.
the missing property, to the utter
amazcment of the two ladies, who
had begun, in no measured terms
to demonstrate against the shame
full treatment the gentleman was
receiving.
The Quaker, l need scarcely add,
was no Quaker at all, but a shrewd
detective, who had been set on the
track of q band of dcsperadoes, Of
whom our middle-aged friend-who
don't look near so middleNged
when his wig is off-was the chief
The robbery had been adroitly
planned. The leader of the gang
had taken passage in the coach,
and after learning, as he supposed,
our defenseless condition, had Civ
Ell the signal to his companions by
throwing out the scrap of paper al
ready mentioned. After the unex-
pected capture of the first robber,
it was attempted to save the booty
by secretly passing it to the ac-
complice, still believed to be un-
suspected, who counted on being
able to make off with it at the next
stopping place.
The result was that both, for a
season, "did the State some SER
vice."
j Maggie Fisher and Grace White,
of Vanderbilt's Landing, Staten
rII -.......I L. % .n,,hlin i,,,,n N