The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-07-28

watch 1 found it was ten o'clock on
Sunday morning. I therefore slept
about twelve hours.
I felt very hungry, but knew that
had tWenty-four hours more to pass
there before could get anything to
eat, so determined to try and sleep as
much of the time as possible, remem-
bering the French proYerb "qesid dore
dine"
I read great deal of Shakespeare
during the day, and about eight
o'clock in the evening, I again COM
posed myself to sleep.
was suddenly awakened by the
sound of voices in the stone vault, and
1 naturally suppOsing that it was ten
! o'clock on Monday morning, and that
some of the clerks was coming to open
| the safe, I glanced at my watch and
! found to my extreme surprise that 1t
was exactly twelve o'clock at night.
By some intuition the truth struck
me in moment. 1t was some one
come to rob the bank, and the rev.
! erend visitor of the day before was a
spy.
! The first words I heard confirmed
! the truth of this conclusion, for / heard
| the Rev. MIR. ElliOt's voice eXclaim to
| his confederate.
''Well, here we are in this famous
stone vault-do you know Jim, we
| gotin much easier than expected. {"
THANKS to your visit on Saturday
afternoon, Bobby, as one of the black
coated gentry"
| The robbers then were the famous
''White Haired Bobby" and Slipper
ry JIM"
"Yes," returned Bobby, ~ think 1
gammOned the two buffers pretty well.
You see, Jim, what it is to be a man
of education. 1 should just like to see
you in the part of the Rev. Mr.. Elliot,
and see what a figure you'd cut in it.
''That amt in my line, no how
but tell you what, Bobby, you
can't beat me at picking lock-"
"YOu are pretty good at that, and
no mistake. But come, let us get at
the sWag."
"You are sure you haven't forgotten
how to open the safe, Bobby?"
"No indeed; the fool told me that it
was by turning the handle round seven
times. OF all the blessed babies l
ever saw, l never saw any to come up
to this man, Braintree."
I saw that it was now time for me to
act. Fortunately l had my pistol
with me. I drew it from my pocket,
to its full, waited for the door of the
safe to be opened, realizing fully that
my only chance of OverpOwering the
two ruffians, was to take them by sur
prise. For if l allowed them to re-
cover themselves from the sudden eff
feet of my appearance, they being two
to one, would soon OYerpower me.
had not long to wait. heard the
handle turn seven times, and then
Bobby gave a strong pull at the heavy
door of the safe.
It yielded, but in a moment 1
stepped out with the dark lantern
turned full on the robbers and with my
arm stretched out holding the cooked
pistol in my hand.
The effect of my appearance on Bob
by and Jim was absolutely terrific.
They must have thought me ghost,
for they both turned perfectly livid
with fear.
Before they had time 10 recover
themselves, 1 knocked Jim senseless
to the floor with the butt end of my
pistol; and springing on the other, 1
grasped him by the throat and bore
him to the ground.
Fortune favored me in another re-
spect, for / saw hanging out of the
pocket of the ruffian I had under me,
a long piece of strong cord. I strug-
gled violently, but L was the stronger
man of the two, and succeeded in
binding him fast without much trOu-
bIe.
When | had White Haired Bobby Sc
cured I turned my attention to his
companion, who fortunately for me,
remained in a condition of insen-
sibility.
In five minutes 1 had them both SC
securely bound that they could not
move hand or foot. I left them while
I went to arouse the house.
proceeded first to Mr.. BraintTee's
room. He slept over the bank. 1
knocked loudly at his door.
"Who's there? What is it?" he
exclaimed.
out, s'White Haired Bobby and Slip
perry Jim have made an attempt to
rob the bank. They are both now
lying in the vault securely bound"
"You are jesting, Archer" said
Braintree, jumping out of the bed and
opening the door.
stIU is the positive truth. The Rev.
Mr.. Elliot, to whom you so obligingly
showed the vault on Saturday after
noon, and explained to him how to
open the safe, was none other than
White Haired Bobby himself.
1t was q minute or two before Mr..
Braintree could realize the news
brought him. At last the truth began
/ to dawn on his mind.
"You say the Williams are securely
bound on the floor in the vault ,"
! Eyes"
srBut who bound them >" he asked,
more and more puzzled.
81 did,
''Who helped you ?'
mo One.n
"But how the deuce comes it that
/ you were on the spOt?n
/ / then told him how L had been fast
ened in the safe, and he began to see
| through the fog.
While this conversation had been
progressing, Mr.. Braintree had been
! dressing himself. We went down to-
! gether, summoned the officers Of the
I law, and all proceeded to the vault.
/ We found our prisoners just where
1 / had left them, and in a quarter of an
hour they We're safely lodged in jail.
It was the last exploit of White
! Haired Bobby and Slippery Jim, for
they were tried, and public opinion
having been at last aroused at their ter
rible contempt of laws, hnman and
divine they were sentenced to the pen
itentiary for life.
Mr.. Braintree and the directors of
the bank amply compensated me for
my incarceration, declaring that it
was the most fortunate imprison-
ment" that had ever occurred.
4 BEAUTIFUL IDEA.-Away up
among the AIle9hanies there is a