Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-05-22
THE HIGHwAYMAN,s BRIDAL.

Mine were the days for gallant rob-
bers, whom fine clothes, high bearing,
reckless hardihood and frequently high
birth took away from the superficial OBJ
server much of the darkness of crime
actually surrounding their deeds and
lives. You were Invested of your rings
and purses, often, with a demeanor so
polished that really it resembled paying
a toll to good manner more than sub
hitting to- highway robbery robbery
it is true, yet still it was more soothing
to the feelings at the time than being
knocked down with the butt end of d
pistol, or bullied as well as plundered.
Fashion, too, capricious in this as all
else, affected some knights of the road
above all others, and fine ladies inter
ested themselves amazingly about deeds
OF hlghwaymen, conspicuous for hand
some persons or brave conduct, or rather
daring villainy. The fair danes were
also much concerned in their heroes
final incarcerations and execution at the
fatal tree of Tyburn. But highwaymen
had, as everybody knows, been still
more popular in the preceding reign;
yet, ever and non as the profession
seemed to be on the verge of decay.
and likely to dwindle down into mere
common theft and murder, some new
candidate was sure to start up and
revive the dying embers of the road
chivalry.
One IL particular was notorious enough
in his brief day, for most of the qualities
I ha- described, as sometimes attributes
of ? knights of the road. He was
well connected, too, his uncle being
clergyman in a high-church appointment.
His elegant and courtly, his
person faultless, and he was rash in an
extraordinary degree. Mingling freely
In fashionable society in his real name,
his deeds of robbery were the talk of
the town under his assumed one. His
bray-that belonging to the road; his
whole source of revenge was Capt. De
Montmorency-apatronymi h~igh-sound-
ing enough. I do not mean, however,
that any suspected the man of fashion
and the highwayman to be one and the
same person; that was never known till
the event which I am going to relate
4 took place.
Richard Mowbray had spent his own
small patrimony years before the period
at which this story commences, in the
pleasures of the town. 1t had melted
into ricittos, play-houses, faro, horse
flesh and hazard. He had exhausted
the kindness and forbearance of his re-
l~ations, from whom he had borrowed
and begged till borrowing and begging
had become impracticable. He had
known most extremes of life; and, more
over, when debts and poverty stared
him in the face, knew not one useful art
by which he could support or pay divi.
dends to his creditors. What vas to
be done? He eluded a jail as long as
he could, and one eventful night, while
riding on horseback and meditatine
gloomily on his evil fortune, he met
covered by the darkness from all diseov
ery-a traveller well mounted-plethori,
@ladened with money and bags, anG
bearing likewise the burden of excessive
fear.
It was a sudden thought, acted upol
as suddenly. Resistance was no
dreamed of. Mowbray made off will
his booty, considerable enough to repai
his exhausted finances, and pay his mos
pressing creditors. 1t was literally rob
bling Peter to pay Paul. And SO b,
night, under the shelter of its darkness
did the ruined gentleman turn highway
man. People who knew his circum
stances whispered their suspicion
when it became known that Richar
Mowbray had paid his debts, and tina
he himself had made more than his Gus
tomary appearance. Now his perso
was clad in the newest braveries of tn
day, and in his double character many
conquest did he make, for he disbul
thened ladies of their Jewels and purse
in SO fine a manner that the defraude
fair ones forgot their losses In admirs
ton of the charming despoiler, an