The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-11-18
For the Somerset Herald.
THE EBANDITOFTHE ALLEGHENIEs
The Cavern I'm the Rocks. the Home
ofthe Bandiffi.


Flinging his rope over the face Of
the cliff, be hastily descended, rushed
into the cavern at the imminent risk
of life, gazed round in the semi-dark-
ness, until he saw the bag of silver
lying on a rocky shelf; to seize it,
place in its stead an old fashioned
mitten, which he had worn to protect
his hands, and bad hastily filled With
sand and pebbles from hollow in
the rock, intending to use it as a
weapon, if discovered in bis hastily
conceived and daring attempt to rob
the rotbers in their place OF strength
and fancied security. The adage
was again verified, Fortune favored
the brave" The race was an exceed
ingly close one. He bad barely time
to re-climb to his shelteriDg crevice,
holding the sack in his teeth, and
jerk bis rope out Of sight, ere the
exulting thieves returned to where
they had left their precious treasure
Their FIRST looks were with true robbers
greed directed to the place. Amaze
mentF Wondert Horror In place oi
their precious silver for which they
had bartered honor, manhood, good
name and mayhap their eternal sal
yation, there lay an old dirty coun-
try-made mitten filed with dirt. The
old tales Of devils wages aud fairy
money changing to dross and slate
stones seemed before their very eyes
coming to pass. Fearful was the
bIasphemy. Each felt disposed to
blame and accuse the other, yet a
nameless expression Of dread, horror
and bewilderment, impossible to as
sumo, sat on each countenaDce and
without protestation convinced each
of the others innocence and
ignorance Of the marvellous change.
Lewis was the first TO partially re-
cover from the shock. "1o the Look
outi To the Lookout enc Of yOuln be
shouted, and the most active ofthe vii
Iains promptly obeyed. Uselessi Ut.
terly uselessl and more bewildering
still. No human being was in sight
and no indication OF one, save that
horrible, that mysterious old mitten.
They searched the cave. bopelessly
yet carefully. No clue, not even the
semblance of a clue, save and except
that old mitten. or as the Germans
cali it "handshue' and these won
der-stricken villains were disposed tC
think it must be the "bandshoe" o.
the devil. They thought no morta
could have access to their cave with
cut being seen. or leaving a sufficient
trace. Like other worldly minded
people they never thought of looking
up Tor light andinformatioB, but like
the sleuth-hound ran with their noses
to the earlh. The dark stranger il
his place of safety over the heads o
bis foes, hugged himself (as the com
mon saying is) and could with diff
Guilty restrain his shouts of savsgs
defiance and exultation That on,
act, be oflen afierward declared fully
II a q him for all he had lost and suf
fered
| In his frantic efforts 10 sup
press any outward demonstrations
lie Bit, and tore, aud worried at hii
coat sleeve and collar, uttering low
suppressed growing, something like |
play yTul puppy Only his intense de
sire to hear all they would say ena
bled h'm to suppress all outward
manifestations of his vindictiye joy
Al anot her time OF under lesO myste
rious circumstances, they would hav'
been disposed to blame each 0the
aud wreak their spite and disappoiut-
ment; or singing one have mad
him the scapegoat and the sufferer
lthro' the malice Of the rest. Bu
this was so strange, 50 utterly unac
countable, that suppressed awef
| nameless dread aud terror disposed
them to draw together and seek com
| folt in their guilty fellowship. Tha
the devil was at the bottom of thi
and all their recent failures they wer'
inclined and yet afraid to think
That the latent superstition Of thei
/ natures and Of that age was at work
their concealed foe learned wit
vicious exultation. That it ,ras use
less to remain any longer in that sec
tion all agreed. II only remained L
! settle where, when and how the,
!. would go They would lay no plan
there for fear they would be unlucks
! bu, would wait until they were al
together in some luckier and happie
spot.
1 Twas strange, but these ruth
less men, these heayen-defying sconn
drels, whiBed like i'll used school boy
lat their iII-success and actually seem
ed 10 think the piiying powers abos'
should send them honest men to plum
der.
1 Dolph greedily learned the.
were 10 aIi meet at the cave oac
more. st night. TO arrange their plan
offuture action, settle affairs as far a