Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-07-02
Narrow Escape Of Victim Of Circum-
stances.

stances.
On the 18th of February, 1871, a burglary
was committed in the town of Wappinger's
Falls, near Newburg, N. Y. The
savings bank of Sweet 81 Barlow was en-
tered, the two safes were blown open and
their contents rifled. Professionals had
done the job, for pane of glass had been
cut out, and the door-lock pried off, holes
had been drilled through the sides OF the
safe, powder introduced and the massive
iron plates had been blown asunder.
Henry G. Brown, the book. keeper,
usually slept in the building, but on this
night he was away at party. Returning
at O'Clock, he started TO ascend the COW
cred stairway at the side of the bank. 1t
was a cloudy, rainy night, and in the
darkness he saw some indistinct object on
the stairs Thoughtlessly he poked it
with the end of his umbrella. This object
was the burglar appointed to guard the
stairway! Catching the umbrella in one
hand, he placed revolver against Browns
breast, and fired. The book-keeper
shrieked and ran, and the would-be MUIR
derer fired twice more. The shots and
cries of the frightened man soon aroused
the town, bus the burglars had disap-
peared. Strictest search failed to discover
the slightest trace of the villains. Browns
coat and vest were powder burnt, and the
bullet was found deeply imbedded in the
gold watch he carried in his upper left
hand vesLpocket.
Such a bold, audacious burglary and
such a heartless, cold blooded attempt at
murder were we'll calculated to arouse
the widest excitement. Suspicion settled
finally and Enthusiastically upon an indi-
vidual who had been prowling around
town for week or more. Ostensibly he
was book agent. He claimed to be
student endeavoring to raise means TO
defray expenses of his tuition. Upon ar
irving in town he had made several in
quiries about the location OF the bank
and the names of its officers, pretending
to want their influence on his subscrip-
tion list 1t was rumored that conclusive
evidence would at the proper time be
produced to prove him one of the burg
lars.
The officers found upon inquiry that he
had paid his bill the night before, saying
that he intended to leave early the next
morning. The landlady knew nothing OF
the man except that he had gone. She
did not even hear him go, for when he ap-
piled for board he was particular about
obtaining a room on the ground floor
isolated from other dodgers.
The stage left Wappinger's Falls for
New Hamburg at five o'clock, to meet
the morning train down the Hudson.
This stage overlook the suspected indi-
vidual about halfway to New Hamburg,
walking along in the rain and slush, and
at his request carried him the rest of the
distance. Meanwhile, descriptions were
telegraphed all over the State of A
young man with sharp, piercing black
eyes, dark hair and mustache, about five
feet ten inches in hight, wearing heavy
scarf and loose soldier cloak" 1t was
Just after the terrible railroad accident at
New Hamburg, when the passenger train
of the Hudson River Railroad had
crushed through the bridge and buried so
many people in the icy water beneath. j.
Scandling, the well-known State officer,
had been present during all the excite
ment, experimenting the raising of the
lifeless bodies. Standing in the telegraph
Office he Glanced to catch the descrip-
ton from the clicking, as the message
flashed over the wires to Poughkeepsie.
was the book agent, and upon my ar
rival at the depot Mr. Scandling promptly
arrested me. AT halfpast four l had
! awakened, dressed and left the house
! without seeing any one. In order to col
lect two dollars from man at the coal
house to whom l had sold book, /
walked on before the stage and received
the money. Learning, for the first time,
Of the burglary, soon understood that
was In dangerous position. "a stran-
ger in strange land" with little money
| and less influence, / was to be carried
back into the midst of an angry mob. 1t
would be utterly impossible for me to ad-
duce any evidence as to my whereabouts
at the time of the burglary, as had been
alone in my room.
In all the vast surging crowd that
| awaited my arrival there was not one face
that betrayed pity or sympathy. They
glared at me as though / were Bengal
tiger, and for while it seemed as if
should be strung to lamp-post without
the formality of trial. A preliminary
examination, however, was speedily held.
A crowbar that for several days had been
lying in the front yard of the house where
lodged was first brought into court. 1t
had been used by the burglars in prying
off the lock of the door. My landlady
testified that it was in the yard the even
ing previous. The prosecuting attorney
next produced beautiful tatted necktie
1t was the one usually wore. The
night before, when getting ready for bed,
l missed it, and had searched for it
everywhere in my room. Mother had
worked it for my Christmas present They
testified to finding it on the floor, about
six feet from the empty safe. A murmur
of satisfaction arose from the excited
mass Of people as the necktie was held
up to view.
And now all eyes were turned toward
Brown. He was pale and excited, and
had but partially recovered from his
fright. He testified to having seen me
standing in and around the bank many
times, and to my having been the Les.
man TO leave the night before. He pro.
duced the watch, showed the halfimbed-
ucd bullet, and then, to my utter horror,
swore positively that by the flash of the
pistol he believed he recognized my face
as that Of the burglar who shot him.
don't believe heard much more Of
the evidence. Dazed, bewildered, crushed,
leaned my head on the table before me
to shut out the gaze Of the jeering, exult