Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-07-09
NARROW ESCAPE
Of . vlcslsa. Of circumstances.

MARROW ESCAPE
| Of . vlesis,a Of circumstances.
On the 18th OF February, 1871, a burg
larry was committed in the town Of Wap-
pingers's Falls near Newburg, N. Y. The
savings bank Of Sweet & Barlow was en-
tered and two safes were blown open and
their contents rihed. Professionals had
done the job, for . pane Of glass had been
cut out, and the door lock pried of, holes
had been drilled through the sides Of the
safe. powder introduced, and the massive
iron plates had been blown assunder.
Henry c. Brown, the bookkeeper, usu-
ally slept in the building, but on this
night he was away At party. Returning
at 4 O'Clock, he started to ascend the COW
cred stairway At the side Of the bank. 1t
was clondy, rainy night, and 10 the dark-
ness he saw some indistinct object on the
stairs. Thoughtlessly he poked it with
the end ofhis umbrella. This object was
tn burglar appointed to guard the stair
wayi Catching the umbrella in one hand
be placed revolver against Browns
breast and fred. The book-keeper shriek-
ed and ran, and,thc would-be murderer FIR
Cd twics more. The shots and cries Of the
frightened man soon aroused the town, but
the. burglars had disappeared. Strlctest
search failed to discover the slightest trace
Of The villains. Browns coat aud vest
were powder burnt, and the bullet was
found deeply imbedded in the gold watch
be carried in his upper left-hand vest pock.
ct. fs'A@ sssSfs0
Such . bold, audscious burglary and
snch hsastlsss, oold-blooded attempt at
murder wore we'll calculated to arouse the
widest excitement. Suspicion settled a.
nally and unmissakably upon an individu-
4 who had bsen prowling around town for
: week OF more. Ostsnsibly He was book
agent. He clsimed TO b student endeav-
oring to raise means to defray expenses Of
his tuition. Upon arriving 10 town he had
made several inquiries about the location
Of tiie bank and the names OF its officers,
presending TO want their influence for his
subscription list. Isvas rumored that con-
elusive esidsnce would ct the proper time
b produced to prove him one of the burg
lars. s---sse-s-ss 's-sv.ss ss-sssass
s The o6ioers found upon inquiry that he
he'd paid his bill the night before, saying
that be intended to leave early next NOM
ing. The landlady knew nothing Of the
man except that he bad gone. She did not |
even hear him 60. for when he applied for
board be was particular about obtaining a |
. room on the ground flccr isolated from
other dodgers.
The stage left Wsppinger's Falls for
New Hamburg at five O'Clock, to meet the
morning train down the Hudson. This
stage overlook the suspected individual
about halfway to New Hamburg. walking
along in the.rain and slush, and athis re-
quest carried him the rest Of the distance.
Meanwhile, descriptions were telegraphed
all over the State. of"A young man with |
aharp, piercang black eyes, dark hair and
inustachc, about five feet ten inches in
height, wearing heavy scarf and loose
soldier cloak" 1t was just after the terri
blerailroad accident ut New Hamburg,
when the passenger train passed Of the
Hudson River Railroad had crushed
through the bridge and buried so many
people in the icy water beneath. J Scand-
ling, the well known State officer, had been
present during ali the excitement, superin.
tending the raising Of the lifeless bodies.
Standing in the telegraph Office he CHANGED
to catch the description from the clicking,
g the message flashed over the wires to
Poushkeepsie. So =
I was the book agent, and upon my ar
rival at the depot Mr.. 6candling promptly
arrested me. At hali.past four had ava
kened, dressed and left the house without
seeing anyone. In order to collect two
dollars from man at the coal.house to |
whom had sold book. I walked on before
the stage and received the money. Learn |
ing for the first time Of the burglary, 1 soon |
undezstood that ! was in a dangerous po-
sition. "A stranger 10 strange land"
with little money and less influence. was
70 Be carried back into the midst of an an
Uy mob. II would be utterly impossible
for me 10 adduce any. evidence u to my |
whereabouts at the time Of the burglary as.
I had besn alone in my room.
In Il, the v..t enro;rc c,ova ,h.. await