Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-10-13
TIE ROBBERS RIDE.
Paying 5000 for n Ride-IIOw Two Rob-
bers FOiled their Pursuers.

bers FOiIed their Pursuers.
The writer sat in well-known eating
saloon at noon eating a delicious salad
and sweltering over cup of hot tea,
when the proprietor stepped up.
"The boys have nice day for their
excursion to Kingston, said he.
"They have, indeed. Ever been
there ?"
eyes I took a couple of bank rob-
bers down there twenty-five or thirty
years ago. Never told you about that
affair, did Ip Well, will. 1t was, let
me see, in 1910. was working at the
Old Eagle tavern had couple of nice
horses, and, for young man, was doing
fine business. Those days there was
neither railroads or telegraph. The
stage coach was the only mode of public
| travel, and it was the event of the day
to see the coaches from the west and
New York hustle into the tavern. Well,
one cold morning in the middle of De-
cember, was just stepping out from the
Office to the long wooden veranda, when
I noticed two well dressed gentlemen,
each carrying good sized travelling
satchel, hurrying toward the hotel. One
Of them, addressing me, said:
Stage for New York gone yet ?
"Yes, sir
"How long?'
'More'n two hours ago..
"They were much excited over the
news and asked what they could do to
get to New York speedily. I told them
didn't know. The boats had stopped
running month, although one of them
still ran to Kingston, the river being
open that far up. She would leave that
evening for New York, and the stage
coach which left Albany couple of
hours before would transfer her passen-
gers and mails to the steamer at Kings
ton Point. Then the gentlemen said
they must get that boat, and asked if
knew of couple of fast horses in the
city, and if they could hire or get car
riage to beat the stage in. 1t was mat
ter of life and death, they said, and they
would pay any price. l asked what
price they would pay, and they told me
5000 to beat the stage to Kingston. 1t
was big sum, and whistled, but told
them I'd take them, and off | ran. l
found friend of mine, Hank Lewis he
hitched up the horses to q four-seated
sleigh, and away we went 'helter skelter
for Kingston. How we did go Two
hours behind the stage, and yet before
we reached Athens we passed it. Near
Catskill the horses gave out completely
and we had to hire new team. / didn't
want to go any further on account of the
horses, but one of the gentlemen asked,
What is that team of yours worth p
Three hundred dollars, said. Drive
on, he answered, 'I'll pay for them
Once we tipped over, and half an hour
was spent in getting to rights. Then we
went it again, and at half-past four we
drove up to Kingston Point, where the
steamer lay, all loaded, but waiting for
the Albany mail.
"The two gentlemen went on board
and asked for Captain Dean. He came
aft, and they told him what they had
told Lewis aud me coming down how
they resided in Canada, but were the
sons of an English nobleman, who had
recently died, leaving valuable estate.
Their presence was needed Immediately
in London if they would save the estate
from a designing relative. The packet
sailed from New York from Liverpool
on the first tide the next morning. They
must get it or wait thirty days for the
next ship, and SO lose their fortune.
They offered she captain $1,000 if he
wonld leave then and there and make
certain of catching the ship.
Would like to make that 81, 900,
gentlemen, said Captain Dean, but my
orders are not to leave till L get the AL
bany mail, and cannot accept.
"They seemed much disappointed,
but said it couldn't be expected, and
they made themselves agreeable to every
one about. The paid me the 5000 prom
ised, gave me $500 for the lost horses,
and gave my driver and men over $100
each. We waited until the stage came
in, the mails and passengers were trans
ferred and away went the boat i'll hur-
ry; then we rode leisurely back to Alba
ny, it being fiue night, but before we
got there we met the mounted police fu-
riously coming after our passengers, the
dead nobleman's bogus sons. They were
bank robbers, and those two satchels
they held contained over 5000, 0O0in gold
and Bank of England notes, the proceeds
of big Montreal robbery"
"Did they catch them?"
" Oatcn EN- NO. Wnen the oOat START
ed that night they talked with the cap
tain and offered him $500 if he would
put them on board of the outward bound
ship before he landed, as she would be
lying in the channel. Captain Dean ac-
cepted, and just at daylight the steam
boat lay alongside the vessel, and by the
time Captain Dean got to his pier and
the passengers awoke, the ship was sail
ing through the Narrows and away to
England.
"And the robbers were never heard
Of"
"Never. Why they had start of
thirty days, and, being young men then,
they are perhaps living in clover in some
European country on their ill-gotten
wealth. They were smart enough to
take MS in by their smooth talk and gent
lemanly address,.
Just then the salad was finished, and
so was the story. The writer picked up
his check and Mr.. Veazie walked to
another part of the dining room to see
that his walters were paying proper at
tention to other hungry customers.
The story has the merit of being liter
ally true .-1tbany EGpreSs.
An Interesting Fact.
In Hildreths History of the United
Clalo. ), "a 80 ,E,4o1 fbot Nanhok titan