River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-01-18
Adventures of a Merchant.

About eleven O'Clock ON a mild De-
cember night, in the year 1908, Mr..
Nicholas Young "a respectable merchant
of New York city, turned the key in
| his store door ard directed his steps
/ hOmeward.
He lad been busIly engaged in taking
an account of stock and was therefore,
unusually late. A model of regularity
F in all his habits, he was never known
J TO be out of his house after ten in the
evening, except on such periodical
times as the present.
lie was plain man of fOrty-five, who
had never married, and inhabited an
unpretending but comfortable abode
what was then the semi-rural dis
trict about Blocker street. His family
consisted solely of an old hOusekeeper
and a cOlored man.
+ He had not walked far on the night
I question, when he was startled by a
cry as of female in distress, SEEM
/ ingly proceeding from close carriage.
which was driving past at a moderate
rate of speed. The vehicle had not
gone twenty yards further on before
/ the cry was again raised, clear and
shrill, and he distinctly saw white
handkerchief waving from one OF the
windows.
Constitutionally fearless, and endow-
ed with no smah share of native chiv-
airy, Mr.. Young lost no time in hasten
! ing TO the rescue of the presumed cap
tive. Accident seemed to favor him,
for just then the driver dropped his
whip, and, before he could recover it
and regain his seat the merchant was
at the carriage door, which he attempt
ed to open. He was resisted by a
strong grasp from within, while a man
thrust his head from the window and
angrily demanded what was meant by
such unWarrantable intrusion.
| Mr.. Young as peremptorily inquired
whether female was being carried off
against her will, and stated his inten-
/ tiOn of searching into the matter. lie
was answered at once by blow on the
/ head from slingshOt, or similar in
strument, which felled him to the
ground insensible. On recovering, he
/ found himself lying, gagged and bound,
to the bottom of the coach, which was
being driven furiOuSly. Defenseless
as a sheep borne 10 the Shambles, he
awaited his fate with as much Tesigna.
/ tion "a he could muster.
/ Hours seemed to pass before the We
hicle came to a stop. when the door
was opened and he was lifted out in
silence by two stout men. He now
saw by the glimmering starlight, that
they were standing on the end of a
/ long wharf-a pier--the other eXtTem-
/ ity. of which was hidden in darkness.
/ Rocking on the waves almost under
J l.. 100 IK.fr
/ this. still without word being spoken,
/ he was transferred by the same hands
/ and il was made fast TO the stern of
sailing vessel, which lay close by with
all her canvass set. His two capters
/ climbed aboard the latter craft, whose
/ anchor was Immediately weighed, and
she stood out to sea, towing Mr.. Young,
alone and helpless behind her.
Before morning the boat was cast
off, the sailing vessel quickly disaD-
peared from his view, and the unfor-
tunate merchant found himself drift
+ ing, without oars or provisions. at the
mercy of the waves. When day broke
/ he had succeeded in freeing one of
his hands, and shortly afterwards re-
leased himself from all his fastenings.
He now discovered that his pocket
had been rified and his watch and wal
let taken, together with the keys Of
his Office door and safe.
On the morning following Mr..
YOung's abduction, Mrs. Comfit, his
housekeeper. awaited in vain his APP
pearance at the breakfast table. Never
before, during the fifteen years she
had lived with him, had he been ten
minutes behind time. OF course. he
might be indisposed. With some ire
pidation she went up stairs and knock
ed at his chamber door. The sum-
mons, again and again repeated, awak-
ened no response. He might have gone
out for walk, though such had never
been his habit. An hour passed, and
she grew seriously alarmed. Finally,
when business acquaintance of Mr..
Young's called 70 inquire why his
store remained closed, Mrs. Comfit
procured assistance, and her masters
door was broken open. A careful
search of the apartment only resulted
in showing that it had apparently not
been occupied during the preceding
night.
DAYS and weeks rolled on and moth
ing was seen or heard of the missing
merchant. Advertisements appeared
[ n che IoaItufr sat.rralo offaripu q lin