The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-10-24
THE ROBBERS RIDE.
Paying 5000 for a Ride-How Two Rob
bers Foiled their Pursuers. % ..r

THE ROBBERS RIDE. ...,
Paying 5000 for Ride-How Two Rob-
bers Foiled their Pursuers. ~ : 10 ,'
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 q nice day for their
excursion to Kingston, said he. 49,.
=, "Thsgy have, indeed. Ever been
eyes; took couple Of bank rob-
bers down there twenty-five, or thirty
years ago. Never told you about that
affair, did II Well, will. It was, let
me SEQ, in 1910. I was working at the
Old Eagle tavern had couple of nice
horses, and, for a young man, was doing
fine business. Those days there was
neither railroads or telegraph. The
stage coach was the only mode of public
travel, aud 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, I 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 :, ...g.. -
"Stage for New York gone yet 2, .
"Yes, sir. '... 10, ... ',.i ,'ri -y..:
"How long?'' p" ..''. = a'.. ..at
{" More'n two hours ago." 80 ~,'. -
i"!They were much excited over the
news and asked what they could do to
get to New York speedily. I told them
I 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 Jat Kings.'
ton Point. Then the gentlemen said
they must gut that boat, and asked if I
knew of couple of fast horses in the
city, and if they could hire or get car
riage to beat the stage in! It was mat,
ter of life and death, they said, and they
would pay any price. I asked what
price they would pay, and they told me
$500 to beat the stage to Kingston. It
was q big sum, and I whistled, but told
them I'd take them, and off I ran. I
found q friend of mine, Hank Lewis he
hitched up the horses to- 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 60 any further on. account of the
horses, but one of the gentlemen asked,
what is that team of yours worth ?
sThree hundred dollars, T 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 of haf-past four we
drove UP to Kingston Point, where the
steamer lay, all loaded, but waiting for
the Albany mail. ....n..
"The two gentlemen went on board
and asked for Captain Dean. He came
oft, and they told him what they had
told Lewis and 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 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 80 lose their fortune.
They offered she captain $4,000 If he
wonld leave then and there and make
certain of catching the ship. . I
"Would Like to make that $4,000,
gentlemen said Captain Dean, but my
orders are not to leave till I get the Al
bany mail, and I cannot accept -,
"They seemed much disappointed,
but said 1T couldn't be. expected, and
they made themselves agreeable to every
one about. The paid me the $600prom-
ised, gave me $500 for the lost horses,
and gave my driver and men over $lOO
each. We waited until the stage came
in, the mails and passengers were trans
ferred, and away went the boat in hur-
~ then we rode leisurely back to Alba
ny, it being a fine night, but before we
got there we met the mounted police fu-
riously coming after our passengers, the
dead nobleman's bogus sons. They we're
bank robbers, and those two satchels
they held contained over 5000, 900 in gold
and Bank of England notes, the proceeds
of big Montreal robbery - ~
' "Did they catch ithem?"
"Catch 'em No. When the boat 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. .. 49,. ..,,-
"And the robbers we're never heard
Of" -..
"Never. Why they had a 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 us in by their smooth talk and gent
lemanlv address"
Just then the salad WAS finished, md
80 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.-Albany Express.
Deadw00d Death.
AS was resting in camp on the out
cLirtr of Dea6wood writes n Black