The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-03-15

much out OF her, simply because she
didn't know anything, so he made up
his mind to interview the old man,
and pokes about till he got up stairs,
and was hailed over the balusters I:
"Well, now then, what do you want,
hay ?"
''Nish gloves, nscktise, soaps sheep"
says Ketchum, pushing up.
''Don't you read the warning to
peddlers on the fence. Amt you
afraid Of dogs ?'' shouted the old
man.
"Warnin'," says Bill, giving him.
self away.
"All right" sings out the old man,
quicker than lightning. you're no
peddler. You want to see my proper
ty. Come up. I'll show it to you"
Well, this stumped Bill a good deal,
but be plucked up and followed Cal
colt into an upper room, keeping one
eye round him and taking in every
thing but making a great show of
trade.
"This room," says CaIcott, is where
1 sleep. There isn't any lock on the
door, and this room is where 1 keep
my money. There's the safe. new
er lock it. Here, I'll show you what
is in it-stand still-because when /
pull the door open il starts q telegraph
machine, and three of the best men In
the county start from the village
they're officers" With that he jerked
the door open.
'Bill was little nervous, and he
couldn't help showing it."
'If any of your gang should come
here at night Ill put you up to a
trick-cut the wires first, they run
across the road below the big gate. !
Don't be nervous. Do you see that ?
its gold. Feel the weight of it. |
These are diamonds. Can you tell |
real spark when you see it -? I should |
cay they were worth in the market, |
between $4,000 and S40.OO0
The old man kept up this kind Of |
patter, standing there in his old calico |
wrapper, Bill Ketchum watching him |
with one eye and wondering whether |
he was insane or not or Just the |
smartest man he'd ever met. He had |
an idea that it was just the easiest |
thing to knock him over as he stood /
there and walk off with the plumber. |
But that hint about the telegraph /
stopped him. Then the old man
showed him out, and when he got in
peddler I ever saw that carried a re-
vOlver in his breast pocket"
Bill started little, for he had an
idea that Calcott must have seen it.
"Ro no % says the old man $50
you have got one ?"
The last thing he said to him as he
was going down the steps was
"You're not smart enough for this
job, my man."
Ketchuu told his fellows that he
was never so clean winded in his life.
~ felt so mean when l was coming
away" said he, 'that I'd half mind
to reform and cut the profession"
Well, not to make the story too
long, the upshot of it was that
Ketchum, fellow by the name of
Welter and Jack Frost, think, went
into the business from a kind of pride.
They considered they had been chal-
lenged and it was point of honor to
take the old man at his word.
They got up there one dark night in
May and laid by till long after mid
night. Then they got over the fence
and sneaked up to the house. They
were all heavily armed, and 1 forgot
to say, were delayed some time look
ing for the telegraph wire, which they
couldn't find, OF course, there not be-
ing any. Fancy their surprise when,
after crawling round the place for a [
spot to break In, they found that the
front door was unlocked and the hall
dark. 1t had been agreed that old
Calcott should be shot at sight If he
interfered.
There was a good deal of anxiety in
the headquarters of the gang that
night, for this job had been talked
about for good while, and Ketchum
had staked his reputation on it. {
Dutch Morley was to be at point in s
the road about two miles north of the '
house with fast team to carry of s
the "swag," and arrangements had
been made at Dobbs' Ferry to divvy
and cut {
Dutch Morley waited till day begun {
to break, and then only two OF his {
men turned up. They were covered ]
with blood, and one OF them had his
arm broken. Welter had been left {
behind disabled. They had not one 9
told was q curious one. The whole 7
gang got round them when they
reached their dive, and put the ques- I
"But you fixed the old fellows '
flint, anyhow ?" said somebody.
"We didn't see him at ALL" an Q
swered Ketchum, dolefulIy. mo, we /
were in the dark. Why, 8 lamp '
wouldn't burn any more'n a stone.
We liked to suffocate." i
"Oh, that's thin," says another '
'why didn't you go out into the air ?'i '
because we couldn't get out we
were fastened in like rats. Every 4
window and door closed up with a I
steel shutter on the inside as tight as | g
a rich mans pocket. There was only
one way out-down q back staircase J
outside, about twelve inches wide /; 1
only one Of US could get out at time, /
and when we reached the bottom I
something fell on US in turn" IL
That was Ketchumis account of it.
Frost was the only plucky one of the q
lot. He didn't believe in Witcheraft, {
and he vowed he would get square on }
old Calcott. 1
With that he sets out to find Calico 8
Charley, who was the best man IN the /
business where there were iron shut I
ters concerned.
The very next day but one after &
this attempt on Caleott's house, the
Glen Spring Herald had another no.
tice like this:
"The attempt to rob my house on ]
Thursday night, which failed so COM Z
pletely, should not frighten other 9
thieves from making the trial. For !
the next thirty days there will be r
more gold and silver on the premises {
than ever before. 9
"JOHN CALCOTT."
Frost got hold OF Calico Charley q
and explained the whole thing to c
him. None of the gang knew {
Charley's right name, and l don't [
think he was told the name of the I
man they were to rob. Frost ex- c
planned to him that it was the steel [
shutters that "knocked ttem," and c
he thought now they knew the trick
one OF them could wedge the iron and |
keep the exit open while the other Sc I
cured the property. At all events, I
the two cooked up a new job and c
made sure that they would haul the 8
whole pile, as we say. Charley was q {
careful worker, went at the thing |
systematically, got his tools ready, s
sent Frost off to reconnoiter, and !
talked very little. They were about {
two weeks getting ready. In spite Of !
all their pains to keep it dark, the /
gang got wind OF the affair, and of I
course they were all very anxious to |
see how it would come out.
Charley and his pal went up to q lit /
tie station about three miles north of !
Glen Spring, and started down at j
night on foot. Il was so dark when ,
they got 10 the house that they could !
not see the sign. There wasn't the /
glimmer Of light about the place. |
They were to GO softly and try the
front door. If it opened they were to
step inside quickly. One Of them was