The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-02-16

The old man kept up this kind of pat
ter, standing there in his old calico wrap
per, Bill Ketchum watching him with
one eye, and wondering whether he was
insane or just the smartest man he'd ever
met. He had an idea that il was just the
easiest thing to knock him Oger 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 into the hall he says:
"You're the first peddler ever saw that
carried revolver in his breast-pocket.
Bill started a little, for he had an idea
that Calcott must have seen it.
Ho, no !" says the old man; $50 you
hare 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. T"
Ketchum told his fellows that he was
never 80 clean winded in his life. 81
felt 80 mean when | was coming away"
says 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, fell
low by the name of Welter, and Jack
Frost put up the job to crack the old
mans place. Ketehum and Frost, L
think, went into the business from kind
of pride. They considered they had been
challenged, 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 midnight
Then they got over the fence and sneaked
up to the house. They were all heavily
armed, and, forgot to say, were delayed
some time looking for the telegraph wire,
which they couldn't find, of course, there
not being any. Fancy their surprise
when, after crawling round the place,
looking for soft place 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 good deal of anxiety in
the headquarters of the gang that night,
for this job had been talked about good
while, and Ketchum had staked his rep
utation ON it. Dutch Morley was to be
at point in the road about two miles
north of the house with fast team to
carry off the "swag," and arrangements
had been made at Dobbs ferry to dizzy
and cut.
Dutch Morley waited till day began 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 The story they told was a cur
ious one. The whole gang got round
them when they reached their dive, and
put the questions to them fast and thick.
:" But you fixed the old fellows flint,
anyhow" said somebody.
"We didn't see him mt all" answered
Ketchum, dolefully. "No, d-n it, we
were in the dark. Why lamp wouldn't
burn any more'n a stone. We liked to
suffocate."
ooh, that's thin," says another;
why didn't you go out in the air ?"
Because we couldn't get out; were
fastened in like rats. Every winder and
door closed up with a steel shutter on
the inside as tight as rich mans pock-
ct. There was only one way out-down
a back staircase outside, about twelve
inches wide; only one of us could go ut
a time, and when we reached the bottom
something fell on us in turn.
That was Ketchum's account of it.
Frost was the only plucky one of the
lot. He didn't believe in witchcraft, and
he vowed he would get square ON Old
Calcott.
With that he sets out to find Calico
Charley, who was the best man in the
business where there were iron shutters
The very next day but one after this
attempt on Calcott's house the Glen
Spring Herald G think it was the Her
atd) had another notice like this:
The attempt to rob my house on Thursday
night, which failed 80 completely, should not
frghten other thieves from making the trial.
For the next thirty days there will be more
gold and silver OH the premises than ever be-
fore. JOHN CALcorP.
Frost got hold of Calico Charley and
explained the whole thing to him. None
Of the gang knew Charley's right name,
and | don't think he was told the name
Of the man they were to rob. Frost ex-
planned to him that it was the steel shut
ters that knocked them" and he
thought now they knew the trick one of
them could wedge the iron and keep the
exit open while the others secured the
property. At all events, the two men
cooked up new job and made sure that
they would haul the whole pile, as we
say. Charley, who was careful worker,
went at the thing systematically, got his
tools ready, sent Frost off to reconnoiter,
and talked very little. They were about
TWO weeks getting ready. In spite of all
heir plans to keep it dark, the gang got
wind of the affair, and of course they
we're all very anxious to see how it would
,ome out.
Charley and his pal went up to a little
station about three miles north of Glen
Spring, and started down at night on
DOT. 1t was so dark when they got to |
he house that they could not see the |
sign. There wasn't the glimmer of a
light about the place. They were to go
softly up and try the front door. If it
opened, they were to step inside quickly.
One of them was to stay at the door to |
Keep the egress open the other was to
go up stairs and secure the valuables.
They had two jimmies, cold chisel and
\ lot of other traps of Charleys, that you
IAN see down there at the Central office,
in a glass case
They found the front door unfastened as
before. Charley pushed it open, and they
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