The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-02-01

" All burglnfs, house breakers, sneak
thieves and assassns are hereby notified
that have over 100000 worth of coin,
/ jewels and silverware in my house,
which they are welcome to if they will
come and take it. No dogs, servants OF
laborers about the place. The house is
mile from any other residence, and the
only occupant is an old man, not in very
good health, by the name of
"JoHN CALcoTT.
" It's some old lunatic," " says I, "who
hasn't got money enough to get credit. -
"No," says Mattison. "They say up
there he's worth half million. He lives
i'll Il fine house all by himself about two
miles from the depot"
1t was three days talk in the office
and then we forgot it. But the adver-
tisement was kept in the paper, and one
day it seems Tony Frost, down at Dobb's
Ferry, struck it. That was the way it
got to the gang. They pooh-poohed il
as "chaff," but Frost it seems went mp
to Glen Spring, poked about, sifted the
thing, reconnoitered the premises and
came down to the city with big yarn
for his pals. His report was that the
old luny" had got a sign on his fence
informing everybody that passed that
here was the unprotected house full of
valuables that the river gang didn't dare
to walk into. He was sure, too, that
there wasn't any CANNON about the
stuff, for he'd found out that old Calcott
I was immensely rich and kept nearly all
his wealth in his house.
Now, L don't suppose it's reasonable
. that a regular cracksman should bite at
any such bait as this; but Tony Frost
kept poking away mt it, and one day
somebody i'll the gang said it was too
much to have the profession insulted in
/ that way, unless they We're all afraid Of
the old duifer. After that Tony Frost
went to the house, got up rs a tramp,
and tried the back door. The moment
he Knocked it flew open, and an old
mans voice hailed him over the stairs
Halo there, what d'you want ?"
"Summat to eat, if yer please" says
Tony, shuffling i'll and taking good look
around.
"Go down and try the kitchen, "
shouts the old man. "and don't stand
gaping round that way. There's bread
down stairs. If you want TO examine
the house. come mp when your belly
lull, anu l. III SllON IL 10 YOU.
With that Tony goes down the way he
came and walks into the kitchen, where
a little girl was washing dishes. She
gave him some bread and meat and talked
quite freely. To his astonishment she
told him that the old man had lots of
money in the house. She'd seen it..
She told told him that she lived in the
village and went home every night. He
must have made Il favorable report, be-
cause it wasn't long after that when Bill
Ketchum, who was the ringleader of the
river gang, thought he'd take look at
the house. So up he goes, playing the
part of peddlel, and drops the neatest
little pack in front of the place when he
sees the sign. There it was sure enough,
nicely lettered in red or :, white ground,
and inviting all burglars, house break
ers, sneak thieves and assassins to come
and take what they could get. The
house stood good ways back from the
road, and as Bill went up the wide path
be had a good chance to take in the
dwelling. 1t was large brick house
with high stone foundation and an iron
stoop. There wasn't shutter, pair
Of blinds, Oh the place. And if anybody
had tried to set it afire he would have
given up the job as a bad one.
Ketchum got in through the window.
He had a lot of things in his pack that
tickled the fancy of the girl, and he let
her amuse herself with them while he
ate sandwich she had given him, and
asked her a lot of sly questions. But he
couldn't get much ont or her, simply be-
cause she didn't know anything, SO he
10 l. =, ,,1t, : 4
man and pokes about till he got up stairs,
and was hailed over the balusters !:
"Well, now then, what do you want,
hay. =.
says Ketchnm, pushing up.
"Didn't you read the warning to ped
dlers Oh the fence. Amt you afraid OF
the dogs ?" shouted the old man.
"Wmnin' - says Bill, giving himself
away.
Gan right" sings out the old man.
quicker than lightning. "You're no
peddler. You want to see my property.
Come up. I'll show it to you"
Well, this stumped Bill a good deal,
but he pluckedup and followed Calcottm-
to an upper room, keeping one eye round
him and taking i'll everything but max
ing a great show of trade.
"This room" says Calcott, is where
sleep. There isn't any lock on the door,
and this room is where keep my money.
There's the safe-I never lock it. Here,
I'll show you what's in it-stand still
because when pull the door open it
starts 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 I'll put you up to trick
cut the wires first, they run across the
road below the big gate. Don't be
Do you see that PITS gold.
Feel the weight of it. These are dia-
monds. Can you tell real spark when
you see it? L should say they were
worth, in the market, between $50, 900
and $4,000"
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 in
sane 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 plunder.
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 a revolver in his breast pocket. I"
Bill started little, for he had an idea
that Colcott must have seen it.
"Ho, no" says the old man; $50 you
have got one ?"