, 1878-05-17
What Came of a Surprise Party.

The New York Times thus refers to
recent occurrence at Rhinebeck.on-'hc
Hudson;
How il happened that one day last
week a number of native Rhinchocklan'
determined to subject an cstimabIe icI,
low.townsman to the outrage OF a sur
prise party, it ia hopeless to inquire. 1t
was one of those sporadic cases of crime
which battle the theories of students OF
social science. No less than thirteen
ncrsons were concerned in it, and they
banded themselves together under the
leadership Of u man who had hitherto
horne A good reputation. The affair wos
managed with much secrecy, and but Tor
,he timely awakening Of the conscience
of one Of the conspirators, might have
proved disastrousIy successful. ms
conspirator was youth who, though
easily led astray, was not without noble
imp1lses. The night before the date
fixed upon for the commission OF the
crime, be was passing near house IN
which female voice was singing "lhe
Sweet BY and By" He remembered that
in his earlier and innocent days his great
aunt on his stepfather's side was accus-
toned to sing that song. The recollec-
tiop melted his heart, and a sudden horror
of his premeditated crime fell upon him.
He FASTENED to the house of the intended
victim, and with streaming eyes and bro
ken tones confessed his wicked designs
and solemnly pledged himself to lead
henceforth better life. The estimabl2
though stern citizen forgave him, thanked
him for his warning, and told him to tell
no man that he had betrayed his sinful
secret. This shows how much that sim.
pie song may do, provided it awakcns in
some young man desire other than that
of killing the singer on the spot.
The unrepentant Conspirators prepared
themselves with the usual quantity OF
cake and refreshments of nature certain
to grease the victims furniture, and at
about 8 o'clock on the appointed evening
set forth in a silent procession for the
scene of their intended outrage. No one
who saw them suspected their design, and
even the local constable who met them
on the street never dreamed that they
were about to stain the fair fame OF
Rhinebeck with a deed adapted to make
even strong men turn pale with horror,
Presently they reached the victims front
gate, and they had just entered the yard
and closed the gate behind them, when
from behind a syrngea bush the pro-
posed victim stepped forth aud confront
ed them,
His appearance but remotely resembled
that of person disposed to quietly sub
nit to an outrage. He held double
barreled gun in one hand and chain in
the other, which was attached to the col
lars of two large bulldogs. The handles
of a revolver and a bowie-knife protrud-
ed from each of his pockets, the nozzle
of q hose-pipe lay by his side, and his
general aspect was stern and relentless.
The invaders, suddenly convinced that
their hellish purpose had been thwarted,
turned to fly, but the gate closed with a
spring latch, and young lady who tried
to climb over it and stuck on the pickets,
so complicated matters that it could not
be opened While the miscreants were
thus thrown into wild panic, the owner
of the premises, with unexpected liber-
ality, gave them their choice whether he
should open the entertainment with the
shotgun or the dogs, or whether theJ
would prefer to be played upon with the
hose, without any preliminary whatever.
With one accord they chose the hose, and
the estimable citizen thereupon drenched
them without remarkable impartiality
until he fairly washed them out of the
yard; after which he hastened their flight
up the street by firing salute with both
barrels and stimulating the dogs to bark
at the top Of their lungs.
There is feeling in Rhinebeck that
the estimable citizen was not surprised to
any great extent, and it is believed that
the carnival of crime which would prob
ably have begun had the surprise party
been successful has been indefinitely
postponed. A subscription for the pur-
pose of presenting piece of plate to the
estimable citizen will soon be started in
the villages bordering on the Hudson, and
it is to be hoped that every honest and
peaceable citizen will avail himself Of
the opportunity to show his gratitude fOl
the noble defender of human rights.