The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-01-10
Selett Starr.
CAUGHT BY TELEGRAPH

town, and the set of loafers which usual
ly collected about the stove in the walt
ling room had eventually concluded to
seek some other place nearer home TO
spend the evening in, and, fora wonder,
/ was quite alone.
The express from the West was due at
nine.fifty. After that l should be at lib
Urty, and l began to wish the evening
was over long before the train came along
oT else that I had some one to talk to,tor
the depot was in one of the lonesomest
Bpots that could have been selected, and
the wind kept up dismal moaning In
the pines close by, and every now and
then seemed to be positively bowling In
the wires of the telegraph. began to
feel nervous and idgety.
At last the train came. l was also ex-
press agent, and the expressman on the
train handed me q heavily sealed enve-
lone. Eemarking,as he did 30, "Be careful
ofthat. BranthWaite. There's big bon
anza in that package, If it were yours or
mine."
Money" l asked, noticing that there
were but two passengers getting of-two
men in shoggy overCoats and slodchy
looking hats, whom concluded, without
thinking much about them or paying but
little attention to them,to be hunters re-
turned from some up'country trip:
ayes; a trihe oftWenty thousand, be-
lieve," answered Phillips. "0ld Powers
is sending it down to his son, who's put.
ting up mill somewhere near here,isn't
he7" -
ayes, on the other side of the rivern i
replied. TITS lucky to have a rich faith
or, Phillips"
"You're right there" answered Phil
lips. ,
And then the train started of, and l
turned and walked toward the office.
As neared the door, with the package
in my hand, one of the men, who had
been watching me, made spring toward
me. l don't know how happened to be
on the lookout for them, but l must haYe
been, for jumped back almost the same
instant that he made his move, and be.
fore either one of them comprehended
what was about, l had made a dive be-
tween them and succeeded in getting in
TO the office, and had the door bolted al
most before l knew what was doing.
heard volley of curses hurled after
me, and then l knew by the sounds, and
the creaking of the door, that both ofthe
men were trying to break it in. But /
had no fears of their doing that.
It was of hard wood, well seasoned, and
would resist all their efforts in that direc.
ton.
put the package in the safe and lock-
ed it securely before stopped to think
what was to be done. Then / sat down
TO think, while could hear the men
talking ontside; l knew they we're hold
ing a council over the means to be used
to effect an entrance, and obtain posses
sion Of the money / had received.
Il was ANYTHING but q pleasant situation
TO be in. Here was l, alone, half mile
away from any assistance, at ten o'clock
at highland a stormy nightat that-and
the probabilities were that nearly every
body was already in bed. If they we're
not, no one would think of fcoming to the
depot at that time of the night.
Outside were two desperate men, who
knew had large sum of money in my
possession, and they knew that, if they
could effect an entrance. l would amount
TO but little in the way of preventing an
accomplishment of their villainous pur-
pose.
Suddenly a thought occurred to me.
The clerk at the hotel where l boarded
had taken a fancy to telegraphy, and we
had put up wire between the hotel and
the depot.
Why couldn't advise him of my dan.
ger and have him send help?
heard a new sound at the door just
then which sent the blood in great fright.
ened waves all over me. The men had
begun to cut their way in with pocket
kniVesl
l rushed to the instrument, and ''call-
ed" George. What if he had gone to bed,
or should be outP turned pale at the
thought.
But pretty soon q response came back.
He was there. Go ahead.
began and wrote:
II am in danger. Two men are trying
to gain admittance for the purpose OF rob-
bing the express safe. Send help imme-
diately, for Gods sake. Not minute to
be lost"
"Slower," telegraphed George, who had
not been practiCing long enough to be
able to read very well.
went over with the message again.
But suppose excitement made my writ
ing blurred" for again he sent back
word: #.a
"slower and more distinct. Can't make
it outl"
Good God! Before l succeeded in max
ing him understand me they would be
through the door, thought, with cold
sweat breaking out all over me. But l
went over the message again, and this
time he caught it, and sent back hur-
ried, "All right. Hold out for ten min
utes."
The men were digging away like beav-
ers. could see the points of their knives
once in while, as they splintered away
fragments of the panels. But l knew that
it would take them some time yet to cut
away enough for them to make an en-.
trance through. How l wished l had
pistol
waited in feverish impatience. Sud.
denly there was crash, and one panel
was stove in by the foot Of one of the
men.
"Aha!" he grinned, with his leering face
at the aperture. "You see we mean bust.
ness, don't you? What are you going to
do when we get in, eh?"
didn't know. Die, l supposed, if they
took an idea to put an end to me, into
their heads. Why didn't George and the
help he had promised, Gomez It seemed
to me that they had had time enough to
make ten.mile ramp.
"We've got the second panel almost
ready to staVe in" said the other man,
chuckling horribly over the cheerful in
formation. "Then, i guess, Tom can crawl
through. You might as well be opening
that box O. your'n an git out that bundle
we're after. HH save all on us consider
able trouble an time"
Crash, came his foot against the panel,
and it burst into splinters, and my heart
fairly stopped beating when I saw one of
thon1 khrnak hia head and ahnu1dara