Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-05-14

Washington, but 20 on 10 Nevada, some
twenty miles further down, and sell 10
the dealers In that place beside, de-
sired 10 pay a short visit 10 some cOun-
trymen Of mine who we're mining on
Deer Creek, near the town.
The next morning / took an early
start. had my dust strapped around
my waist In buckssin belt, where II
was out Of sight. Though IL was rather
heavy and inconvenient, / preferred
carrying II In that way TO having II in
my pockets. l never once thought of
robbers, and in the way Of weapons did
not even have a knife with me. Had
thought Of going 10 Nevada on leaving
home, l would, no doubt, have belted
on my revolver.
had purpOsely made an early start,
and by sunrise was up the steep mount
ain trail that leads from Washington,
and was passing through the mining
town of Alpha just as the breakfast bells
were ringing at the boarding-houses.
Soon / was in the dense forest Of huge
sugar pines and furs, through which the
wagon-road leads, and which extends
nearly all the way to Nevada.
Not team was on the road, nor a
soul in sight. When alone in the forest
/ am always overcome and awed by the
solemn stiffness, and in spite of myself,
/ fall to musing upon the wonders and
mysteries of the world and the Creator
in way that quite carries me out of
and beyond the things of everyday life.
1 become, indeed, in such situations,
by insensible degrees, quite absent
minded.
AS passed along / merely noticed
| the point where the road / was travel
ing joined that coming in from Omega,
a mining town that stands opposite Al
pha, just across Scotchman's Greek. l
merely glanced down along this road
and saw that there was no living or
moving thing on it, when l again fell
into the deep, dreamy mood from which
had only been partially aroused.
was walking slowly along in the deep
shade of the great forest, with my eyes
bent upon the ground, and thoughts
far away in some of the old forests !
had seen in Germany while serving as a
soldier, when there came sharp, quick
cry:
Instinctively halted, hardly realizing
that was not still soldier, obeying
the command of a superior officer. But
it was only for an incompatible fraction
of time, for on the instant a masked
man, armed with a double-barreled
shotgun, stepped out from behind &
large sugar-pine, and about ten feet from
where | had halted.
Hold up your hands!" cried the
masked man, and the shotgun was lev
eled at my head.
held up my hands.
The fellow then seemed not to know
what to do next. He stood some sec
onds without speaking, and as if con
sidering how to proceed.
"Take off your belt"
"H How can take off my belt if | an
to hold up my handsP" said |.
The man seemed nonplussed, ant
again hesitated.
+" You have no pistolP" said he.
"That is my business -
Again he hesitated and surveyed me
J Seeing no pistol belt outside my cloth
ing, he seemed reassured, and said
" You can put down your hands ant
waist-that dust is what l want. b.
quick about it!" and again the gun wa
l leveled.
1 took my own time, nevertheless
and as long a time as possible, closel,
watching the robber, who several time
for an instant glanced nervously up anC
| down the road. 1 also observed tina
his hands trembled. Icould plainly Sc,
that he was really more frightened thai
3 l was. Having passed through man,
? battles and dangers of all kinds, l dii
not feel at all alarmed at my situation
g In moment L understood the who'll
g business. l knew that the man Onl,
t wanted to get my dust, and did not wan
l to kill me. If he had not feared com
s mitting murder he would have shot M
s down without speaking-wOuld hav
Q taken no chances with me.
= While slowly taking off my pouch o
gold dust, my mind was not inactive.
saw that the robber was a trembling
: fellow, not at all fit for the business
+, A man that 1 could have cowed an
. commanded in almost any situation
1 had we been placed on an equal footing
j When the belt was off, the highway
0 man said:
clay it down and be off,"
f l laid it down and turned as thoug
n to go away, but as the fellow picked u
: my dust l faced about and said;
s "Do you know who l am-who yo
= are playing this trick uponP''
"No; nor do l want to know. G
d awayl" said the man.
s "Did you ever hear of Big George, {
e Siskiyou, the stage robberP" said
L moving toward him.
y He made no reply, but stood trem
o bling and evidently quite bewildered.
} "Poor soul, how nervous you arel
}, cried 1. "Why, am quite ashamed {
you for a man in your business. There
= not bit of style about you"
l was now quite close upon him, an
l suddenly and sternly said:
3. "Hand me that gun, you trembling as
Ie and I'll show you how to do things in
@ way that will make you credit to tt
II profession
The command came so unexpected
# that had the gun in my hands befol
e the man knew what was about.
Is "Drop that belt!" cried l, levelin
'r the gun Mt his head.
% He let it fall to the ground.
"Take off that mask!''
4, He hesitated moment, and then toe
1t off his mask-a piece of black muslil
y with holes for the eyes-when | saw b
fore me man about thirty years OF ag
l, pale as a ghost, and by no means de
t. perate-looking.
N "What is your nameP
ID The man hesitated.
is "What is your nameP" and I raist
le both the gun and my voice.
IS "George Robinson" came hesita
ii ingly from his quivering lips.