Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-04-16
tering, ! had improvised q barricade
that promised to resist ell attacks made

terlng, ! had improvised barricada
that promised to resist all attacks made
against it. t. ..-'. IA
The prolonged defense I was making
1ncensed and exasperated the fellows
Ito such q degree that they poured
forth threats Of vengeance upon me-
Their patience became exhausted az
last, and q pistol-shot which prazed
my cheek warned me of the danger of
my long remaining in that position. It
had been fred through the panel of the
door. 81, e. = - 4~' - y =
i rushed to the window andggazeas
ont upon thelawn below. The distance
+ was great, and it seemed to me that.
while torture awaited me if captured by
the robbers, there was certain death in
What should I dop The distance to
Uncle Toby's house was five miles,
which the pigeon must have covered by
! this time. But suppose the bind should.
not be- discoyered2 Suppose Uncle
Toby had gone to. his room for the
might, and my message should not be
seenI and read before morning2 The
very thought was so agonizing to me-.
that I refused to entertain it.
81 AL this time the fellows were work
ing at the door. The bolt was forced,
and slowly but surely the barricade was
yielding to, the power outside I saw a
masked face peep through the opening
thus made, and the glimmer of the dark
lantern from outside. could remain
no longer. Death itself seemed prefer
able to the uncertainty of my fate at
the hands of these desperate fellows.
l rushed to the window, and, without
hesitation, I jumped. It seemed to me
ITO be a lifetime before I struck the
ground, and when I did, I rolled over
upon the grass temporarily paralyzed
from the shock I had received. When
! attempted to rise, the grip of an iron
hand pressed my throat, and I felt the
cold steel. OF a pistol as it was pressed
against my temple. 49,
70 resist meant death. The house
Yves surrounded. I held my peace while
the robber proceeded. to bind me; for
whenever displayed any restlessness
that cold steel was pressed against my
head. The only struggle I made was
when he attempted to insert a gag in
my mouth; but I had to submit, for
l received blow from the butt of the
fellows pistol that multiplied the stars
that I saw in the heavens hundred
fold. : 81 S5.F-E ! :. ~ :
Completely discouraged, gave my
self up in despair. resisted no long
er, closing my eyes to shut out, as il
were, the gloomy prospect before me.
Somewhat surprised at the prolonged
delay of the robber in perfecting my
pinioning,I opened my eyes.
Uncle Toby stood over me. Stretched
upon the grass by my side was the fel.
low who had secured me, a gaping
wound in the head afording an explain
alton of the sudden ending of his at
tempt upon my liberty. :. 49,.
A dozen determined and well.armed
men were with him. The masked rob-
beers at first showed disposition to re.
sist; but On reflection, seeing the hope
lessness of such an attempt, they sur
rendered Internationally. At the
next term of the court they were each
sentenced to fifteen years. imprison-
ment.
Uncle Toby was making his final
rounds of his grounds on the night in
question, when the rustling OF birds
wing attracted his attention. It en-
tered the pigeon.cote. Unable to con-
troll his curiosity, and anxious to ascer-
tain the cause of such peculiar pro-
ceeding, he procured ladder, assembled
to the cote, and there, to his surprise,
he found that the carrier-pigeon had
already returned, and with o message.
He read it, summoned his neighbors,
and arrived just in time to bag the fell
lows.
The old bird is dead now, but while
it lived there was not money enough in
our town to buy it from me. -> ,