The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-09-25

sheet is in folds, The operator then
goes to the opposite side of the bed,
and with delicate use of the feather
he soon has the sleeper over the folded
portion and the delicate trick accom-
plished.
A very good illustration of the conf
dence which the hillmen have in their
ability to do their work quietly, oc-
CARED some years ago. One OF the
highest military officials. whose name
is well known along the western side OF
India and who should have been very
prominent person in the late war was
promoted on account of excellent serv-
ices to an important post "down coun-
try" A night or two before his de-
parture, and after all his goods had
been packed up, he and his wife were
awakened from their sleep by noise
in their bedroom. Before them were
several men coolly removing their
boxes. The officer, with perhaps more
courage than prudence. at once made
an attempt to defend his property, but
this quickly induced one of the robbers to
fire a pistol at him, with fortunately
badly directed aim. They knew that
the report would arouse the neighbor-
hood and that further chance for that
night was gone, and accordingly they
took to fight. Subsequent inquiries
showed that the robbery had been de-
liberately planned and that many were
engaged in it. Men were placed at
short distances from each other a con-
siderable way along the road leading to
the country, to hand the boxes one to
the other. The men who entered the
bedroom had the hardihood to light a
candle and the cunning to shade its
light from the eyes of the sleepers by
keeping the lady's parasol, which they
had opened for the purpose, between
them and it. 1t was found that some
of the officers servants had hand in
the attempt to rob him, and one or two
were punished; but their accomplices
were never caught.
I have only to allude to the way in
which the hillmen try to get possession
of firearms. There is nothing they prize
so highly as the British soldiers rifle
and some rounds of ammunition. Every
precaution is taken to secure the rifles,
but during the time was in the station
many were stolen. An order was given
commanding every soldier to place his
rifle under his cotton mattress and sleep
upon it. Still the rifles were lost. There
was a suspicion that some of the sol
diers sold them, and accordingly strong
presses were placed in the barrack-
rooms. in which the rifles were lodged
every night; but still now and then
rifles were missing. The hillmen, find
ing that their chance in the barrack-
rooms had gone, turned their attention
to the guard-rooms. The guard con.
sisted of a sergeant and twelve men al
least. Each man had his rifle. and every
sentry had his rife loaded. The thieves
easily managed to escape the notice Of
the sentry in dark night, and slip in
to the guard-room, and there they gen.
orally succeeded In finding at least one
rifle handy and made off with it. If the
sentry discovered what was going on,
he was unwilling to fire, because if he
sent bullet through one of the rob.
bers, he was tried by a general court.
martial. Though "honorably acquitted
was always the finding, the trial never
theless brought a great amount OF
trouble to him--a fact of which the
thieves were doubtless aware Cham
bers' Journal.