Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-03-30

"Why, right about here" said he,
"there's been awful murder done and no
end of robbery. Why, onc't Twas a-goin'
along here with lot of sheep an cattle
| for the Frederick market, an it was Just
at dark, an heerd the awfulest yell We
ever heerd; an rode back as fast as I
could quarter of mile or SO whar the
sound seemed to come from, and thar lay
a man right ON the road, butchered-
butchered, an
ooh, stop, pray" cried Madame Fair
field. 81 don't wish these young people
| terrified by such dreadful Stories"
But ere she had finished her sentence
Oliver leaned from the opposite window
of the coach--to see if we were pursued
by ghost, he afterwards acknowledged
when. to his amazement, he saw man
cutting the straps which held the trunks.
He uttered sudden cry of alarm.
sob, mamma, there's robber behind
us p
Whip the horses, Pompey-whip,
whip p ordered Madame Fairfield, lean
ing forward and growing white with
terror
The horses sprang forward with
great bounds, but with the first leap
the trunks rolled heavily to the ground,
while the sharp crack of a pistol rang
ON the air, and at the same instant a
ball whizzed by my ear and buried
itself in the cushion behind me, against
which moment before I had been
leaning. 1t was parting salute
from our friend, no doubt meant for old
Pompev, but falling below the mark.
The horses galloped furiously on, and,
after moment, Pompey, looking back,
said reassuringly to us poor women
crouching in the bottom of the coach
half dead with fear:
"Don't be scared, ladies. Dem poh
sinners is busy wild your trunks Dey's
done give us up, suah.
After little, he chuckled:
"Dey's done missed gettin' missus's
silver. Here it am, all safe under dis
chile's feet
In half an hour, though it seemed an
endless time to us, we were at the half
way house, and received every possible
kindness and attention, but we did not
resume our journey till the next day, and
then with well armed man on the seat
with Pompey. Meanwhile, the alarm
had spread, and dozen men were in
pursuit Of the robbers. Our broken and
rihed trunks were found by the road
side where they fell Madame Fairfeld's
costly iewelry and velvets were gone,
Miss Cecilia's laces and jewels also,
while my poor possessions were sighted,
excepting beautiful cashmere shawl.
which was my mothers, but which she
had lovingly insisted on adding to my
wardrobe. I had also, like any school
girl, put my purse with its precious con-
tents into my trunk, and that of course
| was taken.
There is just little sequel to my
story. About two months after my ar
rival at Cressonburg, one day an officer
| appeared at Madame Fairfeld's and re-
quested us to go over to the court house
and help identify a man who had been
arrested, and who was supposed to be
the highwayman who had attacked us.
Cecilia and turned pale at the thought,
for he had haunted our dreams ever
since; but Madame Fairfield thought
| best for us all to go, and so we drove
over and went timidly over the long
flight of steps and into the great bare
court room. There was to be an inform
al examination of the prisoner, and as
we entered, we saw a group of men
gathered about a wretched, haggard
looking man, heavily handcuffed, and
sitting In a corner of the room, with an
officer in close attendance
We drew nearer and looked at the man
in sort of terrified fascination. Yes. it
was the same Que who bad stood so near
me on that memorable evening. There
was no mistaking him, but assurance
was made doubly sure when l looked
| down at his manacled hands and saw.
with cold chill of horror, that sickening
long red scar. He was too stolid and
hardened to show the slightest recogni-
ton of us; but months afterward, when
he was serving out his sentence in the
states prison, he confessed that he had
been proving around Frederick, and had
been In the silversmith's when Madame
Fairfield made her purchases. He had
then followed her home, and ascertained
in various ways who she was and when
she would start on her homeward Jour-
ney. He and his accomplice had hoped
to take off the trunks unobserved from
the back Of our coach, and so become
possessors OF the silver. The plan was
evidently for him to engage us in such
interesting conversation that we would
take no notice of affairs behind us. II
was only when this device failed that he
resorted to his pistol and came so near
adding my innocent blood to the other
crime of that red-scarred hand.
Penelope's story was received with
great appreciation, and now she turned
gracefully toward the Quaker lady, and
unconsciously adopting the plain Ian
guage, said:
CHOW. friend Wise, tell us thy robbie,
story"
Then the gentle old lady cast down her
eyes little deprecatingly, and said:
"Why, Penelope, if thee means the
little incident which once mentioned to
thee as having befallen me on this road
over which we are now going, it seems
hardly worth repeating.
But, being strongly urged, she began:
FRIEND JAMES wIsEs STORY.
cit befel me on this road over which
we are lourneying with so much security.