The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-01-19
THE HUNT on THE HIGHWAY

A AltlltItl ttHN Nl ltl' F1lAti AL'
For ayea- Of the Age Of Gold
THE HUNT ON THE HIGHWAY.
There was q shrewd robbel
. somewhere. The farm houses were
robbed shops were robbed the
tills at the bars of the }7ayside inns
were robbed and the people had
there pockets picked. Al of this
happened in the region Of country
/ between Sidney and Lowst0ne-not
a field of vast extent-and vet the
robber or robbers could not be
found. Officers had searched in
every direction, and several suspi-
cious looking individuals had been
apprehcnded but the real culprit
remained at large. One day the
mail was robbed, and on the next q
man had his pocket picked of five
hundred pounds, while riding in the
stage coach :. for my narrative dates
back to the old coaching days. The
money had been carriedin his breast
pocket, and he knew thatit had been
stolen from him while Ac was en-
loving q doze on the rode
had been confined 10 mE house
by q severe cold for several days,
and was not fit to 20 out now but.
rs this matter was becoming serious.
1 felt it my duty to beoa tie move.
and accordingly ] iortiiolmy throat
and breast with warm flannel and
set forth. 1 had no settled plan in
my mind, for l had not yet been
upon the road, and was not thor
.uughly posted up. 4 ride of five
miles brought me to Sidney, and
thence ! meant to take a coach 10
.Lowstone, where sam Stickncv, one
of the shrewdest men. lived. Stick
ney had already been on the search,
and / wanted to consult him before
making any decided movement. l
reached Sidney at halEpast five in
the morning. and the coach left at
SIX. LoWstone was sixty miles dis
tant. 80 l had a good ride before me.
During the early part OF. the day /
rode upon the box with the driver,
and from him | gained considerable
information touching on the various
robberics that had been committed.
He was forced TO admit that several
people had been robbed in his stage
though he declared he couldn't see
into il. for he had not the remotest
idea even Of whom the rObber could
be.
We reached Bonniyille at noon.
where we stopped to dine, and when
We left this place. / WAS the only
passenger. At the distance of twelve
miles. at q little village called Haw-
thorne. we stopped tochange horses.
and here another passenger got up.
/ had been occupying the forward
seat.as that happened TO bewider than
the Others and gave me a better OPP
portunity for living down, and when
the newcomer entered he took the
back seat. He was q Young man. /
Judged. and not very tall IN stature,
but So completely was he bundled
up ia shaWIs and muiiicrS. that his
SIZE of frame was not easily deter
mined. He was very pale. and cough
ed badly and I at once made up
my mind that De was tlr Jess fit t1
travel than ] was. After we bad g01
fairly on our wav. I remarked %
him that ] bad been suffering from
a severe cold. and that this wa- tAe
first time bad ventDrCl ont ior
quite a number 0f lavs. He looked
90 me ont of g pair of dark bright
eves and when heseCmeI 90 have.
determined what manner of man j
was he said
Il have -omethiuZ worse thau .
cold. sir lie broke into ht oi
coughing. which ilsted minute ~
s.. and theu added won't be q
great while before ] shall take nay
last ride.
Again De was seized with q spasm
Of coughing. and when Dc had r.
covered from it. De C5uiinued, the
disease j. eating me up and shaking
me t1 piece-. Uo further informed
me that he had started ou tour iU
his health. and bad given it up. and
was now on his way home, which
place he was anxious % reach -
soon a. possible, Another paroxism
siezed him at this point. and he ln-
timated that he was unable to CON
verse. as the effort brought on his
cough. hadnoticed this, and had
made up nay mind 10 trouble him no
more. even before he had given me the.
hint.
After this. he drew bis outer shawl
about MS neck and face ne closed
his ewes. and | was not long in tol-
lowing his example Toward the
middle of the forenoon the coach
stopped ata small village, while we
changed horses again. and where
four passengers got up. Tins broke
up the arrangements OF myself ana
friend for rest. as he had 10 take one
of the strangers on his seat and
took another upon mine. The new
comers soon broache,i-the subject Of
rol,heries. and / listened to gam n
formation. if possible but they
knew no more than anyone else
knew. They had heard ali about il,
-...... a.ia+lsl r.ith r-nrdar