The Worthington advance., 1882-02-09
sNYsMANONDS{.

And we shal! geo what patient ages sought
Tho Giver'slong- planned gift OF Paradise.
~ @. II. Orantall.
ss'-32 isxyiDhNNDs.. '''
a 1.riio,.c: i = ,.,s..en by a L,tt,o For.
:~.>c sight Came Out all Right.
" On the BIZ of May, 1876, i arrived in
h;.. Austin, ] IexHes VT r. 'sateeh diamonds in
which MS fuiiy !$l56.o06. They had been
sent to a cerfaiii farty in New York WHO had
agreed 10 carry them TO- San Antonio, Texas,
where the purchaser, q wealthy merchant
and the Owner Of several ranches, lived
They were! intended rs present to his
only daughter Oh her birthday, the 10th Of
May; Every probable provision had been
made to get them to the Lone Star state
several 'sinys in advance of the "auspicious
occasion, which was meant be such a
memorable one in the ifoI of the dark-eyed
beauty OF the romantic old town in which
she was born and reared The first hitch
occurred III New York, Immediately after
the diamonds came into the hands Of Fred
Barrett. tho consin OF Miss Barrett, anu
who, 1t was arranged, Was TO deliver them
in person to the father. On the very day
Fred Barrett opened the wonderful gems
to feast hisi eyes on their beauty, he was
taken vioieutly i'll. AS he WAS un athletic,
vigorous man. with no bad habits, he and Lis
friends supposed he wonld DO himself in {.
brief while, but he showed no Improvement
tor several days and finally sent for he.
Tho doctor says havo bccul to mend,
but that it will .bo Impossible r,r me- to
leave my room under ten days According
TO the original plan, would have had am
pie time to reach unclc's bafora tho lOih,
but il those diamonds do not start to-mor
row they will be late for the interesting Ger
enlony and uncle would rather lose il for
suno than Miss such a pleasure, On which
lis heart il; set"
"Why not send them ny, express? It is
quite safe-thht ia as safe rs anything can
be in this worll."
II have thought 'of'all that, but tho im-
pera,ive order from uncle was TINT under no
circumstances sEoNld the diamonds 60 by
public conveyance. You know there have
been many train and stage roble:ics in the
would be too tempting n,crsel for So. G
of these gentry. The long and short oft
IS, want you TO talio charge Of ant. deliver
them to uncle yourself. Yo;rlave boe.,
over the route several times su.. knew the
country more thoroughly than ,io." 70
be brief, "ccspted the -pSopnsll and as i
stated at tho beg inning 1rencii.tl tue capital
OF Texas on the afternoon Ct the 9th ui
May, III the ccntennili 1lar : ,
/ am naturally coolanl fl irc,l ,,rro:,s-
ness, but there was cx:lls,, fur Col, ,,,e...bls:
"orrlmelt on my part. Mr. Barrett had
Ueen notified by telegraph that visitor
would reach his house ON the night Of the
10Th, which would be in time fer the party,
but when tho p:eceling evening found the
messenger in Austin, that messenger felt it
Was cutting things altogether 100 tine for
his comfort. 1t was full fifty miles from
the Iexln capital to San Antonio and the
stage which left the former city early in the
morning required the entire day 70 make
the journey. Tho limo had boon established
many years ard there were three changes
'f teams on the route. four horses AWAY
being hltched to she. heavy bus poverfns
coach, which very rarely indeed fpi'ed til
fattle INTO San Antonio carly il the even
lLg. With the late completion CT the rail-
saaa the stage company has found its occr-
patton gone.
1t would have been moro pleasant for NE
had another tyenty-fou hc ry been al n;
command, bat it was not that which canscd
SO much 1lneaSiness rs tho conviction thai
amounted to an absolute certainty that two
men were following me, Hov in the name,
Of seven wonders they learned or even sus
pected that had such valuable property in
my custody passes my comprehension.
The Utmost secrecy WIS used in New
York and the fiery carbon points wero care
fully wrapped up ia e piece Of cuainoise
shln which was rs securely fastened to q
small belt nassing around my waist, beneath
my clothing, and Which was not to he 1c-
moved until the end Of my journey was
fvacoed. person III my situaticn.is nat
uraGly suspicious, but an, Eure I Conduct
ed myself llko tho msjority Of my fellow
passengers, who were not s1:npoSeu to DO in
the possession Of aa much wealth as nv
self. lkept 9 clQse ,Watci. on them, hut OBJ
served nothing to ,causes alarm untl after
leaving st. Louis OYER the lion Mountain
Road. ! then became so we'll satisfied that
tive slnlster-l0okin2 aud we'll dressed mon
were shadoving ule that declined to re-
tire to my berth and sat up smoking most
OF the time and wide awake all the Tay tc
Texarkana. 1T that ;,iilapi!atca town ]
made tho best effort conla originate t.
throw the hounds off my trail. | thought
had succeeded TO, time, but they torued
up ut Dallas, and when registered at th,
Commercial Hotel their n,imes apneare,1
under mine.
Long before this I had fully concluded
that they had fixed on the road between
Austin and San Autonia rs tho One whore
snould part company with my diamonds
ana most probably with my life. The
chances were SO favorable on that lonely
route that they merely kept On my trail or
Eather IN my company from St. Louis to The
capital. The, situation then WIS that Iwas due
at a certain point fifty miles away and With
IN twenty-four hours, anil that two mon
were determined that my property should
never reach there.
After strcagly securing tho door Of nv
room That night'at the hotel I sat aovn to
decide what sborld be t?o1,e, for thorc
could emo pietaijng the: fact that the cri
sls was ;iS hand. Instead OF being mental
~ tired al,a worn out from the continual
slrnln to which had been subjected, nev-
or was more prepared for Intense though!
IN all my life. I tipped my chair against
tos door, sitting with my hand on my load
ca revolver, iii which oSilion I know it
wonld be impossible to surprise me, and
sun thinking and turning oyer al! sorts Of
plans, hlially drHrnett asleep and did no:
open my eyos until daylight. However,
when l reused up and looked around mo
or It would take lie ti:ronSl OF not remain
cd to ba aeon, but did not hns1:;ts to fol-
low the line had laid ont for ms:elf.
lhe next morning vt1s,, tEla stage with
the four vigorous .horscs h .lte,l in front Of
the hotel, the landlord went ont and it,l,;
the arlTcE that l who E:,! engaged 4 seat
on the outside WAS SO i'll 1 youI;, not b.
able to go with them for Several DAYS. ]
was stealthily watching proceedings from
the upper window, and, when the hcavy
vehicle numbered off, it took with it the
Two men who were fo!iow;n; n,o for the
purpose ct robbory lily beieiasas that
they Eoulh lAave the stage, at me point on
the road andsweit until i .br3r ght NE along.
when the ROBBERY would take place. There
wore quite number of rasscns ora ana
had meditat5d taking several of theza into
my confidence. but as they were strangers,
perhaps it was we'll that refrained.
An hour later sauntered down Aus,in
avenue and came upon an open wagon. in
which farmer was climbing, as if about to
start homeward. As he gathered lines in
hand asked him where he lived.
AT New Brarnfels- long ways from
hop - ho