Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1886-08-27
THE BE NDERS.
A rEDDLEn's ADVENTURE IN KANsAa

PEDDLERS ADVENTURE IN KANsAg.
II have been pack peddlcr for moro
than twenty years." said the old man, rs
he whitfield away Mt his pipe to get it
alight, land you may suppose have met
with some stirring adventures. 1 have
travelled great deal in Missouri, Kan
sas, Nebraska, and Minnesota, and for
weeks and months have been on tho
alert, not only to preserve the contents
OF my pack, but to defend my life. My
inc Of trade has been Yankee notions.
with jewelry added. have had with
me at one time as much as So, 900 worth
OF gold and silver watches, car rings,
finger rings, &c. have sat on a log
beside highway in Kansas and sold
S400 worth of stock to three or four
men, and 1 have disposed of $50 worth
of ladies' jcwelry at pioneer cabin
which had neither floors nor partitions.
"On two different occasions atc din.
ncr at the cabin of old Bender, the Kan
sas ficnd. On the first occasion the old
man was away, and saw only two wo-
men about the place. Six months later,
when 1 called again, it was about ii
o'clock in the forenoon. Then Isaw old
Bender for the first time. have heard
him described Us a plcasant-faced old
man whom no ono would suspect, but 1
tel you the very first look Mt him put
me on my guard. For the first time in q
year felt that my life was in danger.
The same two slatternly women were
about tho house, and there was q young
man whom took to be old Bendcr's
son. This young man disappeared soon
after arrived, but whether he hid in
the house or rode off across the prairie I
never knew. Bender's women purchased
about So worth of notions, and the old
man dickered with me for an hour over
n gold watch. 1t seems he had but a
small stock of cash, but he offered mo
personal property in exchange He had
three or four silver watches, all of which
had been carried, two or three revolvers,
two bosom pins, made of Jumps of pure
gold, aud three or four pairs of valuable
cuff buttons. We had nearly effected
nm exchange when he suddenly decided
to leave the matter open until after din
ner.
Months afterward, when the discov-
cries of his crimes came out, I thought
the matter over and could remember
just how nicely he played me. Without
seeming to intcrrogate me for inforina-
tion, he asked how long trip I had
made, what success had met with, who
was, where lived, and whom I knew
in that locality. The old murderer was
figuring up tho chances of my beng
missed in case he put an end to me, and
he had curiosity to know beforehand
what the harvest would be. While I
told you that did not like his looks,
and that I had creeping feeling in his
presence, had no idea of an attempt to
murder by daylight and in the manner
he was planning for. had n trusty re-
volver and I had the courage to defend
myself. Had I met him out on the
prairie, or had we been jogging together
along some lonely highway, should
have been prepared to pull my pistol at
his first movement.
'Dinner was announced soon after 10
o'clock. took my pack with me into
the dining room, where found the ta-
BILE set for one. There were three rooms
in tho house. The front room was n
general sitting room and Office com
bined. Bender kept a sort of tavern,
you know, and travellers had this front
room. The next room back was the din
ing room and family room combined.
There was bedroom leading off. On
the walls of this family room were few
old-fashioned prints in d-fashioncd
frames, shelf on which stood n clock,
and few scant evidences of womcn's
presence. The back room was the
kitchen.
"Ihad my eyes wide open when en-