Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-02-17

He sees bevond the good an night
The evil and the wrong
Heavens cup of joy he'll surely spill
Unless l with him be,
For never trouble trouble Till
Trouble troubles me.
-Norristoun Herald.
RESCUED BY LUCK.
In the fall of 1866 | W; rs employ
ed as clerk in a gener al store al
a cross roads In sOuther Indiana.
The store, church and black
smith shop, with two residences,
made up the buildings and the
families of the merchan and the
blacksmith were the onl. residents.
The coantry about was ihlckly set
tied up, however, and the trade was
always good. Before th e merchant
engaged me be annouD ced that l
would have to sleep in he store O
nights, and that unless | had pluck
enough to defend the pl' ace against
marauders he did not rant me at
any price. he showed me a shot
gun, a revolver, and a prlng gun,
which we're used, or on hand to be
used. to defend the pl ace, and the
windows were protectt d with stout
blinds, and the door by double
locks. the close of the war had
drifted a bad populP .tion into In
diana. The highways we're full OF
tramps, and there were hundreds
OF men who had dete rmlned to make
living by some ot'ler means than
labor. Several attempts had been
made to rob the st ore, and it had
come to that pass. that no clerk
wanted to sleep tn ere alone.
The merchant seemed satisfied
with the answers l gave him and
on a certain Mo nday morning l
went to work. That same night a
store about four miles away was
broken into and ;he clerk seriously
wounded. Two nights later three
horses we're stolen in our neighbor'
hood. At the end of the week a
farmer who was on his way home
from our store was robbed on the
highway. II l had not been a
light sleeper from habit these oc'
: currences would have tended 20
prevent too lengthy dreams as l
lay in my little bedroom at the
front of the second story. The re-
volver was always placed under my
pillow and the shotgun stood with
in reach. The spring gun was set
! about mid way of the lower hoor.--
It was a double barreled shotgun,
each barrel containing big charge
of buckshOt, and the man who kick
ed the string and discharged the
weapon would never know what
. hurt him.
: It did not seem possible that any
: one could break into the store with
out arousing me. There was no
door to my room, and after the
people in the neighborhood had
gone to bed / could hear the slight
est noise in the store. l had look
}. ed the place over for weak spot
and had failed to ind it, but my
own confidence came near proving
= my destI uction. IshOuld have told
you, in describing the store, thai
- Just over the spot where we set thu
I'd spring Gun was an opening through
M which we hoisted and lowered sucl
IN goods as we're stored for time oT
r the second floor. When not in us'
q this opening was covered by tral
y, door. Toward evening, on tn
ng tenth day of my clerkship, l hoist
70 ed up lot of pals and tubs, an
a., as had just finished when trade bt
sss came so brisk that | was called I
walt upon customers. Later on
saw that / had left the trap doc
open, and I said to myself th at
would let it go until | went to be'
O, The store had the only burt,l'
proof safe for miles around, and
was customary for the farmer wi
" had 800 or so to leave it with u
q He received an envelope in whlt
er, to inclose it, and he could take OF
and put in as he liked. On tn
- evening four or FIVE farmers can
IN in to deposit, and, as ''tterwal
figured up, we had abost 81 300
the safe.
There were two strange faces
the crowd that evening, One L
Old old longed to a roughly dressed, e'
aer. eyed man, who annourlod klms'
aIt! lHg as a drover, and the o'ih'r to pr
9 in fessional tramp. I g'lvethe latt
'9'' a niece of tobacco an d some crac
tom ers and cheese and he Son we
away, and we we're so b'sy up
a. 0 o'clock that / did notgive I
drOyer much atten uOn. When
came to shut up The stoB he III
gone from my mind altogether.
(. or We cOupted up tie cash, mde sol
a OF 80, tAo a hnoE Ql6 IL ~