Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-05-05
RESCUED BY LUCK.

clerk in q general store at cross loads in
southern Indiana. The store, a church
and blacksmith shop, with two resi-
dences, made up the buildings, and the
families of the merchant and the black
smith were the only residents. The coun-
try about was thickly settled up, how
ever, and trade was always good. Before
the merchant engaged me he announced
that would have to sleep in the store o.
nights, and that unless l had pluck
enough to defend the place against ma
rauders he did not want me at any price.
He showed me a shotgun, n revolver, and
a spring gun, which were used, or on
hand to be used. to defend the place, and
the windows were protected with stout
blinds, and the doors by double locks. The
close of the war had drifted bad popula-
ton into Indiana. The highways were
full Of tramps, and there were hundreds of
men who had determined to make living
by some other means than labor. Sew
eral attempts had been made to rob the
store, and it had come to that pass that no
clerk wanted to sleep there alone.
The merchant seemed satisfied with the
answers gave him, and on o certain
Monday morning l went to work. That
same night store about four miles away
was broken into and robbed and the clerk
seriously wounded. Two nights later
three horses were 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. If had not
been light sleeper from habit these &C.
currences would have tended to prevent
too lengthy dreams as I lay In my little
bedroom at the front of the second story.
The revolver was always placed under
my pillow and the shotgun stood within
reach. The spring gun was set about
midway of the lower floor. 1t was .
double barreled shotgun, each barrel con-
tanning big charge of buckshot, and the
man who kicked the string and discharged
the weapon would never know what hurt
him. ...
1t did not seem possible that any one
could break into the store without arous-
ing me. There was no door, to my room,
and after the people in the neighborhood
had gone to bed 1 could hear the slightest
noise in the store. had looked the place
over for weak spot, and had failed to
find it, but my own confidence came near
proving my destruction. should have
told you, in describing the store, that just
over the spot where we set the spring gun
was an opening through which we hoisted
and lowered such goods as were stored for
Il time on the second floor. When not in
use this opening was covered by trap
door, Toward evening, on the tenth day
of my clerkship, hoisted up u lot of pals
and tubs, and had just finished when trade
became SO brisk that was called to wait
upon customers. Later on l saw that l
had left the trap door open, and L said to
myself that would let it go until went
%oh oI rba or ho1 hn nnIU hnrfylat
proof safe for miles around, and it was
customary for the farmer who had 800
or so to leave it with us. He received an
envelope in which to inclose it, and he
could take out and put in rs he liked. On
this evening four or five farmers came in
to deposit, and, as afterwa-d figured up,
we had about 81 500 in the safe.
There were two strnnge faces In the
crowd that evening. One belonged to o
roughly dressed, evil eyed I4aanv WHO an-
nounced himself as drover, and the
other to professional tramp. gave the
latter piece of tobacco and some crackers
and cheese and he soon went away, and
we were so busy up to o'clock that did
not give the drover much attention.
When we came to shut up the store he
had gone from my mind altogether. We
counted up the cash, made some charges
in the day book, and it was about 10
O'Clock when the merchant left. / was
tired out, and took candle and made
the circuit of the store, set the spring gun
and went to bed. / had to pass within
six feet of the trap door as | went to my
room, but did not see it. 1t was rather
chilly night in October, and we had no
fires yet, and as got under the blankets
the warmth was so gr,.~efUl that / soon
fell asleep 1t was the first night had
gone to bed without thinking of robbers
and wondering how l should act in case
they came in. / did not know when fell
asleep. suddenly found myself half up
right in bed, and there was an echo In the
store, as if the fall of something had
aroused me. 1t was o'clock, and had
been asleep almost three hours. Leaning
on my elbow, / strained my ears to
catch the slightest sound, and after a
minute heard movement down stairs.
While / could not say what 1t was, n sort
of instinct told me that it was made by
some human being.
Everything on the street was as silent
as the grave. My window curtain was
up, and l could see that the sky had
thickened up and was very black. / did
not wait for the noise to be repeated. /
was Just as sure that some one was in the
store as If / had already seen him, and
crept softly out of bed, drew on my
trousers, and moved out into the big
room, having the revolver in my hand.
There was no door at the head Of the
stairs. intended to go there and listen
down the stairway. AS was moving across
the room, which was then pretty clear of
goods as far as the trap door, suddenly
recollected this opening and changed my
course to reach it. 1t was terribly dark
in the room, and one unfamiliar with the
place would not have dared to move a
foot. Half way to the trap got down on
my hands and knees and as reached the
opening, settled down on my stomach.
There was dim light down stairs That
settled the fact that some one was in the
store. After a minute heard whispers,
then the movement Of feet, then a certain
sound which located the intruders to a
foot drew myself forward and looked
down the opening. I could see a lighted
candle and two or three dark figures at
the safe, and / could hear the combina-
ton being worked. Ny first thought was
to drop my hand down and open fire In
their direction, but remembered that we
had so many articles hanging up that no
bullet had a chance of reaching to the
safe. / was wondering what 10 90 wnen
heard one of the men whisper:
sTt's all id nonsense. We might
work here week and not hit 1t"
''But told you to bring the tools and
you wouldn't" protested another.
"Oh, dry ups'' put in q third voice.
eWhat we want to do is to go up and
bring that counterhopper down and make
him open the box"
sI'Il give the cussed thing few more
trials, said the first man, and heard
| him working away again. My eyes could
not have told me the number of robbers,
| but my ears had. There were three OF
them, and they were no doubt desperate
| and determined men, They spoke OF
bringing me down to open the safe as IL
| no resistance was anticipated or taken
into account. Indeed, they might well
reason that they had me at their mercy.
The rain was now falling, the night was
! very dark, and pistol shot in the store
| could not have been heard In either of the
| dwellings. If they had reflected that
might be armed, they would have offset
/ it with the fact that was a boy Of IS,