Frostburg mining journal., 1889-12-14
HE BEGGED FOR MERCY
A WITNESS STORY,


Seth Damon, of Acton, instituted IN
action at law against Gabriel Butter
worth, of the same town, for the re-
covery of thirty thousand dollars, of
which he claimed that said Butter
worth had dcfrauded him. The circum
stances We're these;
Butterworth owned and kept the
principal store in Acton, and though
he had never been regarded as an eX-
emplary gentleman, his honor in bust
ness had not been impugned. Those
who had the faculty of looking upon
the undercurrents of human actions
decided that he was man rot bound
by honor, but who understood the laws
of selfintorest too well to be guilty of
small mcanncsses in business. What he
was capable of doing on a grand scale
was not mootcd until the occurrence of
which / am about to speak.
Seth Damon had removed from Ed
son to Acton in the fall, aud had pur
chased the iron works. Shortly after
concluding the purchase he had pay
ment Of thirty thousand dollars to
make, and late on a Saturday after
noon he arrived from New York with
the money-part of il in bank notes
and part Of it i'll gold When he arrived
he found that the parties to whom the
money was to be paid had left town,
| and would not return till Monday. Mr..
Butterworth had the only reliable
safcty-yault in town, and to Mr., But
| tcrworlh Damon took the thirty thou
sand dollars, asking permission to lodge
it ia his vault over the Sabbath, which
permission was readily and cheorguIiy
granted.
During Sunday night the people of
| the village were aroused b. the alarm
| of fire: and upon starting out il was
| found that the alarm came from Rut-
! torworth's store, but Mr.. Butterworth
had been active. He had discovered
the fire in season, and. with the assist
ance of his boys. had put it out before
much damage had been done Upon
looking over the premises it was found
that the fire had not only been the ey-
ident work of an incendiary, but that
it had been set in several different
| places.
How fortunate" said the owner,
that [ discovered it iii season."
But very soon another discovery was
made. The safoty-vault had been pro
ken open, and every dollar it had con
tanned stolen away. Here was alarm
and CONSERVATION. Gabriel Butter
worth seemed fl TO 90 crazy.
For myself ! care Eot," he cried.
"a few hundreds were all [ had in
there; but my friend had great
sum"
Immediate search for the robbcr, OF
robbers, was instituted, and word Mas
sent far and rear to al Shcriffs anl
their deputies, and to the police Of the
cities.
Now it had so happened that on
that very Sunday evening - or,
| may say, SUNDAY night, for
it was near midnight I, John Wat
son, had been returning from my
brothers., in Dunstable. had left my
hired team at the stable, and on my
way to my boarding-housc | passed the
store of Mr.. Buttcrworth. In the
| back yard of the store was horse
trough, and, being thirsty, ! stepped
around thai way 70 get n draught of
water. AS ! stopped to drink at HE
spout of the fountain | saw II CLEAN oi
| light through a crcYicc IN the shutters
| of owe Of the store windows. Curiosity
! impcllcd me TO go and p"or through
for wondered WHO conid be i'll there
a that hour of Sunday nigh. I h.
creyicc was quite large, made by a
wearing away of the edges OF the
shlttgrS where tn Y had been caught
by III, hooks that held them lack
when oIen, AID Thought il | looked
into the store. | looked upon the
wall within which the safcty-vault was
built; and saw the vault open, and
saw Gabriel Butterworth ut work
therein. | saw him put large packages
| into his breast pockct, and saw him
| bring ont Two or three small canvas
bags, aud se5 them uion the floor by
| th" door that opened toward his dwell
ing. AS | saw him approaching this
| outer door a second time | thought hC
might come out, and | went away. Il
| was an hour afterW ard that heard tho
alarm OF fire. And it was not untiI the
following morning that | heard Of III,
robbery Of the safe.
was placed in a critical position
but had duty to perform. | went
to Mr.. Damon, and told him what
| had seen; and also gave him liberty tt
| call upon ne for my testimony in pub
lie when he should need it. Until
should be so called upon / was to hoiC
my silence.
While the officers where hunting
hither and thither, Mr.. Damon kept /;
strict watch upon the movements
Mr.. Buttcrworth, and at length de-
tccted him in the act of depositing n
large sum of money in bank in Buf-
| falo. His action Immediately follow cd
| and Butterworth WAS arrested.
This was the way matters stood
when / was summoned to appear before
the Grand jury at Wiltonburg. Invent
there i'll company with Mr.. Damon,
and secured lodgings at the Sabine
House. 1t was q small inn, well aud
comfortably kept, and frequented by
patrons of moderate means. There
were two public houses Of more fash
ionable pretensions in the place
1t was on the afternoon of Monday,
&e l4th day Of February, that toob