The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-07-24
A CAVE IN THE WOODS.
A NEATLY CONSTRUCTED DWELLING
WITHOUT A TENANT.

WITHOUT A TENANT.
A Cave That Was Probably the aaSat
OF a Sneak Observation-Disclosures fAa< Show
the Builder to Have Been y sknifai
Mechanic Contents Of the Hut.
Saxton's swamp has its head in the
woods between Islip and Brentwood
Whortleberries are plentiful in the vicin'
ity George l., Benjamin and Alexan-
der Combs We're roaming carelessly
about in the vicinity and made discov-
cry that interested the town not little.
They saw smoke curling up as If out of
the ground and began an investigation.
They found q fire and kettle over IT In
which beans, potatoes and chicken were
simmering. There was no one visible in
the vicinity.
The boys went to Bay Shore and spread
the news, and score or more Of men
went to the woods to see the surprising
sight. They concluded in advance that
the swamp was thieves den and some
Of the men carried guns, others revolvers
and few hayforks. They found she
simmering pot and the ere almost cut
For the fun of the thing the men began
playing robber, and several shots were
fred as part Of the pantomime They had
reason to conclude later that this was a
mistake, for 1t served as signal 10 the
occupant of cave in the woods to make
himself scarce. A man with a pitch
fork kept jabbing it into the earth and
detected hollow spot.
A little digging threw large sheet
iron tray up from under the leaves and
left exposed hole about two feet square.
1t had wooden sides leveled SO that the
tray set in snugly Over the tray were
leaves, grass and brush, in keeping with
the surroundings, Through hole ip
the tray WAS run a piece Of telegraph
wire, and at each end of the wire was
fastened nicely rounded stiSk whieh
served as handle to lift up the tray ON
the outside and pull it down on the in
side. The hole in the earth was four
feet deep and eight feet long under the
ground. forming an alleyway.
CONTENTS OF THE CAVE.
The earth had been carefully out out
and must have been carted away, as no
evidence of it could be found in the
vicinity. There could not have been less
than several wagon loads Of it. At the
end of the alleyway there was depres-
sion of two feet, running distance of
six feet and being five feet wide. The
roof was six feet high, This was the
bedroom. 1t had a bunk on each side
filled with leaves and grass and both had
been slept in. The walls were lined with
logs, and the ceiling, so to speak, was
covered with muslin.
There We're two closets and several
brackets and fireplace at one end, with
capped pipe running up to the top,
which could be raised for use and lower
ed at will. to prevent detection. Five
tin gutter pipes were so arranged as to
admit light and air and enable the &C.
cupant to observe what was going on
about him in the woods. On one side OF
the passage post was driven down and
into it staple had been bolted, to which
| was attached trace chain. 1t was q
mystery what use could have been made
of this, and the belief is that it was used
to keep some person a prisoner at some
time.
The cavern had undoubtedly been in
habited up to within fe W hours, and il
| the men who went out to see sight &C
not made fools Of themselves instead Of
! watching the hole in the ground they
would undoubtedly have discovered TIT
tenant Of the queer abode and perhaps
made an important discovery.
| A tub in the farthest west corner o.
the cavern contained salt pork, and SLICED
chicken meat had been put into the brine
to pickle. A silver spoon was feun(
marked "The Austral" It was prob
ably stolen from the Austral hotel, a
Brentwood. Among other things were 1
muslin shirt, flannel shirt and pail
of lawn tennis shoes, which are supposed
| to be the ones stolen from Mr. William
| NJ Van Anden's house.
EVIDENCES OF ROBBERY.
No evidence was found that the cav
dweller committed the robbery in tn
house of Mr.. Glib. A copy of the Ba.
Shore Journal was pinned up against tn
wall with a mark drawn around an ad
vertisement Offering $3.50 rewardsfor tn
arrest of the butcher who killed John Fl
Wallis COW and carried away part o
the meat Fastened to the paper was
] slip giving an account of the robbery II
Mr.. Van Anden's house. Copies of cit,
papers were strewn about The cave, i
could be seen, had been occupied for
considerable time. 1t was constructed
by good mechanic.
1t may be interesting to state that 500,
after Mr.. Walls COW had been killed by
thief. who was in need Of meat, a ho
was killed in pen on the premises of Mr.
Marvin and the ba;aS carried away. /
few nights E,ter dozen chickens wer
stolen from Justice Clock The thief Gu
their heads of and threw them on tn
justices back stu0p.
a colored man known Us Long Steve,
otherwise Stephen Green. was arreste
for stealing Mr. Marvin's hog and Incl
4 dentally he was suspected of committing
the other crimes. Theproof against hin
did not positively establish his guilt, al
though boy who lived with him accuses
him, but he had SO bad a reputation tina
Justice Clock came to the conclusion tina
the public welfare required him to be in
generated, and he was committed to tn
county Jail at Riverhead.
Notwithstanding there have been N
robberies since Green was deprived o
his libertya circumstance which wa
thought pretty clearly to establish hi
guilt-the people are now wondering
whether. after all, the dweller in the cav
was not the real culprit. He was no
Green, that is ertain.-Brooklyn Eagle
Answered.