The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-14
GOOD STORIES OF THE PRESENT DAP.
How sss,o00 Got Ont OF . Barrel and y
Robber Got In.
Copyright. 1892. 6p chnr's .. Ls,rtA

| oSut9h. 1892. bp char's D Ls,ctA
| My Uncle Ben was singular man-so sim
| gular that In this day and age everybody would
| have called him crank Of the hrst grade. In
the first place. he never married: In the next.
| he built himself house which went by the
| name Of "the jail:' again. he sold lot OF land
| for $4,000 and kept every dollar OF the money
| In the house for years: lastly. was the only
relative or other person no would admit to the
house or trust with a dollar.
Invent to live with Uncle Bon when was Is
| years old. He was then man Of 10. and not
over we'll. don't know how he and father
| fixed 1t up but went to "the jail" as sort OF
| assistant to the old man. I don't know hut
was also q companion. though thore were
| days at n time when he did not speak to mo.
He lived in the oil district Of Pennsylvania.
| and the land he sold went to men In the oil
business. Mostly with his own hands Uncle
Ben built the solid stone house In which he
kept the big treasure. 1t was one-story
house. with walls over two feet thick.
There were IRON bars and iron shutters to the
| three or !onr windows. an iron door front and
back and tho roof was Of boiler plate. There
was only one room in the house. This was
parlor. bedroom. dining room and kitchen
| combined. The furniture WAS OF the plainest
| as were also our meals. There was a back
| yard about hundred feet square. and this
| was surrounded by board fence sixteen feet
high. There was also an Iron door In the .ence.
The house was two miles from store and
one reason Uncle Ben wanted me- was to run
back and forth. He had determined never to
leave the house by itself. though no gang Of
burglars could have effected an entrance by
working all day. The money was all in gold.
and kept in a new oil barrel In corner Of the
room. During my first six months the old
o IA ~ q Y "a
made two trips to the store. II one Of US
went into tho back yard the iron door was
| shut and fastened. and 1t was not opened
| again. unless We gave certain signal.
| We were worse OF than convicts. Only one
window was opened at a time. and we simply
| sat there and killed time as best We might
| We had no books or papers. no games. only
| now and then conversation. Uncle Bon ex-
pected to be attacked every hour but no one
could induce him to put his money in bank.
! One day. when had been at tho jail" over
year. some one showed a letter under the
| door. 1t was for Uncle Ben. 1t purported to
be from man who wanted to buy piece Of
| land. and who offered such big price for it
that uncle decided to go to the town. six miles
| away. and deal with him. The would-be buyer
| fixed IN interview for = O'clock in the evening.
1t was now November. and it would be dark at
that hour. Uncle Ben didn't like the idea Of
returning on foot aft. that hour as it was
rough and unsettled country. but he finally de-
ciled to risk It. He left 1.-The jail" at half
past :. but not until he had cautioned me over
and over again. was not to open door or
window except at his signal. which was five
raps repeated three times. The only weapons
We had were two clubs which he had cut In the
forest He was too stingy to buy firearms.
AS soon as the old man had gone upset the
Lorr 81 ry1tI kha ND a. 1ntvp 10
count 1t. lie had several times allowed mo to
count out $1,000. but always ended up by de-
claring that the rubbing OF the coins was caus-
ing him too great q loss. can tell you that
the sum OF STE. 900 In yellow gold pieces-1ves.
| tens and twenties-is sight to interest peo-
pie G-"at deal older than l was. and 1t wasn't
five nluLtos before had forgotten ell else. I
think had counted out eleven piles OF $1,000
each when heard Uncle Ben's signal We
| had nc clock. but 1t seemed to me that he ha
| not had time to go and return. made all
haste to scoop the gold into the barrel. but
before this was accomplished tho signal
had been repeated several timea Know
ing how annoyed uncle would be. I took down
the bar and shot back the bolts as rapidly as
possible. As the door opened q strange man
walked In. and his first move was to turn
around and mako things secure. I had re-
treated to the other end OF the room, and all
the light we had was single candle. Inc
instead e e Being ssa
sod ,soMI
know little OF mon at that time. but, Instinct
al THAT the .Ar WAS tahns Hs
even the most i triilns objects. and by and by
he advanced to within three feet and said:
yb set out good to eat you've
We had some cold pork. part Of, a. plate, Of
beans. and some Indian bread. and hustled
). No coffee or i t. p he grufly demanded
:, Don't You lie to me, you young wolf Tho
I'll, Gasis By W.: ~. not !. 2 drihtIns mar; but
Hs s1 about pn T IN a. and
poured It out into a basin and drank most OF 1t
tss tnS When A IN.
and lighted it and said e me: 49,,
does the old man keep his money!
pointed to the barrel. and he walked over
m a.sse thn sno to s to
relate. what had happened to my uncle: Four
men; three Of whom were strangers to that
had akon map po ssr Of an Old shapty in The
woods q mile away; and one Of them had writ
his wa to town he was seized and taken to
the sfanty BY threats q torture 1rU they i.;y
| to guard him, while one came on to the house.
and the other two started Off to get horse and
the money was In gold and they were to carry
II of IN tho wagon. Tho robher who had come
nothing without the others, lie upset the
! nnd gloated over tho heap OF coin, 1t was a
ss,il calculated to make him good -natured,
| and pretty soon II smile covered MS lace and
| his tones soitened up as he said:
tat b ssy q Ed Hp viii
| III meyer have to work another day as long as
| live"
tested, having now but little fear OF the man.
| Hell never see u piece OF 1t again" he
ehuekled =" He may count himself lucky TO
| Keep fortune In his housed expect I'd have
been forced to Kill him II he had been home"
:" II he had been home you wouldn't have
| got In" replied.
=" May be not. Pretty cute old chap. they say
| Bring mo tho rest OF that whiskey."
handed 1t To him and he drank IT all u
had the effect OF softeninE him. Few boys OF
my age nre heroic. WAS very much fright
ened at first. but as he grow good -natured
| gradually recovered my nerve. and 10y and by
| L n hn I Va