Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-12-15

gathered about Wilson for consultation.
After few minutes he was tied hand and
foot and deposited in the boat on the
beach. Then the gang approached the
door in a body, and the leader called to
me:
Come, now, open this door, We know
you are all alone in there, but we don't
want bloodshed if it can be avoided. We
have come after that money and are bound
to have it,"
There's no money here. Ask my COM
rade and he'll tell YOU the same
"But open the door and let us see"
81 shan't do it,"
The lighthouse was place worth loot
ing. We had three or four barrels of oil
a barrel of molasses, one of rice, half a
barrel of sugar two barrels of flour, a lot
of bacon and hard tack, barrel of coffee.
and other stuff. If the gang plundered
the place they were not likely to leave two
witnesses behind when they sailed away,
nor was it probable that they would land
us at any point where we could give an i'm
mediate alarm. The chances were at least
even up that they would murder us to con-
ceal their identity. Having served as a
soldier for over three years and knowing
the strength of the position occupied, |
was not at all frightened by the presence of
the gang. A demand was again made on
me to open the door, and when ! refused
knew pretty well what their first move
would be. On the beach near their boat
lay piece of timber which the tide had
stranded. They went for il at once, and i'm
the hands of six stout fellows it would
have proved a powerful battering ram.
They had evidently made up their minds
that | wouldn't dare shoot, for they came
straight at the door with the timber. Even
when | thrust my musket through the
loophole they paid no attention, but as |
saw they were bound to batter the door in
| put a bullet into the right shoulder of
the leader He wasn't over fifteen feet
away, and the bullet whirled him twice
around and then pitched him headlong
Two of the gang seized him and pulled
him aside, and then all got ont of range
Every man of them had knife and pair
of revolvers, but they soon discovered that
numbers and weapons didn't count There
was no chance to fire on me except through
the loopholes, and | was carefully watch
ing one of those. They crept up to the
other and fired five or six shots, but it was
powder and ball thrown away.
1t was about half past five o'clock i'm the
afternoon when | was driven inside. Half
an hour after the woundng of their leader
they were ready to give it up as a bad job
and return to their sloOp. Their small
boat lay directly in front of the door, and
as they began moving toward it | fired and
slightly wounded one of the men assisting
the leader to get down to the beach. All
of them at once hurried to the left to get
out of range 1t had struck me that if
they took Wilson away they would murder
him, and | determined to keep them from
the boat. In a few minutes one of the
gang came creeping around as near my
loophole as he dared to demand my sur
render. If l refused they would burn me
out.
There being no drift stuff within mile
of us, | did not worry over his threat. AS
he retreated to the rear of the house to re-
join his companions | saw Wilson's head
rise above the gunwale of the boat. See
ing the coast clear, he rose up, leaped out
of the boat, and showed her into the water.
The tide was going out, and with the help
of the oars he was soon aboard the sloop.
l made my way to the lantern room to
watch his movements, and when saw him
handling double barrelled shotgun which
he had brought from the cabin | gave him
a cheer which put the rascals below on the
alert and resulted in their discovery of
what had occurred. The situation now pre-
scented was a curious one. | was prison
er insideIthe lighthouse, but the gang were
prisoners outside as well. Wilson had cap
tured both boat and sloop and while he
could render me no assistance he stood be-
tween the men and escape.
l expected to be fired on when lighted
the lantern, which was in an exposed posi-
tion, and sure enough they opened on me
with their revolvers and shaved me pretty
close three or four times. l got down
safely, however, and then had only the
door to guard during the night. The fel-
lows could not tell whether had been hit
or not, and about nine o'clock heard one
of them at the loophole where l was