Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-02-19
A CORK LEGGED MAN.
DY CHARLES B. LEWIS.

vi tU6 Six pdssbuSeTS WHO allRDIGd
from the stage coach at the Acorn inn,
in Blissfield, one April evening was a
man with wooden leg. That sort Of a
misfortune is not rare, and yet the vic
tim, especially in a country town, al
ways attracts considerable attention.
The stranger registered as John Gordan
of Chicago, and when he gave out that
he might remain in Blissfield for sew
eral weeks everybody wondered what
business could have brought him there.
1.-THE man with the wooden leg, " as
he came to be generally spoken of, had
been in town about week, when one
of the leading merchants was robbed of
about 81, 600 in cash. He had the mon
ey in an old fashioned safe, which
opened with key, and the safe had
been unlocked. Entrance to the store
had been effected by way of the fanlight
over the front doors. No suspicious
characters had been seen about the town,
and as the merchant and his son were
the only ones having keys to the safe
the affair was puzzle. The local con-
stable did great deal of talking, but
struck no clew, and in his desperation
he asked Gordan to assist him, believ-
ing no doubt, that government officer
Of any sort ought to be more or less
posted in detective work. Gordan seemed
to think the matter over for awhile and
then replied
1.-THE case is as plain as the nose on
your face The merchants son took the
money, and after this thing quiets down
be will go off to st. Louis to have a
good time. I'd stake my life he's got
every dollar Of the missing cash secure
ly hidden away somewhere.
The constable couldn't believe it of
the young man, having known him from
childhood, but he was bound by a prom
Use not to mention the matter, and after
several theories had been worked out
and exploded the matter was allowed
to drop, or, rather, it was relegated for
another sensation. Seven or eight days
after the store robbery the postoffice
was entered. That, too had an old fash
toned safe, but it held something like
NSfOOU. vi Slllo SUM hbOuV eFoVN OSAOAi1
ed to tho postmaster the balance to the
citizens.
The lock on the back door was bored
off with brace and bit taken from a
carpenters shop and this safe was also
opened by means of a false key. The ex-
citement in that small town was in
tense, and men tumbled over each other
to advance theories and suggestions
The robbery did not take place until
after 10 o'clock at night. The postmas-
ter and his assistant could prove them
selves clear. The general idea was that
the burglars had driven into the village
from a point perhaps 20 miles away,
and this was strengthened by the tale
of a farmer as to having seen buggy
with two men in it pass his house twice
that night He saw nothing of the sort,
but told the story from desire to mix
in" and furnish a clew,
The sheriff rode all over tho county
| in search of his men, but the days pass
| ed and no one was arrested. No one had
advanced the theory that the robber was
living among us, and if any one had he
| would have been laughed at for his
words Gordan, the government agent,
was the only stranger in town, and who
/ could suspect him? He had little to say
about either job, but when pressed for
an opinion on the posto6ice affair he re-
piled;
Gentlemen, my line is not detective
work, though have seen good deal OF
it and know something about criminals.
! Whoever did that job como from dis
lance. There was likely two of them.
They may have come 80 miles for all
we know, but you can bet they were old
hands and slick ones. d."
1t was decided that the robbery had
been committed by strangers, and after
search lasting three or four days the
officers gave it up. 1t was big loss to
the postmaster and several citizens, bat
they had to bear it the best way they
could. The postmaster was an old man
and had little of this world goods, and
Gordan offered to be one Of the ten tc
chip in $50 and make good his loss.
The other nine did not come forward
but every body in town said it was more
than kind of the man with wooden
leg, and dozen or more of the most
prominent men shook hands with him
over it. Ten or ~ days passed, and ther
came a terrible tragedy.
The richest man in Blissfeld was
Squire Higgins. He owned the wooler
mills a store and several houses ano
had money to lend. He was widower
but lived with his son and daughter in
law. His room was on the ground floor
while all the others slept up stairs. FL
had no safe, but kept his money in {
tin box ON a shelf in a closet. He had &
bank account over at Medina, ten miles
away, but often had 1000 dollars o.
= L. liz