The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-07-06
A CORK LEGGED MAN.
By CHARLES b. LEWIS.

in Blissfield, one April evening was a
man with a wooden leg. That sort Of
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
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, 900 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
I 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 q government officer
Of any sort ought to be more or less
posted in detective work. Gordan seemed
J 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
he will go off to st. Louis to have
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 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
! So, 900. OF this sum about $500 belong
ed TO the postmaster, the balance to the
citizens.
The lock on the back door was bored
! off with brace and bit taken from
carpenters shop. and this safe was also
/ opened by means of a false key. The ex-
element 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 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
! i'm and furnish clew.
The sheriff rode all over the 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 III town, and who
could suspect him? He had little to say
about either job, bat when pressed for
an opinion on the postoffice affair he re-
piled:
Gentlemen, my line is not detective
work, though l have seen good deal of
it and know something about criminals.
Whoever did that job come from a dis
lance. There was likely two of them.
They may have come 90 miles for all
we know, but you can bet they were old
hands and slick ones. "
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, but
they had to bear it the best way they
could. The postmaster was an old man
and had little Of this world S goods, and
Gordan offered to be one of the ten to
chip in $50 and make good his loss.
The other nine did not come forward,
but everybody 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 q days passed, and then
came a terrible tragedy.
The richest man in Blissfield was
Squire Higgins. He owned the wooden
mills, store and several houses and
had money to lend. He was widower,
but lived with his son and daughter-in-
Jaw. His room was ON the ground floor,
while all the others slept up stairs. He
had no safe, but kept his money in q
tin box on shelf in closet. He had a
bank account over at Medina, ten miles
away, but often had $1,000 dollars or
more in the house. One evening when
the others were ready to go to bed he
announced that he had some business to
attend to and was seated at his desk In
the sitting room when the others re-
tired About midnight the daughter-in
law heard fall and groan down
stairs, and when her husband went