The Somerset reporter., 1898-02-17
A CORK LEGGED MAN
BY CHARLES b. LEWIS.

or the six passengers who alighted
from the stage coach at the Acorn inn,
In Blissfield, one April evening was a
man with a wooden leg. That sort of a
misfortune Is not rare, and yet the vic.
tim. especially in 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 every body wondered what
business could have brought him there.
1.-The man with the wooden leg, as
be 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 a 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 a 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 g. sernment 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
he 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 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
81, 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 a
carpenter shop and this safe was also
opened by means of false key The ex-
element in that small town was in
4 Id .,l.
to advance theories and suggestions.
The robbery did not take place until
after 10 O'Clock at night. The postmas-
ter and his assistant oould 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 a 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 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 in town, and who
could suspect him? He had little to say
about either job, but 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 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 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 a wooden
leg, and = dozen or more of the most
prominent men shook hands with him
over it. Ten or 2 days passed. and then
came terrible tragedy.
The richest man in Blissfeld was
Squire Higgins. He owned the WOODEN
mills, a store and several houses and
had money to lend. He was widower,
but lived with his son and daughter in
law. His room was on the ground f1oor,
while all the others slept up stairs. He
had no safe, but kept his money in
thu box on a sliAlf in closet He had a
tack account over at Medina, ten miles
away, but often had $1,000 dollars OF
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 WIS seated at his desk in
the sitting room when the others re-
tired About midnight the daughter-in-
law heard q fall and groan down
stairs, and when her husband wen,