The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-02-02
\ CORK LEGGED MAN
nY= CHARLES II. LEWls.

EA CHARLES u. LEWIS
OF the six passengers who alighted
from the stage coach ut the Acorn inn.
IN Blissfield, ono April evening was Il
man with wooden leg. That sort of a
misfortune is not rare and yet tho vic.
tim, especially in country town, nj
ways attracts considerable attention.
The stranger registered as John Gordan
of Chicago, and when he gave out that
he might remain i'll Blissfield for sey
oral weeks everybody wondered what
business could have brought him there
The man with the wooden leg, rs
he camo To be generally spoken of, had
been iii town about week, when one
of the leading merchants was robbed Of
about + 000 in cash. He had tho mon
ey III an old fashioned safe, which
opened with key, and the safe had
been unlocked Entrance TO tho store
had been effected by way of the fanlight
over tho front doors. No suspicious
characters had been seen about tho town.
and rs the merchant and his son were
the only ones having keys to tho safe
the affair was puzzle. Tho local con
stable did Il great deal of talking, but
struck no clew, and i'll his desperation
he asked GurJlan TO assist him, beliov-
ing, no doubt, that u 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
The case is as plain as the nose on
your face The merchant $ son took the
money, and after this thing quiets down
he viii 20 off to st, Louis To have Il
good time I'd stake my life he's got
every dollar Of the missing cash secure
ly hidden away somewhere.
Tho constable couldn't believe it of
the young man, having known him from
childhood, but he was bound hya prom.
lse not To mention the matter, and after
several theories had been worked out
and exploded tho matter was allowed
to drop. or, rather, it was RELOCATED for
another sensation. Seven or eight days
after tho store robbery the postoiiiee
was entered, That, too, had an old fash
toned safe, but it held something like
81, GOO OF this sum about $500 belong
cd to tho postmaster, the balance to the
citizens
Tho loci: On the back door was bored
off with a brace and bit taken from a
carponter's shop. and this safe was also
opened by means of Il false key The eX-
citemcnt III 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 ut night The pOstmas-
ter and his assistant could prove thcm-
selves clear The general idea was that
the burglars had driven into the village
from point perhaps 20 miles away,
and this was strengthened by the tale
Of a farmer as TO having seen buggy
with two mon in il pass his house twice
that night. lie saw nothing of the sort,
but told the story from a desire to mix
IL and furnish tleW
The sheriff redo all over tho county
in search Of his men, but the days pass
cd and no one was arrested. No ono 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 but when pressed for
an opinion on the postoiiiee affair he re
piled:
tGentlemen, my line is not detective
work, though | 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 80 miles for all
we know, but you can het they were old
hands and slick one-
1t was decided that the robbery had
been committed by strangers, and after
search lasting three or four days the
officers gave 1t up. II was IA 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 tho ten to
chip III $50 aud 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 2 days passed, and then
came a terrible tragedy.
The richest man in Blissheld was
Squire Higgins. lie owned the wooden
mills, Il store and several houses and
had money to iend. 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. He
had no safe, but kept his money in q
tin box on a shelf in "a closet. He had
bank account over at Medina, ten miles
away, but often had 81 600 dollars or
more in the house. One evening when
the others were ready to 90 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