The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-11-16
COUNTY AUDITOR.

taverns to find out who We're the
richest men in that vicinity in
order to rob them. He came to
the conclusion that Capt. Sharpe,
Mr.. Gterrcat and Mr.. McKeehan
were about the richest men in the
neighborhood. He was told that
Sharpe put his ready money into
land, Sterrett put his into bonds,
so he concluded to rob Mr. Nc
Keehan, who was well advanced
in years. This old gentleman
was a fine type of Scotch Irish
manhood that in earlier days was
seen in the Valley. Large of
frame and broad shouldered,
with u benevolent, kind face and
wearing, us was his custom, a
ruffied shirt and knickerbockers
with gold buckles, he was a strik-
ing figure and attracted attention.
Lewis formed the plan of waylay-
ing him as he rode home from
church and the meeting as relat-
ed by Lewis is interesting: 81
meant to carry him into the
woods, tie him and threaten him
with violence until he told me
whore his treasure was lodged;
on obtaining this information, my
plan was to go to the house and
alarm the family by making them
believe 1 had just left the old man
dying in the road about a mile off
and that ne had begged me to
send every one Of them to him di-
rectly. | concluded that the in
telligence would occasion great
distress and confusion, and that
in their absence 1 might have
time enough to rifle his chests
and break open all his drawers.
"In pursuance of this premed-
itated scheme, | did meet the old
man one Sunday afternoon as he
was returning home from church
but my heart failed me. | was
so struck with his venerable
form, his benevolent countenance,
his republican simplicity of man
ners, and his patriarchal appear
ance, chat | became confounded;
my feet became riveted to the
ground, my tongue motionlesS,
my heart appalled,, and my eyes
fixed in amazement, so that [
could not find courage to proceed
or touch him with the finger of
violence On meeting him in the
highway ne rode on after bidding
me good-day; when he passed by
| looked back at him and said,
what is the meaning of this? o,
honesty, there is sometimes a
charm even in the external appear
ance sufficient to stay the hands
of the robber himself; there is Il
majesty in virtue which often APP
pals vice itself, and strikes the
guilty conscience with terror and
dismay. | returned to the cave
that evening without committing
any depreciation, and slept better
than had done for several nights
before"
This escape of the venerable
old grand father, whom they all
worshipped, from violence at the
hands Of the notorious robber
was regarded in the McKeehan
family as a direct intervention of
Divine Providence. Riding up
the road the old gentleman spied
Lewis and divining his purpose,
concluded that the robber meant
to kill him or do him serious bod.
lily harm. Being sincere and
devout believer in God, in prayer
he committed himself to His pro.
tectiugcare. Theincident proved,
too, that al appreciation for the
good and noble had not been en-
tirely eXtinguished in the breast
of Lewis.
/ With all his shrewdness and
adroitness, Lewis did not always
avoid the clutches of the law or
escape looking out from behind
the iron bars of Il prison. But
few iails held him any length Of
time as he would either break out
or trick the jailor. He did this so
frequently that he became famous
as a Jail breaker.
He escaped from our old jail