Passaic City record., 1899-09-30

knew that the st. Joe was safe so far
as the old gang"
excuse me-" said 1, breaking in
again (for 1 meant to steal the story,
sis that true?"
"What?"
"About the pass"
"Sure."
con what account?"
"Oh, complimentary, same as
yours"
eco ahead, gang" said 1.
-"was concerned, and so, of course,
I doubted the story OF my wild-eyed
visitor. I began to question him.
He declared that he was the son of
respectable shopkeeper, in the town,
whom I knew, and asked me to tell
his parents the whole truth, and not
to shield him. He said that the
thought of what he was about to do,
and to be-to rob and so become u
murderer, if murder became neces-
sary. had SO preyed upon him day
and night, that he was almost insane.
At times he had planned suicide.
Now, as the appointed hour for the
gang to meet drew near he had been
running about like chicken in a
storm. He had gone home to bid his
parents goodby, but had not the
courage to face them. Hurrying down
the street he saw my house, and act
ing upon the impulse of the moment
had come to tell me, for his father
liked me, he said.
''I tried to show him that if what
he told me were true should be on the
train with armed officers to kill or
capture the robbers, and that in all
probability he would be killed.
Yes he said, he knew that
but the gang had taken an oath to
kill any man who 'peached,' and if he
failed to show up on time at the
rendezvous they would go after him
and they would surely kill him, for
most of them had murdered men be-
FORE.
"'Well, he said, presently, I must
be off, and he held out his hand, say
ing good-by.
II put him out with faint sus-
picion that he was crazy, but it was
my duty to look after the company's
interests, and so I concluded to call
the Chief of Police and tell him the
story, and at least get his advice.
AS I put the receiver to my ear I
noticed that some one was talking
over tangled wire that touched mine
OF some point.
'What?' demanded voice, and it
sounded as if talking directly to me,
and then came the reply: will II be
ahead of No. 8 to-night?'
81 dropped the phone, stood back
and stared at it until my wife, who
had heard the wild story Of the bold
young robber, stepped to my side,
peered into my face and asked the
cause of my agitation. That brought
me round. I lied, mercifully, hur-
riedly to her, called Central and
asked who had been talking. The
middle yards, she said. I asked to
be connected. The man at the phone
said he didn't know who called
him. Somebody wanted to know if
II would be ahead of No. 3 tonight.
I asked what answer would be given,
for 1 had dropped the receiver when
the voice from the grave--this shade
of Jesse-had broken upon my ear.
Well, he said he had answered no,
adding the information that II, the
fast freight, which, according to the
schedule, should leave ahead of No.
3, was late.
"Now this talk of the telephone
seemed strangely coincident with the
tale of the robber, SO I called the Chief
of Police, asking him to meet me at
certain corner few minutes later. [
then called the Sheriff. and told him
to go to the station, but to keep out
of sight and to board the first train
pulling out through the yards. My
next move was to tell the dispatcher
to hold all outgoing trains until I ar
rived. I then instructed the yard
master to make up a dummy No. 3,
and sailed out to meet the Chief of
Police.
"My wife was frantic at my leaving,
and finally I was forced to promise to
return to the house when I had sue
ceeded in starting my little army out
to fight hidden foe.
Unto an empty express car we put
an empty piano box for the sharp
shooters to hide behind, lighted the
lamps dimly in the day coaches, save
in the last car. This car we left dark
to resemble sleeper, and in it the
Sheriff, whom I now put in command,
hid the bulk of his hastily organized
nnssa denutY sheriff and q fear