Morris tribune., 1901-11-16
DOVER PLAINS. HEROINE
Young Woman's Wild Ride After
Desperate Gang.
SHE TELLS A THRILLING STORY,

SHH IELLS a IHhlLLlNd nlUh4
ida Thompson Is the d'liss of Dutch
/ ess County. N. Y.-She Says She WaA
/ Not Afraid and Though She Il
4 Called ssTomboy" she Does Not
Mind 1t.
| Ida Thompson, the Miss Of the
| Duchess county mountains, whose
ride astride farm horse in pursuit Of
desperadoes has made her quite a her
oine in the Dover Plains district, says
a Poughkeepsie IN. ~ dispatch, has
armed herself with cavalry pistols and
is determined to catch the vandaIs who
hare been stoning her foster fathers
house and burning barns in the neigh
bOrhoOd.
| Picked up as q little waif by the
Home For the Friendless in Winsted,
! Conn.,, when she was, but two years
old, Ida remained there until William
Ketcham, whose children had grown
! up and gone from him. took her to his
home on farm near Dover Plains.
Mr.. ketcham is a brother Of General
John 81. Keteham, who for thirty,
years has represented the district in
congress, and father Of William M.
Ketcham, formerly mayor and post
master of Poughkeepsie. He is very
fond of children and has watched over
her just as if she had been his own
child.
That child has cast lot of sunshine
about the farm since she's been here"
said Mr.. Ketcham, looking at her adj
miringly, with a smile playing over his
wrinkled face, "and the way she is de-
Tending my home against our enemies
now shows plain enough what she's
made off,
Meanwhile Ida had led Old Nick, her
favorite horse. out of the stable and
was showing him proudly to a report
er, telling of her daring ride after the
desperadoes.
There's a pack Of towards" she
said, land now that | am armed with a
pistol am not in the least afraid of
them.
"You see, several months ago we had
a man employed in the tobacco fields,
and he came to work one day intoxi-
Gated. The boss -that's Mr.. Ketcham-
told him he didn't want him working
around the farm in that condition and
dismissed him. Soon after that I
heard that somebody had threatened
to burn our barn. l learned that there
was a band of desperadoes, organized
to get vengeance because Mr.. Ketcham
had dismissed this hired man.
! AT first l paid no attention to these !
threats, but not long afterward we
were aroused in the middle of the night
to find the barn in fla :. Two ar
rests were made-the two Dingey boys, |
who are now in the county Jail at |
Poughkeepsie.
''But it did not end there. One night |
not long ago we heard strange noises
about the yard, and peeped from the ]
window and saw masked men darting
to and fro. Everybody in the house
was awakened, and the men ran away,
throwing rocks at the house, smashing
windows and breaking things ip the
rooms.
Last Monday night they came
again, but was lying in wait for
them. saw the men approach the
house, and MIR. Ketcham and went
after them. At first they seemed stub
born, but finally they started on run.
they had been stoning the house and
had thrown a stone into my bedroom.
was determined to find them out and
export them to the authorities, but they
Kept at such safe distance could not
'ecognize them l told Mr.. Ketcham
was going to pursue them on horse
back. He tried to pursuade me not to
10 it, but in less time than it takes to
ell it had bride on Old Nick and,
Gaping upon his bare back. was off q
lfter the villains in a gallop.
THE men had long start ahead Of
moonlight quite distance. As came
Ip to them they jumped aside and
,rabbed the reins Of my horse. had Z.
balestick in my hand, and struck
ne Of them over the head. He struck
'aek with long stick, cutting this
ash under my eye along my cheek.
ust then the reins broke, and that
aved me- for Old Nick turned with
ound and galioped back to the house,
be men following. throwing stones
nd eurSing ME.
II shall never forget that ride back
) the farmhouse on Old Nick without
ride or saddle. holding on with my 9
rms clasped around his neck.
when / reached home. you can inn
CINE how mad | was and how deter
lined am now to get those towards
cad or alive They came back again
night. but Mr.. Ketcham
ad been to Poughkeepsie and bought
rms.
''Now, am not afraid Of the cow
rds, and vow l will land them II |
ave to kill them In the attempt. Re
.Dll...L - ...Rr