The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-11-12
AUNT HANNAH'S MONEY
BY M. QUAD.

SAS W 49," ''hNJB "AO A0Ohe LII
when the incidents am about to relate
happened, and lived on farm foul
miles from the town of Rivington. II
was pretty generally known that she
had several thousand dollars in bank
and she was always spoken of as q
level headed woman. Aunt Hannah
had no fear Of banks until four such
institutions in the county went to
smash one after the other. They had
been dragged down by the failure OF
business firms and a lively panic fol
lowed. The bank in which the widow
deposited was sound as a nut, but the
other failures frightened her, and she
started off one day to draw her money
and hide it about the house. She drove
to town alone in a one horse wagon,
and her check for $4,000 was promptly
paid.
At high noon, as the woman was re-
turning home with her mind at rest,
she encountered a stranger on the high
way. He was proceeding in her direc-
ton, and as he walked with limp she
promptly offered him a lift.
! When he had taken a seat beside her
in the wagon, he gave his name and
explained that he was on his way to
see a certain farmer. At the end of a
mile the road forked, and it was just
there, with no one in sight, and Aunt
Hannah never doubling the strangers
story, that he suddenly turned and
seized her by the throat. He seemed to
have fingers of iron, and she was soon
done for. The man then turned the
horse into the right hand road, and as
soon as a long hill had been assembled
the rig was driven into the woods until
an old sugar bush shanty was reached.
This place was forty rods from the
thoroughfare. and there was hardly
chance of it being visited.
Aunt Hannah regained consciousness
as the shanty was reached, and she
was pushed inside and tied hand and
foot with the lines from the harness.
The man was a robber but not ruff
fan. He begged to be excused for
choking her and making her prisoner
and lamented the fact that she might
have to remain there for a day or two
before being found He intimated that
he had a partner in the job and had
been posted as to when she was to
draw out her money. He was for leav-
ing the place as soon as he had made
her secure, but after an absence of ten
minutes from the shanty he returned
to say that he would wait until night.
As mad as the widow was over the af-
fair she always gave the man due cred
1t for certain things. He brought her
water to quench her thirst, INDUCED in
no threats and made the situation as
comfortable as possible. She said that
he was far more intelligent and enter
tanning than the majority of men. You
may guess that she made an effort to
bring about a change of heart in him
and get off with her money. She ap-
pealed to his sense of honor generosity
and all that, but he couldn't be moved.
Then she tried buster. but he only
laughed at her. He wouldn't even d.
vide with her on her solemn promise
not to have him pursued.
At o'clock in the afternoon the man
went out to scout around and probably
to meet his confederate. At that hour
/ approached the shanty through the
woods. / was boy Of sixteen and was
hunting for COW which had strayed
away. AS caught sight of the horse
and wagon 1 advanced more cautious
ly, wondering what strangers could
have to do in that place, and you can
imagine my surprise when | at length
peeped In and saw Aunt Hannah a
prisoner. She did not know me. but no
sooner had her eyes fallen upon me
than she ratified off her story and asked
me to go to the nearest farmhouse for
help. / had turned to hurry away
when she changed her mind and called
me in to unite her. l had the lasbings
off in minute, and then she said:
"Now, boy, if you will do as | tell
you l will give you FIVE hundred dol
lars. You are big and strong, and you
needn't be afraid. Get two stout clubs,
and we will stand on each side of the
door. When the man comes back, we
must both strike as hard as we can"
If had been given time to think it
over, l might have run away in funk,
but Aunt Hannah hurried things along
so fast that l hadn't time to get rat
tied. l looked about for the clubs, and
we had not been waiting more than ten
minutes when we heard the man ap-
preaching. He was whistling below
his breath and unsuspicious. | saw
Aunt Hannah draw long breath and
grip her club, and | followed suit and
as the fellow stepped in we both dealt
him fair blows. He went down like
a log. and there was no need for me
to sit on his head. We had him dashed
in a minute, and | took the package
of money from his breast pocket and
handed it to the woman. She sat down
crying spell. She was wiping her tears
away when the robber recovered con-
seriousness and found the tables turn
ed. He at once began cursing and
threatening and struggling, but he was
helpless. When started away for
help, Aunt Hannah stood over him
with a club, and she was still on guard
when [ returned with three or four
farmers. During the interval as she
somewhat reluctantly admitted, she
had been compelled to whack the fell
low dozen times to improve his Ian
guage.
The rest was all plain sailing. The
money went back to the bank and the
robber went to Jail, and in due time he
received a sentence of five years in
state prison. He took the matter very
philosophically, and his tones were al
most brotherly as he told Aunt Han
nah that his one mistake in the whole
affair was made at the very beginning.
He ought to have choked her to death
and hidden her body in the roadside
bushes instead of clipping with her.