The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-01-15
DAVID LEWIS.
The Noted Highwayman and
COunterfeiter.
CONTINUED from last weekly

puOClSu w DeuclOuJc w TeCOU-
hotter and seek out safe and suit
able objects of plunder. Assum.
ing the appearance of a gentle
man, he was dressed out in the
best clothes we could furnish,
and in this character entered one
of the shops with the pretended
view of purchasing store goods,
while his chief intention was to
gain information and make his
observation of the premises, par
ticularly as to the manner of Sc.
curing the store at night, and the
vigilance or .carelessness of the
owner. On his return we con.
suited together about the danger
we might be exposed to in case of
failure and apprehension, and
finding that Governor Findley
grew more unpopular every
day, and his chances of success
weaker and fewer, we were pre-
vented by fear from an open as
sault, lest if caught in the act of
burglary, conviction might be the
consequence of prosecution, and
all hopes of a pardon cut off by
the election of Mr.. Findley's op-
ponent. Abandoning the project
of robbery by force, we now re-
solved to attain by stratagem
what we dreaded to effect by
violence. A new scheme was
adopted-McGulre was to return
in the garb and character of a
laborer to procure employment,
and after gaining admittance into
the family as domestic, he was
to carry on a secret correspon-
, dence with US, and as soon as the
plot was ripe for action, intro
duce us into the store the first
night the storekeeper might hap
pen to be absent. But owing
either to his imprudence o. the
sagacity of the storekeeper he
was suspected to be an impostor
and refused employment.
On the return of M'Guire the
news of his failure filed us with
new terror, when we agreed to
separate for time, the better to
avoid detection and elude the Off
GERS of Justice. For several days
/ concealed myself in the most
lonely place I could find in the Vi
cinity of Bellefonte, and at night
slept or rather lay in the woods,
under the most distressed feel
ings of alarm and fear. The least
noise was sufficient to disturb
me, and the dismal scream of the
screech owl terrified my imagi-
nation with awful forebodings.-
One night while I lay under a
large oak, my thoughts were
much engaged in meditating up
on the forlorn condition to which
l had brought myself by my i'm
prudent and criminal conduct,
sleep had forsaken my eye.lids,
aud my waking attention was
alive to every noise around me-
The shaking of a tree or the fall
OF leaf produced agitation and
embling-;-thus | Spent the
night, anxious for the return of
morning, and vainly expected
that the light of day, while it
would dissipate the darkness
that overspread the earth, might
also remove the deep gloom that
pervaded my being. Alas the
sun shines only for the innocent
and the happy and those who
are not innocent and free from
guilt can no more expect to find
happiness either in this world or
in that to come, than they can
look for sunshine in the midst OF
night without disappointment. =
During the night l had heard a
strange noise, not unlike the
cracking of horse whip, and my
mind dwelling on the recent cir
cumstance of the robbery in the
Seven Mountains, the alarm OF
conscience induced me to imag,
inc that the noise proceeded from
the whip of the plundered wag,
oner, who had come in pursuit Of
Of me. l jumped up and stood
upon my feet, expecting every
moment TO see the WAGNER in
person aud feel the lash of his
.~<x~~. cl-1 L..x Il