The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-01-28

IS BURIED
At The Old Perry Stand In
WOOdfOrd

the Perry place.
To give the story the semblance of
truth which fully believe 1t deserves,
it will be necessary to go back to the
second decade OF the last century, when
there came to the old hostelry thor
ough specimen of the g nus "hoboe
He was tall and lank, but stoop shoul.
dered, with repulsive face, unkempt
and unshorn, without clothes enough
to bolster crutch AMI these ragged
and dirty.
He told Perry that he wanted food
and work. That he needed food and
clothes was evident, and the big-heart-
ed Perry would not allow hungry
dog to pass his house; so he took the
tramp in and gave him food clothes
and bed. The next morning he
showed that he was really willing to
work and as work was plentiful with
Perry, the quondam tramp became
fixture at the hotel.
when Ferry asked MS name ne re-
piled, "Oh, just Hold"
"You have a name," said Perry in
a tone that few people pretended to
misunderstood.
II is related that this was the only
occasion that the tramp ever showed
manliness or pride.
He Strengthened up his full SIX feet
of frame and looking Perry square in
the eye replied:
when l was home gentlemen and
ladies knew me as Harold Algernon
Trelawney, but am away from, home
now, and | am "Hod."
Perry respected his wish and called
him Hod but these mountain men had
caught the Cornish accent that he gave
the Trelowney and soon dubbed him
"Looney' and by that name he was
generally known.
He sought the friendship Of none
and no one tried TO force friendship
upon him, but he was a faithful EN-.
ployes and remained with Perry until
the latter died.
In the meantime he acquired small
piece of land, probably q gift from
Perry, and quilt cabin upon it and
after the death OF Perry, Looney re.
tired to his cabin and became recluse
only coming up to the tavern to send
for such supplies as he needed in his
frugal style Of living. He was still
there when Jennings Rider took charge
OF the Perry stand late in the POS.
Rider had large family of boys
and they tried to draw old Looney out
as he had shown himself to be quite
trapper and hunter, but he would not
be coaxed out of his she'll and they fin
ally left him severely alone.
One cold winters day it was noticed
that no smoke came from Looney's
chimney and Rider, with Ben Cressie,
father of the late "Bubn and Joe
Cressie, went down to investigate.
They found Looney dying; but before
he lost consciousness he said:
81 have no friends or relatives that
care to know anything about me, so
when am gone, lift up that hearth
stone and you will find fifteen hundred
dollars, and out there under that
stone designating the plaCe-there
are three thousand more" Rider and
Cressie thought it just the rambling OF
a dying man and paid no attention to
his words, but made him as comfort.
able as possible until he died.
Some days after, Cressie says,
Jennings and | am terribly thirsty
and think we better go down and get
the money Looney gave us and | will
go down to Bennington and have
"spree."
Taking bar with them they went
aud to their profound surprise, found
the fifteen hundred dollars under the
hearthstone.
Then they began kicking each other
because neither OF them had the slight.
est idea where the stone was that COW
cred the other three thousand. Cries.
sic postponed his spree for week and
with the aid of the boys they turned
every stone which might in their estim-
alton cover the wealth.
They never found it, and | redeem
my pledge when ] tell your readers
that it is there yet-"out under that
stone -
"What stone?" do not know; and
il did 1t would do you no good, for
would be astride that stone with a
loaded Winchester before you could
drop this paper and grab your hat,
but do not let this stop you, for not
withstanding the fact that Rider wore
out half the stones on the place look
ing for the right one in the twenty five
years that he remained on the place,
there are still stones enough to supply
all corners and the avaricious can take
half dozen apiece without fear of ex-
hausting the supply.
| II oclk pf tho trnnsurp Spplrnrc IL