Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-07-05
BffCHENBROOk
will say to you right at the outset
that was 1.-THE boy at Beechen-

brook"
Beechenbrook was and is yet great
house few miles outside of Manches-
ter. At the time of my story it was
occupied by the man who built 1t, a
large manufacturer of the famous
manufacturing town. 1t stood In the
middle of thirty acres Of ground, and
house. barns. lawns and gardens re-
Quired the services of about fifteen SER
wants.
In the bookstore in which was en-
ployed in London was said to have
excellent taste and judgment in the
arrangement of country libraries, even
though was only boy Of 10, and
few weeks after the owner of Beechen-
brook had given us an order was sent
up there to put away the volumes.
On the day l arrived the owners
wife and daughter started for Scotland
On a visit, while Mr.. Markham him.
self departed for Paris to attend Ger
tain business. All the servants about
the place except the head gardener,
two grooms and two women In the
kitchen were given leave from their
employer to 60 to the station, two
miles away. They were not long gone
when passing through the hall saw
three masked men trying to open the
plate room door. crept back to the
hall. across into the drawing room,
and at the far end of the big room
raised the window and stepped to the
ground.
Once out l made my way to the sta
bles, but there surprise awaited me.
found horse hitched to cart and
the gardener and head groom standing
beside the vehicle. Had the two men
not had their backs to me and been
70 earnestly engaged in conversation
they must have seen and heard my ap-
preach.
had my lips parted to speak. when
( suspected something wrong. The
plumber was to be carried off in the
cart, and the three men servants were
In league with the robbers. 1t came
to me like a lash and in time to save
myself. drew back and wondered
what should do.
Queerly enough, was more upset
at the thought of the two mile run in
the rain and darkness to town than In
returning to the house and facing the
robbers. was out of the house and
could hide in safety till morning, but
that idea never came to me.
was all for preventing the rob-
berry, and pretty soon I skulked back
to the open window. In so doing
saw the outside door of the dining
room ajar. The groom had let the
robbers in at that door, and the dis
lance from the door to the open ditch
was only fifteen feet.
When had re-entered the house
and crept back to the door leading into
the dining room the fellows had given
up trying to open the plate room door
with key and were working at 1t
with iron bars. Five minutes later
they had 1t open. and then the groom
passed out piece after piece, while the
robbers deposited them in their sacks.
Everything was of solid silver, and
to save space nearly every piece was
bent or broken by hand or foot. The
trio worked in hurry and at the end
Of half an hour the room was empty,
and five sacks were full.
had been watching everything in
a helpless way, having no plan and
no hope, and 1t was only when the
men shouldered the sacks to carry
them out that l made n move.
1 determined to try the effect Of a
scare, and as the last of them stepped
outdoors fired the pistol into the sack
on his back and shouted at the top of
my voice. 1t was the groom who had
slipped upstairs and locked me IN, and,
though he may not have recognized my
voice as l shouted, the sudden alarm
caused greater panic than l could
have hoped for.
All three men started to run. The
groom threw down his sack, but the
robbers chung to theirs. They all knew
about the ditch. but in the darkness
and confusion they made right for it
and tumbled in one after another. AS
they went in fred two shots in the
direction of the stables.
Both cut the two men there so close
that they took to their heels. and thus
with three shots and four or five yells
i had scared Off whole gang. l had
even done better. In falling into the
ditch the three fellows were badly
knocked about, and when 1t came to
climbing out they couldn't do 1t, es-
pecially as was there with my pistol
in hand and threatened to shoot the
first man who showed his head.
The row had awakened the woman,
and when they came to know what
had happened they took the horse and
cart and went for the police, while I
continued to stand guard. In an hour
No had the men out and handcuned,