The Caldwell tribune., 1905-08-12
BEECnENBROOK


viii say to you right at the outset
that l was "the boy at Beechen-
brook,
Beechenbrook was and is yet great
house a few miles outside Of Manches-
ter. At the time of my story 1t was
occupied by the man who built IT,,
large manufacturer OF the famous
manufacturing town. 1t stood in the
middle of thirty acres Of ground, and
house, barns, lawns and gardens re-
auired 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, ana a
few weeks after the owner Of Beechen-
brook had given us an order l was sent
up there to put away the volumes.
On the day arrived the owners
wife and daughter started for Scotlaho
on a visit, while Mr.. Markham hlm-
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 go 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 made my way to the sta
bles, but there surprise awaited me.
l found a horse hitched to a cart and
the gardener and head groom standing
beside the vehicle. Had the two men
not had their backs to me and been
10 earnestly engaged in conversation
they must have seen and heard my ap-
proach.
/ had my lips parted to speak, when
l suspected something wrong. The
plunder 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 fash and In time to save
myself, drew back and wondered
what should do.
Oueerly enough, l 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.
" I was all for preventing the rob,
berry, and pretty soon skulked back
to the open window. In 80 doing !
saw the outside door of the dining
room atar. 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 l had re-entered the house
and crept back to the door leading into
the dining room the fellows had giyer
MP trying to open the plate room dool
with a key and were working at 4
with iron bars. Five minutes latel
they had 1t open, and then the groom
passed out piece after piece, while thI
robbers deposited them in their sacks
Everything was of solid silver, ana
to save space nearly every piece wa
bent or broken by hand or foot. Tht
trio worked In a hurry and at the enc
Of half an hour the room was empty
and ave sacks were full.
had been watching everything II
a helpless way. having no plan ant
no hope, and 1t was only when tn,
men shouldered the sacks to carr.
them out that made a move.
/ determined to try the effect of /
scare, and as the last Of them steppet
outdoors fred the pistol into the sacI