The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-09-16

Tor 1t, ana USED 10 stay away WHICH, L
| could. Father and mother care? Not
they.
II married Westcott, but we didn't
get along, so we just quit.
az didn't care, because he tried to
make me stay in the house nights
when he was away, and | didn't want
to. l like to enjoy life. Well, when
he told me to go away from him, |
went. I stayed at home a little while,
and then met a fellow named Albert
Ross, who was clerking at the Putnam
house in Bennington.
"We kept company, Al and /, and
he worked at the hotel n over at
the golf links at Misunderstanding
Mountains. But finally we got tired
of living around here, and thought
we'd get out.
"The first night it was dark, and I
got tired; so Al and / went into a
barn to sleep till morning. We didn't
know there was anyone in there, but
we had hardly got inside when we
heard our names called, and, looking
I'D in the haymow, saw my cousin,
Merritt Reed, and a friend named Dan
Brockway.
when Al and I saw the fellows we
wanted to know what they were doing
there. and Reed told me that he and
Brockway had given up their jobs and
we're going to be burglars. They had
Just robbed a store at Dorset N
two or three houses, and they showed
us a diamond ring, a watch, some
other rings and a whole lot of stuff
they had stolen and were hiding in the
barn.
when I told them AL and l, were
going away they asked me why we
didn't join them. They said it would
be a good thing for a gang to have a
woman along. as she could do jobs
that they would be caught trying.
They offered me an equal share of
everything, and said they would make
me the queen of the gang.
"Al didn't like the idea, but I said:
Come along. 1t can't be any worse
than working So he agreed to join,
too. and we slept till morning.
early in the morning we left the
barn and started north. Reed was
armed, l knew, for he had shown me
two big pistols. n of which he gave
me. l don't know about the others,
except that Al had a knife that he
said he could use in close quarters
if we got caught at anything. We
walked all day, laying plans as to
what we should do, and that night
slept in the woods, making our beds
of pine boughs. We were hungry, so
l raided a hen roost near by, and that,
with some veal that Reed stole. made
our supper.
"The next day we went on TO
Pawlet, and that night We cleaned out
a farmers hen roost and all his clothes
lines. Again we slept in a barn. and
next morning tramped on to Granville.
"Our plans were not quite ready for
the big trick we were going to try,
which was the robbery Of a bank in
Manchester. We were not armed
enough, and we didn't know the ar
rangements. so we decided to stay In
Granville for a little while. So we
stoned at the hotel over night. But
the next day we thought we'd better
go back, as it was rumored that we
were being watched, and we didn't
want to get caught and jailed for the
simple little things we had already
done. Besides, there was a jewelry
store at South Dorset, kept by a man
named Abrams. l thought it would be
easy to get in there, and besides get
ting some diamonds, take what pistols
and ammunition we might need for
bigger work.
at was a dark night, and we didn't
expect we'd have any trouble over the
Abrams trick. 1t was arranged that
the boys should stand guard while l
got into the store and cleaned it out.
So I was to take the pistol that Reed
had given me Int protect myself IL
they didn't warn me in case OF any
one coming, or if l should run across
anybody in the store. About nine
o'clock that night we got near North
Dorset. where the jewelry store was
and were just going down the road
toward it when a team drove over a
bridge that we would have to cross
over a little stream.
1--WE tried to get out of their way,
for none of US thought the team was
after us. But the men in the wagon
had lanterns, and l say that ne were
discovered. We had been followed.
l yelled to the boys to rLn for their
lives.
II recognized some OF the men ir
the wagon as they began to jump out,
among them Constable A. c. Mason,
of Pawlet, and a farmer named Black,
near whose house we were overtaken,
Merritt Reed ran first, and Ross
right after him, but l didn't see where
Rrockway went. I wasn't going to
run. thinking that the officers would
follow the men and ! could sneak
away quietly. Besides. l wanted to
see how Al Ross would come out OF
the scrape, and, if possible, help him,
AS soon as Constable Mason struck
the ground he drew a revolver and