La Junta tribune., 1907-06-29
ea.u ts's ssen no spo, IN. old New Esnr
shire since l went away. Eve sc; up

! = lT,.,... - -. e..s.ss.
ha,n.t s$en no spot i;Ae old New Eamr
shire since l went away. Eve Sc; up
that far:
II never have" replied tue prIss: as
he woa.cred how | Jc!e Ab!Jah had
escaped 81. pitfalls thai mast live
been sct f"i his feet
III you eyer lave n c.IGii e. co.ir ~
and .tay with me for u Ncrs. aid ~
sLan'i cost yoa 81 rel 'e.ii. lI y"d We
got VIE and c..ii,.-cn. LIN: s..i
ul,ng. II yoa could come ia tie win
ter. I'D take you to half n dozen spell.
Ing schools, and we'd slide down hills
on hn nd siexts. own hill over mile
long. and my old woman can make
buck wheat cakes to beat the band.
Say. now. Is there any danger OF any
one stealing my package from your
Not the slightest
because there are some suspicious
characters aboard. I've run across
four different men that ! wouldn't
trust to go to my barn and get peck
measure OF oats. They call themselves
Stone. Dubois. Saunders and Wiikin-
state that look more honest than these
men do I'm right on TO 'em. however.
and they can't fool me"
Al least once . day during the rest
Of the voyage each of the four dete~-
tives sought ont the pursers and report
ed progress and planned what should
he done when quarantine was reached
While each one had only suspected
one another on the start. only three
days had passed when each mans sus-
pIcIons included the three others In the
quartet, Uncle AblJah bothered them
from the start. He insisted on buttinS
In at all times and under all circum-
stances. II one detective had another
aside TO pump him. the old man from
New Hampshire presently appeared
aud carelcssly said:
Gentlemen. hope don't intrude,
but were either Of you ever up In Sock
county. y. H.T'
Never" was the reply.
Then you've missed great thing.
We hain't got no Niagara falls up
there. but sliding down hill In the
winter beats anything you can find
outdoors. You load up n big shed
with gals and boys and head her down
hill and let her 20. and the first thing
you know you are two miles away.
haln't got but one spare bed In the
house. but Martha and me VIII sleep
1n.the floor u you'll come up"
Sometimes the four sieutis would
,lay cards together and pretend TO be
very jovIal and friendly, Before the
game was fairly under way Uncle
Abljah would stroll Into the smoking
room and say:
- dunno whether any of you fellers
heard about that big robbery Ia Lon
don or not. but 1t was corker. Fcller
walked Into jewelry store and picked
up busbel OF diamonds aud walked
out a-'ln as cool as hired man g1ln.
20 work. happened 10 be right nigh
the store at the time, aud | didn't
know but what they would arrest me.
The fcllcr got away. but | IN purity sure
| saw him and would know him ag'i In"
He would then lounge out on deck.
and the game would SON break up, and
one OF the officers wpIIl hunt up Uncle
Abijah to get further particulars. He
would Intimate that he had seen the
robbcr among the passengers aboard
and that he might give him away on
would bc further puzzled and mysti-
fed. Each one WAS invited up to New
Hampshire over and over again. and
before Sandy Hook was sighted each
one knew the old mans history from
the day hc WIS horn. No arrests were
made AT quarantine 1t had been left
to the purser. aud he had telephoned
up. Four interviews had been held
with him, and as Il result four different
men were arrested when the steamer
made her dock. The victims We're
Mcssrs. Saunders. Dubois. Wilkinson
and Stone Uncle Abijah saw them
taken into custody aud smiled and
winked II" had alyo worked out lit
tie plan.
Three hours later the four men. ac-
companiel by two detectives from
headquarters. boarded the Monarch Ia
ask OF the purser:
What do you know OF the old fellow
who called himself Barues:''
Nice old man and innocent as
child replied the official. Say, now.
he's gole on and forgotten his pack
age.
III he returns for IT, tie str!n:
around his wrist and hold him fast"
laughed one Of the headquarters men.
Hes the chap that took the dia
monds"'