Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-12-31

village, and although l worked the
single telegraph wire to its utmost
capacity, the three men succeeded in
making their escape.
Sending a full cipher report to
Washington, l repaired to the cabin in
the swamps and made a careful search
of it. Everything within was in the
greatest confusion. Clothing and
shells, guns and fishing-tackle were
strewn about the floor, ~evidencing a
precipitate departure. 1t was tantaliz-
ing to again allow the criminals to es-
cape. l felt deeply chagrined, and re-
solved never again to put off a matter
of this kind. The men had forestalled
me by only a few hours, for | had in
tended arresting them that morning,
and there had been nothing in their
conduct during my visit to their cabin
to indicate that they thought of fight.
in one corner of the cabin, beneath
the very bunk on which ! had slept,
there was an excavation three feet
square and as many deep. The cover
was down and dirt was StreWn over it
which gave it the same appearance as
the dirt floor of the house. | discov-
cred it by a hollow hound when l
tapped over the spot. 1t was empty.
Il noticed the absence Of the pot
which had supplied my supper, but it
was rather a subconscious notice of it..
The fact really made no appreciable
impression on me at the time, nor did
it, in fact, until more than a year had
passed. 1t was then recalled by a
newspaper dispatch under date of the
small village.
"Some of the boys in the village had
appropriated the cabin as a sort OF
clubhouse, after the three men had
fed. They would spend Saturdays
there, fishing and swimming and hunt
ing. Immediately in front of the cabin
was a steep bank, and the river Wi
dened out into a broad, deep poo
which afforded good fishing and swim
ming. The boys would throw white
pebbles into this hole and dive fol
them from the bank. One of then
had struck his head against something
hard at the bottom of the river anC
had been pulled up a corpse, his skull
baving been fractured by the impac
of the blow.
"The others investigated and fount
a large iron pot half buried in the sof
mud. Its cover was sealed down ant
it's weight had been so great the boy
couldn't lift it from its oozy bed. Tn
dispatch stated that the pot was to b
raised and it's contents examined.
E 81 was in Little Rock when | rea
this dispatch and, without waiting fo
instructions from headquarters,
. boarded the first train and set out fo
the village. / vas in a state OF feve'
a ish excitement, fearing I would arriV
there after the pot had been secured
I wanted to be the first to view Its col
+ tents. felt sure I knew what wa
. in II.
AFTER a journey that seemed int
a minable l arrived at the village an
inquired about the pot. My fears ha
. been groundless. With the indiferent
80 characteristic in country people II
villagers had forgotten, after tt
funeral Of the unfortunate young ma
n the incident Of the pot. While thel
n had been some talk Of raising 1t,
II one had taken the lead, and there Il
matter had rested.
Is Securing a team of mules and son
strong ropes and chains, drove out
10 the cabin. BY dint Of much diving
succeeded in fastening the chail
~ about the pot and had my assistaa
" drag 1t out upon the bank. 1t was Il
,v !, vessel which had hung over the fl
10 when | had visited the counterfeite
i'd in their lair. Then I remembered
absence, when / had searched the b
i'd after their departure. 1t was seal
,c- with parafin and sealing wax, and n
RS a drop of water had passed the lid.
he 81 contained a complete set of {
in gravers' tools, several bottles OF pow
an full acids, glass stopped and sealed,
Ike number of bars of silver, some thr
to hundred odd counterfeit silver dolla
ly. and the dies with which they had be
,ut stamped out. The dies were thicl
lat coated with wax and were as brie
lie and fresh as when they beat out I
lat false coins in the secret cave.
re- after swearing my assistant
he secrecy, I returned to headquart'
of with my booty.
tut mot many weeks later two OF
Ici- men we're captured. had given
he department a minute description
Wy them, after their unceremonious
ere parture, and its vast machinery !
are been set in motion for their appreh
sion. 1t Is a maxim Of the servl
gar that a man once a counterfeiter Is
me ways a counterfeiter. This rule h
vas good with reference to two OF
oc- men, at least, for they were captu
the and convicted of another job. The
on cidents l have just related were
eat introduced in evidence against tn
lad and consequently escaped the pr
to The man with the bulldog Jaw esca
completely at that time, but met v
the him, years after, under circumstan
ind neither of us will forget 30 long
lrst we live"
tCopyright, 1908, by W. q. Chapman
copyright In Great Brittany
,wn
Practical Labor.