Middletown transcript., 1908-03-28

deon was then discovered to be
missing. There were tracks II
the snow under one of the
windows outside, and marks or
j the windowsill, showing where
the sash had been pried up and
| the melodeon taken out A brass
button off jacket was also pick
ed up in the snow. Melodeons
at that time had legs and pedals
(which could be taken off, unlike
the later cabinet and parloT
organs of which they were the
prototype. With its legs remov-
ed, the body of the melodeon re-
sembled a box three feet and a
foot in depth. Nor was it so
heavy but that one could lift it
easily and draw it away on
hand-sled.
No snow had fallen for a week
or more; the roads were well
trodden. 1t was impossible to
| track the thieves, or do more
| than guess which way they had
gone. Not only had they taken
the melodeon, but they had
| searched all the desks in the house
and captured every copy of
songs. It would be difficult
| to describe what a wave of
indignation and excitement
swept through Number IL that
night (!
Naturally, we suspected the
Number 9 boys from the first;
but of course they could not
steal our melodeon and install it
az their schoolhouse without be-
ing detected. Indeed, we could
| not imagine what good it would
do them to take it. Six of US
went over to the, Number 9
schoolhouse that very night and
looked in. We could see
no sign of tn e m Ell O.
deon. On our way back we call
ed at the Darnley farm and ask
ed Newman and Rufus if they
knew anything about it. They
only laughed at US. We could
learn nothing whatever from
them.
The news spread rapidly. We
N ade inquiries everywhere.
Even the youngest scholars and
little children over in Number
8 were cajoled and questioned as
opportunity offered, in the hope
of picking up a clue. The teacher
in that district, too, as well as
several Of the older persons, took
the matter up, and questioned
the boys closely. But not a
thing could be learned.
So I may as well relate here
what had happened, although
the facts did not all come
out until twenty years later.
Our suspicious concerning the
Number 9 boys were we'll
founded, but of the four who
had come to our musical enter
tainment that Friday evening,
only one of them, Newman
Darnley, was concerned in the
capture of the melodeon. The
three others knew nothing
about it.
On that Saturday afternoon
Newman had gone to mill,
four miles from home, with a
grist of corn and barley. His
road lay through Number IL and
beyond it. AS it was late in the
day, he had to wait his turn at
the mill till evening, and mean
while he fell in with a crony of
his, named Alfred Battellow, a
boy whose habits were far from
good. To pass the time they
called at a rather disreputable |
grocery near the mill, and had a |
drink Of hard cider:
Newman did not get away |
from the mill till after nine o'clock |
in the evening; Alfred set off |
with him. On their way they |
stopped at public house, known
as Tibbetts' Tavern, to talk with |
the drivers of two teams |
which were conveying supplies
to lumber-camp up in the great
woods near the boundary, and |
had put up at Tibbetts, for the |
night. These supplies formed |
bulky loads OF. boxes and barrels
slowed on two long sleds which
stood in front of the tavern.
The schoolhouse in Number
IL was at the forks Of the road, |
half mile from Tibbetts', and
It was after leaving the tavern,
o1 their way home, that the two
feeling fit for some prank,
Matched the plan of taking our
neloden and hiding it in one of
hose loads of supplies bound
on. tho In m lNa., 20 y,o,>,