The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-04-28
The Robber
BY RUTH GRAHAEi
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.
By RUTH GRAHAfl

EU.
when Missouri was a wilder country
than it is now, riding on, one of the
dirt roads and coming to a bit of high.
er ground where the road turned. heard
in the bushes on the rise a voice which
seemed to be that of a boy.
HALT, thar
VenableS drew rein. He was armed.
but. feeling sure that he was covered
by an unseen enemy, thought it dan
gerous to attempt to draw weapon.
"Well, what do you want?" he asked
"Put yer valybles in the road
Venables, though disliking to be
robbed by one whose voice indicated
that he was little more than a child.
vet dreading a bullet in his brain, COM
piled. Taking his watch from his fob
and some silver money from his pocket,
he tossed both to the ground.
sis that all yo' got?" asked the voice.
Eyes"
"Well, go on"
Venables rode on and when he
reached q tavern a few miles distant
reported that he had been robbed by a
boy who could not have been more
than fourteen years old, for his voice
had not changed.
Within a week Edward Ormsbee,
when riding on the same road on which
| this robbery had been committed. saw
walking ahead of him a youth who
might have been between sixteen and
nineteen years of age. He was dressed
in the costume of the country. buck
skin, and had pistol at one hip and
knife at the other. Ormsbee, when he
reached him, called to him and asked
where he was going. Learning that
! the traveller had some distance TO go.
| Ormsbee invited him to get up on his
| horse behind him and he would give
him lift on his way. The youth ac-
cepted, put his foot on Ormsbee's. gave
him his hand and was pulled up on to
the horses back.
In q few minutes Ormsbee felt cold
iron against his head. and the boy be-
hind him told him that he was about
to go through his pockets and If he
moved he would be shot. Ormsbee
was not only paralyzed by surprise,
! but unable to defend himself in his po-
sition. He made no resistance. and the
boy took his wallet from his pocket,
containing $40 in bills, the state bank
currency of the period. Then. they
being in a wood, the young rObber
| slid off the horses rump and disap-
peared among the trees.
The next robbery was committed
on a peddler. who said that the robber
| was q bearded man with squeaky
| voice Then followed another robbery
| by a man with a strip of cloth over
| his face. with holes cut for his eyes
and nose. All agreed that the voice of
| the person who had robbed them was
either not that of q grown man or else
| it was pitched in very unusual key.
However. it was decided that the
youngster had been permitted to COM
| NIT his depredations long enough. and
a posse was organized to hunt him
| down. So one morning three men
| the number was considered quite suf-
| ficient-were armed and started out for
the purpose. Just outside the settle
ment they stopped at the house of old
| Hedges and his wife, couple whose
poverty had been notorious. but who
now seemed to be getting along very
well.
ed one of the party.
"No; our Sallies clerkin' for a man
! over in Hudson county, and she's keep
In us up"
When the party left it was arranged
that they should proceed separately,
but keep in touch. They hunted all
the morning and part of the afternoon,
when two of them heard couple OF
shots and hurried in the direction of
the sound. They found Jim Turner
wounded in the hand. A masked man
had held him up; but. being ready for
| the robber. Jim had fired at him. The
robber had returned the shot aud run.
All started in the direction the
masked man had taken, moving sew
eral hundred yards apart. 1t was not
long before they heard some one break.
ing through the bushes, ascending a
hillside in the bed of dry creek. They
followed, but were soon stopped by
bullet singing over their heads. One Of
them, Hank Burke, a young hunter
used to Indian fighting, crawled for
ward and reported that there was
little fort made of stones about four
feet broad and as many high, with a
ioOphole. They couldn't take the posi-
/ ton without q likelihood of some OF
them being killed 1t was decided that
Hank should go forward for parley.
He did so. taking a position behind
| tree.
sSay, you, thar, there's three of us
here, all armed. You'd better surren-
| der"
Burke listened for a reply. but none
came. Presently he heard a sob.
| Leaving his tree. he went forward.
Neither shot nor word greeted him.
When he reached the miniature fort