The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-04

Sfy''D"1 iSios o.
T~ROM the moment when he commits
r his first crime the professional GRIM
inal never knows what it is to enjoy
real peace OF mind. His crimes hang over
him like the sword Of Damocles, and I'M
less he reforms he can never be free from
the fear of some day being found out and
sent away to prison for a long term.
And arrest is not the only thing he has
TO fear-he is continually face TO face
with the danger of serious injury or DEATH
Whatever the crime he undertakes he
must run the most desperate risks-he has
TO stake not only his liberty but life itself
on the narrowest OF margins.
The powerful explosive he is using TO
blow open safe may go off prematurely,
as it did one night when George Mason
and were robbing bank in Illinois, and
leave the robber half dead.
Perhaps an indignant mob may decide
TO take Justice into its own hands by
lynching the criminal. This is what hap
pened to one Of my comrades in Kentucky.
They had the moose around his neck and
we're all ready to string him up when /
arrived I'm the nick Of time to save his life.
Perhaps he will be caught In the act ut
one OF his crimes and shot down like a
dog, as my husband, Ned Lyons. was In
Connecticut one night. That was the mar
rowest escape my husband ever had
saw it with my own eyes, and if l live to
be a hundred ! shall never forget the
agony OF il all.
Al the time OF this thrilling adventure
the police wanted us so badly for our share
In several famous robberies that Ned and
did not dare to undertake any operations
In the large cities which usually formed
our most profitable fields &c. being in
need Of ready money we had decided TO
take little trip through some OF the
smaller towns OF New England The
amount OF cash TO be had from the banks,
stores and postofrices in these places was
not large. but, on the other hand. Il was
not hard 10 get and we thought we ought
10 be able 10 spend two or three weeks
quite prohtabiy in the nearby towns of
Connecticut and Massa chusetts
AS my health that Summer was not yerv
good and Ned did not want me TO take anv
very active part in the robberies, we in
'lteo George Mason 10 go along with MS.
from the start we seemed to be ill.fated.
Nea and George succeeded in getting into
bank in Ftchburg. Mass. but were
frightened away by Waterman before
they had time to open the safe From the
postofiice in little village just outside
trtchburg We secured only eight or ten
collars 10 pay us for our trouble. Quite
discouraged and desperately in need of
money we went on to Palmer. Mass.
mere secuted around and discovered
mat the most likely place for us TO rob
vas G. l.. Htchcock's drug store, which
was also the village postoffice A storm
came up TO hide the full moon, and this
enabled US TO make the attempt that very
night IL was not the easiest Job in the
world. for Mr.. Hitchcock and his family
RI nnff
ieast noise was sure to rouse them.
How We Robbed a Store
Shortly after midnight took nm nv
position In an alley in the rear OF the
store to stand guard while Ned and George
removed a lane of glass from a cellar
window. Through this opening the men
squeezed. and presently the dim reflection
OF their dark lanterns showed me that thew
mad safely reached the store above.
had been standing there in the rain
for nearly twenty minutes when a low.
rumble from inside the store made me
Prlck up my ears. Just as | was pickering
my Dps 10 whistle a Shrill warning TO my
comrades l'saw them appear at the back
door OF the store carrying between them
a small Iron safe II was this safe rollino
ne sale was small affair but so we'll
maze That 1t had successfully resisted all
their efforts 10 drill il open Finding IL
was not too heavy 10 be carried they had
decided to take II outside the town. where
iney could blow il open without fear az
arousing the sleeping village.
we must have made a strange proces-
SION as we trudged along through the dark
hess-tne two men partly carrying and
partly rolling the safe along and all of us
Nading through mud half way TO our
knees.
AT last we reached meadow far enough
removed from any houses for our purpose
George Mason filled one OF the holes he
mad drilled with black powder and wrapped
tne SAFE with some old sacks to project
tne luse from the wet and also 10 muffle
the noise of the explosion
Ned touched a match to the fuse and W..
ecurfied to safe. distance. The charge
went on with dull boom-the shattered
DOOR OF the safe flew high into the air and
landed several yards away.
waiting few minutes to make su,e
mat no one In the village had been ayak.
ened, we hurried back to get our pIunder
mere were $3.50 in cash. a diamond rinr
some gold pens and fifteen or twenty dol.
lars worth OF postage stamps With the
lew dollars the boys had taken from the