Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-12-03
RIVERSIDE STORE
J KEEPER FIRED At
BY .H0LD-uP MAN

The extreme darkness Of Friday
night coupled with suspicion caused
by m unusual request, were the two
factors that prevented Henry r. Fos-
sett, keeper Of general store at Riv-
erside, from being knocked insensible
and robbed Of his money by q ..stick-
up man." The robber did not success
in the attempt but Mr.. Fossett was
struck with great force upon the
shoulder with q blackjack and before
the man gave up and fed he fired :
revolver at Mr.. Fossett, but missed
him because OF the darkness.
Shortly before Mr.. Fossett closed his
store at o'clock Friday night an
automobile stopped near the store for
short time but no one came in. It
was soon driven away and Mr.. Fos-
sett thought little more Of the incident,
He locked the store and had walked but
few feet from the door when a man
suddenly appeared in the darkness and
inquired IL! he were speaking to Mr..
Fossett. Upon receiving an answer in
the affirmative he said that he was
sorry to be late but that he wanted to
buy pound Of cream Of tartar.
A request for such an amount of
cream Of tartar coming at that time
OF night seemed strange to Mr.. Fos-
sett and he had no desire to reopen
the store to the stranger, but as he
had no real grounds for refusal he
turned back to the store. Still sus-
picious, he stood to one side as he UNI
locked the door. and this fact prob
ably prevented him from being knock
ed insensible.
AS he turned the key he was struck
heavy blow on the shoulder. the blow
apparently having been aimed at his
head. Realizing that he had not hit
Mr.. Fossett as he planned, the assail-
ant drew a revolver and fired shot
which did no damage. 1t was so dark
that 1t was almost IMPOSSIBLE to tell
where the hold-up man was, and Mr..
Fossett called for help. Olih Jackson
or Riverside lived near the store and
was about the house at the time, and
Mr.. Fossett hoped to reach him when
he called.
At this the hold-up man threatened
to shoot the storekeeper if he called
again and if he did not pass over what
money he had with him. AS they were
separated by some little distance and
the darkness was so intense, Mr.. Fos-
sett decided that he stood small chance
of being hit by the gunman and he re-
newed his calls for help. This scared
the man away.
Because of the darkness it was i'm
possible to make out the mans fea-
lures. He was a slight fellow, appar-
emily young, but that is all that could
be ascertained. But a short distance
up the road a neighbor reported that
at about the time of the attempted
robbery an automobile was drawn up
beside the road for quite while. This
leads to the belief that the gunman
was was one Of an automobile party,
and from the behavior of the car that
was seen by Mr.. Fossett a few min
utes before closing time, it is thought
that party Of crooks passing through
the town marked the store as a good
| place to make a haul, and as the
weather was suspicious attempted it
at once, probably intending to hold Mr..
Fossett up in the store, but being
foiled in this plan by the fact that he
closed the store while they were get
| ting the automobile out of the way.