Year: 1867




along the garden fence-one of them shot at
him with Gpistol without result. At later
hour they saw the same object, aud made
chase, but he escaped among the grape vines
and high weeds near by.


For some few days the moon shone nearly
all night, aud the family were not disturbed
Mr.. Moon ventured to leave home to attend
the Albemarls Circuit Court, his neighSoEs
having volunteered to protect his family.


Upon returning from Albemarle Court on
the next Saturday night, neighbor came in
to spend the night Before retiring, Nj.
Moon put him in charge of the lower part of
the main body of the house He fastened
every door and window carefully, Mr.. NJ.
in going out of the back passage door to his
chamber, locked the deor on the inside aud
left the key in the door to prevent false kew
from being put in the lock. This night youns.
Moon slept at the Office, the krst time for
eight or ten nights. He says he had not
time to go to sleep before the dog began to
bark on the other side of the yard, and he
heard some one walking around the Office
lie heard also elank fo metal which he de-
scribed to be such as soldiers make when kav-
ing sabres attached to them. The man kept
close to the foundation of the house, but made
good deal Of noise, as if he wished to at
tract the attention of the dog. About an
hour before day young Moon succeeded in
catching glimpse of him through the win
dow, and fred at him, but lodged nearly his
whole load in a chair which had been fixed
against the window, so as to tumble if any
one hOisted it. Upon being aroused at the
house, the back passage door was found open.
Mr.. Moons friend had been doing in the
ParlOr-he had heard some noise once or
twice. but nothing to arouse him. The dis
position of the inside of the house they had
made showed that this door could only have
been opened by some one who came in at tho
front door and locked it behind him. The
report of young Moons gun probably frisht>
ened whoever 1t was, and he ran out at the
back door, leaving it open.


The next week Mr.. Moon was compelled
to attend Court again. After an interval of
several nights, while two of Mr.. Moons
neighbOrS were inside the house, Watching
the front door, some one came to it, and struck
torcibly on the door or sill, from appearances
seen through the side aud top lights, most
probably with the butt end of a musket. The
first stroke aroused the family. One of the
men fred through the door at him. Mr.. M's
sister-iu-law saw him, from an upper window,
run around the corner of the house and pause
to peep back to see if he was pursued. Sho
fired at him twice from the window. which





to the ground the first fire, aud moved off
after some hesitation. The men rushed out
in wrong direction to hunt him. Hc was
seen in the yard again that night. 4 little
closet window ovcrlooks the shed at the back
Of the housc-the closet opens into an upper
chamber-the back passage window up stairs
looks across this shed These two windows
are about six feet apart, and each fronts across
the line OF vision from the other


The next night Mr.. NJ s sisfer-in.laH saw
from the closet window a tall man coming
from the direction ofthe ice house door which
is about twenty Eve yards from the house.
Half his form was soon lifted above the shed.
lie had probably stepped on an old goods box
which was by the side of the shed, aud from
that on n high shelf below the eve of the
shed. She Immediately reported to the men
then on guard in the house One of them
stationed himself at the back passage window.
Before the ladies left this guard, footsteps
we're heard on the shed-the scraping of
matches was also heard, and light seen OH
the shed. The lady went back to the closet
windOw-thc man on the shed had been alarm-
cd aud had disappeared. In a few minutes
however, he appeared again, and Mr. Ms
sisterin-law again reported his presence to
the guard at the back passage window. She
went back Immediately to the closet window.
The guard stood ready to shoot him if no
came in sight. Just as she opened her closet
window to look out, she saw a man crouched
close to the wall between the two windows
scraping of matches was beard-a light
flashed IN at both windows, and the man on
the shed, rushing by the closet window on
the roof Of Mr.. Ms chamber, fred pistol
at her, barely missing her head, and singing
her eye brows and hair. The powder black
ened the side Of the house next to the window
and the ball struck and glanced off, The
man ran over Mr.. Ms chamber roof. and
Jumping down on the other side, escaped.


Since this last described night, several
weeks have elapsed, but no night passed iu
which the burglars did not demonstrate their
presence, unmistakably, in some way or other.
Lights have been thrown in at Mr.. Moons
windows every night, and frequently over tho
heads Of from ten to forty armed men. Some
times a small light, no larger than quarter
Of dollar is played upon the walls Of hiL
house-sometimes a much larger spOt-then
broad or narrow streak-sometimes fash,
and sometimes a broad glare. 4 bright,
radiatiDg light has been seen on the shed, at
the chamber window, and at the Office window.


The men who watched in Mr. Moons parlOr
last night, say that light was thrown in there,
they suppose, At least fifty times, aud sppa-
rentIy an effort was made to throw the shadow
Of men on the walls. Nearly every night
knocking or scraping sounds have been heard
on the sides of the house. Stones have been
thrown on top, or against the house Foot
steps have been heard on the shed and cham
ber roofs windows have been opened, or
attempts made TO open them, or something Of
the sort has occurred.


One morning. a roll Of cloth about six
inches long, aud an inch in diameter. satura-
ted with kerosene oil, and burnt at one end.
evidently wick for large light, was found
on top of Mr. Moons shed. On another
morning, bottle was found In the flower