Year: 1869

snSeS oAn SCCn nono az on OA 'n
neighbors.


"Let's have look at his face" sal
/. "We can get that much at any rate
} Do you go back with me, and when
get into the pung, just hold your Ian
tern so the light will shine into hi
face"


He did as ! wished, and as steppe'
into the pung. ! got a fair view of sucl
portions of my passengers face as wa
not muffled up. / saw short, thicl
frame, full, hard features, and coult
almost see that there was heavy beart
under the chin. / thought of the mai
whom the postmaster had described t
me; but did not think seriously upol
it until / had started. Perhaps l hat
gone half mile when l noticed th,
mail bag wasn't in its place under my
feet.


"Hallop' says l, holding up my
horses little, "where's my mail?"


My passenger sat on seat behinC
me, and 1 turned toward him.


"Here is bag of some kind slipped
back under my feet" he said. giving
it kick, as though he would shove i
forward.


Just at this moment my horse lum
bered into deep snow drift. and was
forced to get out and tread down the
snow in front of them and lead them
through it.


This took me all of fifteen minutes;
and when l got in again / pulled the
mail bag forward and got my feet upon
it. As was doing this I saw the man
taking something from his lap. beneath
the buffalo, and put it into his breast
pocket. This l thought was pistol.
had caught the CLEAN CT barrel in
the starlight. and when had time to
reflect I knew I could not be mis-
taken.


About this time l began I'd think
somewhat seriously. From what had
heard and seen, l soon made up nv
mind that the individual behind me
not only meant to rob me of my mail,
but he was prepared to rob me of my
life. If l resisted him he would shoot
NE, and perhaps he meant to perform
that delectable operation at any rate.
While 1 was pondering. the horses
plunged into another deep snow-drift,
and l was again forced to get out
and tread down the snow before them.
asked my passenger if he would help
me, but he didn't feel very well, and
wouldn't try; SO worked all alone,
and was all of quarter of an hour
getting my team through the drifts.


When l got into the sleigh again l
began to feel for the mailbag with my
feet. l found it where l had left it;
but when l attempted to withdraw my
foot l discovered it had become en-
tangled in Something thought it
was the buffalo, and l tried to kick it
clear; but the more 1 kicked, the more
closely was it held. l reached down
my hand, and after feeling about few
moments, l found that my foot was in
the mailbag! / felt again, and found
my hand in among the packages of let
ters and papers! ran my fingers over
the edges of the opening and became
assured that the stout leather had been
cut with knife!


Here was a discovery! began to
wish that l had taken a little more
forethought before leaving Danbury;
but as l knew that making such wishes
was only waste of time, 1 quickly
gave it up, and began to consider what
l had best to do under existing circum-
stances. 1 wasn't long in making up
my mind upon few essential points.
First, the man behind me was villain;
second, he had cut open the mail bag
and robbed it of some valuable matter
-he must have known the money let
ters by their size and shape; third, he
meant to leave the stage on the first op-
portunity, and fourthly, he was pre-
pared 10 shoot me if l attempted to ar
rest or detain him.


/ revolved these things over in my
mind, and pretty soon thought of a
course to pursue. l knew that to get
my hands safely upon the rascal must
take him wholly unawares, and this l
could not do while he was behind me,
for his eyes were upon me all the time
so l must resort to stratagem. Only
a little distance ahead was house, and
an old farmer named Lougee lived
there; and directly before it huge
snowbank stretched across the road,
through which track had been cleared
with shovels.


AS we approached the cut l saw a
light in the front room, as / felt conf
dent should, for the old man general
ly set up until the stage went by. l
drove on, and when nearly opposite the
dwelling stood up, as had frequently
done when approaching difficult places.
I saw the snowbank ahead, and could
distinguish the deep cut which had
been shoveled through it. / urged my
horses to good speed, and when near
the bank forced them into it. One of
the runners mounted the edge of the
bank, after which the other ran into
the cut, thus throwing the sleigh over
about as quick as though lightning had
struck it.


Ny passenger had not calculated on
any such movement, and wasn't pre-
pared for it; but I had calculated and
was prepared. He rolled out into the
deep snow with heavy buffalo robe
around him, while lighted on my feet
directly on top of him. I pushed his
head in the snow and sung out for
old Lougee. l did not have to call a
second time, for the farmer had come
to the window to see me pass, and as
soon as be saw my sleigh overturned
he had lighted his lantern and hurried
out. :,


whats to pay?" asked the old
man, as he hurried out.


"Lead the horses into the track, and
then come here" said ].


As / spoke I partially loosened my