Year: 1878

I


Martinsburg.


As the day progressed, the two trav-
elers became very communicative and
the confiding preacher drew from my
father all the objects of his journey,
while the other related all the princi-
ticularly upon his religious experiences.


The country they were passing over
was less wild i'm its character than that
of the previous day. But still there
were stretches Of miles without settle
ments.


They We're passing through one of
these wild stretches, when my fathers
agreeable companion, who had been
riding little in advance, suddenly
checked his horse, and turning upon
my father with cooked pistol pre-
sented at his head, exclaimed:


Now, neighbor, if I've amused you
long enough with my character of
canting parson, I've another to show
you. So now let us have that we'll
filled pocket-bOok, will ye?''


As much astonished as my father was
by this sudden change of manners, he
was too good a lawyer TO be disconcer-
ted, or thrown off his guard; and rap
idly drawing a pistol from beneath his
vest, he levelled it at the head of the
quasi parson, and sprung the trigger.
No report followed, and snatching the
other, he also brought that to bear upon
him. But the imperturbable robber
pushed it aside with his own pistol,
and with sneering smile informed
my father that those ''persuaders"
were harmless, and would now fail ''to
back his plethoric pocket-book. He
had ''taken the precaution TO empty
their pans when shutting out the fresh
morning air, at the tavern behind
| them


This was true. The disguised robber
had thrown the priming out of the
window, at the tavern, and my father
now found himself completely unarmed.
But even in this emergency, my
father was more than match for the
bold villain; and taking from his breast
well simulated pocket-book, which
he had prepared in anticipation of
similar encounter, he extended il to-
wards the robber. But as the fellow
was about to snatch il from his hand.
my father tossed it from him into the
thicket bordering the road. His inten-
| ton was TO put spurs to his horse and
so make his escape as soon as the man
should attempt to recover it.
But in this intention he was disap-
pointed. for the bafiied robber with an
oath discharged his pistol, which. but
for mis- poor horse, would have been the
death of my father. The noble animal
received the ball in his brain, and fell
with him to the ground.


IN tend to your case at my leisure ~
cried the highwayman, ''but | must
first have that pocket-book."


And springing from his horse, he
disappeared in the bushes. Seeing the |
robbers horse remain in the road. a |
new idea now occurred to my father: |
and instantly acting upon it, he cleared
himself from his dying sorrel, and leap |
ing upon the back of the robbers horse,
tlew rapidly from the spot.


The man heard the clatter of his
horses feet upon the road, and turning |
at the sound, was sadly chagrined at |
the trick that had been played upon
him. HIS discharged his remaining pis-
tol ut my father, who had by that time |
got beyond its range; and still greater |
must have been his modification when, |
on examining what he supposed to be |
rich prize, TO find the pocket-book |
filled only with worthless strips of |
brown paper.


Ny father had ridden but little dis |
tance from the scene of this occurrence,
when, on ascending rising ground, he |
found himself close upon the village of
Martinsburg.


1t happened to be public day, and |
the place was filled with people. Rid
ing up to the front of the village tavern,
about which he perceived a crowd of
people, he hastily informed them of what
had just occurred; and scarcely had
he told his story, when Il party of eager
horsemen started out to scour the coun-
try for the robber.


In the absence of the party, my IA
ther, calling for a private apartment,
proceeded to examine the contents of
the robbers saddle-bags, which he
found contained, besides quantity of
wearing apparel, several suits of which |
were evidently intended for disguises,
over eighteen hundred dollars in gold
and bank-notes, and papers which sat
isfactorily proved that his late sanity |
travelling companion was none other
than the notorious Tom Wills, whose
robberies and murders had thrown the
whole country into alarm.


The people were absent but few
hours when they returned with the
robber strongly bound.


At first the cunning rogue attempted
to make it appear that my father was
the real robber, and himself harmless
and inoffensive Methodist preacher;
asserting that it was his horse that was
killed, and not my fathers; and in cor
roboration of his statement advised the
people to examine the saddle-bags on
which my father had ridden to the
place.


What the effect of the fellows's plau-
sibls story would have been it is impos
sible to say. had my father not made
known his business i'm that part of the
country, when one of the gentlemen,
with whom he had been corresponding,
and who was expecting his arrival,
recognized him, and settled the matter.


The Jail at Martinsburg not being
deemed sufficiently strong to hold so
notorious an offender as Tom Wills, he
was taken on to Watertown, in Jeffer-
son County (the adjoining county,,
where he had his trial-my father ap-