Year: 1873

the Trcasurcr's ofkoe; / went owe,


and visited the TreaS's ONCE 20 sur-


vey the premises. then went back


and had considerable talk concerning


it, and we came to the conclusion


that 1t was good thing, but it was


very bad weather and the moon was


shining very badly to do business Of


that description and We thought We


would wait until the moon eot better.


We went TO West Liberty and were


oil prepared there; were going TO
get team and come over but there


was heavy snow fell and my friend


was afraid if We met with m accident
that he could not stand . big walk
aud so altogether wss afraid 70 un-
dertake it then. So We went back to
New York. On tho road We stopped


ut Cleveland and several other places
and ! wrote to NJ. that my friend did
not wish to come back again and that
if he could furnish . man l would
come back alone. A few days after
got home got letter from NJ.
telling me TO come out rs soon ~ /
could: that he could furnish all the
men l wanted. Immediately after I
got that lcttcr-about or ! little after
the middle Of April came on to
Burlington. Had been notified in
the lst letter that should notify NJ.
and day or two before | got here l
sent him letter saying | would be
here on Saturday SO that could
make the raise on Sunday and avoid
the telegraph. l sent him one Of the
most remarkable envelopes that ever
saw, it was covered all over with ad-
yertisements. then came TO West
Liberty, hired team there and
drove over here; got here about
half past ) or o'clock; put my team
Pritchard's stable; went to hotel; put
my tools under counter; hung my
overcoat on nail and went out and
took walk by the railroad, then
came back to the Court House, went
to the Treasurer's Office and back to
NJ shop. then saw NJ. and Just
barely nodded to him. He told me
whore l could meet him that night
by the big mill. l then went to
Wolf & Landt's Office; l wanted to
get into the Trcasurer's Office to see
what kind of safe there was there:
/ pretended l wanted some ab-
stracts and somebody told me they
were abstract men. inquired I
think of Yates and he told me Of
them; think l told Yates that | was
hunting up some lost property OF
Browns cstate--some old codger
who had come out here and bought
up land and gone crazy and died in
the insane asylum; that the taxes
hadn't been paid and that there was
some provision for the heirs to re-
deem, or something Of that kind; I
thought by that means / would gct


him to go with me to the Treasurer's
Office and would see the safe. Came
to Court House again and went back
and got my supper. After supper /


went and saw Gilbert and told him
the same | did Yates; we had quite
a talk. Then ] got the team and
drove through the streets; drove past
Me- shop; when / came up NJ. was
standing in the door but did not look
at me as l did not want to be rccog-
nized. | drove up to hotel, got my
ovcrcoat and box of tools and started
towards Rochester; going out drove
by Ms shop; NJ. nodded at me and !
just merely returned it; then drove
out of town about . mile and staid
there until after dark; then drove up
the street from Rochester and up that
way and drove round and hitchcd to
the mill. 1t was dark before / got
into town, and after hitching the team
/ went into blacksmith shop and
picked out what things l needed and
stood close to the door; went to the
buggy and stood there until NJ. and
Ridgeway came up; we stood in the
middle Of road and NJ. introduced me
to Ridgeway. That was the frst
time knew Ridgeway was to help
me, although ! had been in his saloon
and got drink. We came up TO
Court House; there was a bright
light in the lower room; Ridgeway
and got into the buggy with the in
tention Of driving around but instead
we went northeast. There was 4
bright light at Miller House or in
that vicinity, and r. buttonsd up his
coat in this manner [demonstrating]
and damned the light. | drove on
north two blocks, then west one, and
then south to mill and hitched team
lower down; then went to Court H


alone, they not wishing to be seen or
recognized. Think ! went up to the
southeast corner of Court House !;
went to well and got drink; there
was still light burning in this lower
office, at that corner-south east. /
looked around some and went back;
think l came up again. 1t was get
ting late and after going back the Sd
time all Of US got in buggy and drove
up so the church. ! should Judge it


was then after IL o'clock. We all
went up to the church together and
hitched the team back of the church.
/ then came down to the Court H.
yard alone. | may have come down
twice but think only once. Still
this light was burning. ! then pro-
posed to go back to West Liberty,
and told them it was getting late to
undertake so big job as going into
that safe, at that time Of night. Ny
intention was to go in there As carly
as possible and 60 to drilling in order
to have as much time rs possible.
They proposed that it would not take
but few minutes to rob Rowell.
They said that the merchants kept
money there and they understood and
declared to me that Rowell mover
kept less than from 500 to 5000 dol.
lars in money besides the jewelry in
his safe. had been in at Rowell's
and looked at safe and did not think
that there was any money in it. !
didn't think that the merchants here
would trust much money there, but !
thought that they lived here and
knew, and ] hadn't money enough to
get back to New York, 90 ! thought
l would undertake it. We then
came back to the blacksmith shop and