LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1582, 15 March 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A MYSTIFIED MESSENGER. (“Weekly Alta,” California.) There were comparatively few persons who knew that George Gleason, that favorite express messenger of the P. 0. and St. L. Road was a somnambulist. His strange freaks performed during a somnambulistic trance were known to a small circle of friends and associates who mentioned them not when our hero was appointed to the position to fill with honor. For two years he ran his car without incident, no train robbers attacked it, and he became the favorite messenger oi the road. Strange to say that during the time, while he dozed often in his car, he did not once fall into the somnambulistic state, and he was congratulating himself that the singular trances had left him altogether, when occurred the incident that I am about to relate.

Bis downward run on the night express extended from Coshocton to s-pringfield, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles. There were few stations of importance on the route, and the train made but three halts between the two cities. The officers of the road were, at the date of our story, and still are, careful men of business, jealous of their patrons’ interests and gentlemen of integrity. When robberies became common on other roads, the messengers of the P, C. and St. L. were sure to receive orders commanding extra precaution, and it was to the obedience of these orders that much of the popularity of the road was attributed.

‘ Hello !’ exclaimed Messenger Gleason one evening while looking over the columns of the Cleveland “ Herald ” ‘The express car of the C. C. and J. C. robbed of 30,000 dols ! That’s a good haul. Why don’t the car thieves try my car ? Here I’ve been on the roail two years, and never for a moment has the safety of a dollar in my safes been joapardized.’ He considered himself one of the luckiest messengers in the country, and with the paper in his hand, stepped into the express car which a moment later moved out of Coshocton.

It was a beautiful autumn evening, and the messenger sat at the open side door enjoying a cigar until the bud went down and darhess fell over the earth. Then he shut the door, lighted the lamps, and saw that everything was safe. He knew the value of the content’s of the company’s safes, and ho thought what a haul the thieves would make if they could successfully burglarize his car on the present trip, But he felt secure, for he dropped into his own chair and fell asleep. The train had a run of forty-nine miles before the messenger would again bo called to service, and he thought of this perhaps, when he settled ;into a chair and resolved upon a dose. By and by he rose, and bis eyelids parted. He walked directly to the safes which stood side by side, and opening the combination locks threw wide open the burglar-prcof doors. Then he took forth valuable package after package, until he had emptied the strongholds of their treasures. It is safe to say that Messenger Gleason deprived the safes of money and other valuables to the aggregate of seventy thousand dollars ! After doing this he closed the doors, and with the pa rkages walked out of the car to the tender.

It was filled with coal, black and grim, and the heavy smoke of the engine, the toy of the smart breeze blowing, beat against his face.

But he did not seem to heed it, for he climed upon the tender with one band, and deliberately secreted the packages among the coal in one corner.

Having accomplished his singular task, he returned to the express car, washed his hands, which had been begrimed by the lumps of coal, and retired to his chair, where hia eyes closed and he breathed like a sleeping man, George Gleason had robbed the safes in a state of somnambulism, and their iron doors guarded the messenger’s books and a few old papers of little value. He slept for half-an-hour longer when he awoke and rubbed hia eyes. Hia first action thereafter was to consult his watch.

‘ We’re approaching Grafton,’ be said to himse’f, and drew another cigar from his pocket for a quiet smoke. A minute later the fragrance ol a prime jlor del fumar tilled the car, and the messenger was balkenveloped in smoke. Grafton was not nineteen miles away. All at cnco Gleason heard his name pronounced, and turned quickly in his chair. He sprang to his feet the m .merit afterward, and as the half-consumed cigar fell to the floor, his hand How to the pocket that held the revolver.

For there stood before him two men whose d irk masks hung far below their chins ‘ Don’t draw, Mr Gleason.’ said one of the strangers, and the young messenger saw a revolver covering hia head, * Wo don’t

want to be so ungentl manly as to slay yon Ker« The roa i caa’t spare you, indeed in can't!’

Gleawn’s hand shrunk away from t’e p ek <t it had touched and he looked at the men for a moment in silence.

‘ What do you want ?’ he asked. ‘What most men earnestly desire money.’ ‘1 have no money.’ 1 But the safes have.’ ‘Then open them if you can,’ said the messenger with a smile. 1 With your assistance wo wifi, answered one of the masked mm, who until that moment had not spoken *Mr Gleason, wo didn’t come hero to parley, and, as we mean business, we will proceed to it. at once You have the keys, and will oblige ua by producing them. The young messenger looked twice in the eyes of the man, and once into the muzzle of the revolver before ho displayed the keys.

‘ Hero theya T e,’ said ho extending them. ‘No, no, Ghason,’ was the response, and the twinkle of the dark eyes told oui mesaenisr that the face beneath the mask was smiling, ‘lt’s a combination lock, you see, and we happen to be ignorant of your cabalistio word—your sesame. Open the doors for us if you please.’ Gleason saw that pleading would avail him naught. There was stern determination iu the robber’s tone, death in the depths of his black e,es. He had often heard of such burglaries ; how cashiers were made to open the safes of their own banks and throw thousands at the feet of the robbers. He never dreamed that such an event would happen in express car No. SG, much less that he would be compelled to assist in robbing the patronising public. But he was at the mercy of the villains, and his life was in startling jeopardy He came forward with a pale face and stooped before the safes

‘ He lively about it,’ said one of them. ‘You know the locks like a book, and we know how to treat a man who obeys our orders with alacrity We give you two miuntes grace in which to work, If at the end of that lime the doors do not swing open, the P. 0. and St. L. will lose her best messenger I’ The imperiled man did not reply, but fell to work upon the locks. The combination was quite intricate, but Gleason was familiar therewith, and in less than a minute’s time he opened the first door.

* Now for the packages,’ said one of the men.

The messenger put forth his hand, unlocked an inner door, and staited back .■ ghast. The money pocket of the safe was empty

‘ What’s up, Gleason ?’ exclaimed the mask, looking at the messenger with astonishment.

Gleason pointed to the empty receptacle, almost too amazed to speak, and the robbers exchanged stronge glances. ‘ Open the other safe, now ! ’ commanded one.

The messenger obeyed. It too was moneyless.

* George Gleason, we want no trifling. You know whore tho money is,’

‘ How should I know ?’ cried the messenger, mystified more than the robbers. ‘Did I know that you were coming, and secrete the matter ? If so, who betrayed you ? Here are my books, look at them for yourself. I swear to you that there were seventy thousand dollars worth of express matter in the safes when we left Coshocton. I haven’t left the car for one moment, though I have dozed, like the cat. A footstep however soft, will rouse me. You ask me where the money is; I throw the question back at you. Upon pain of death I could not tell you.’ ‘He ceased, and the foremost robber said — m

‘This beat me. I believe you, George Gleason. Somebody has robbed the safes before we struck. They did it while you slept. Will you slacken the speed of the train ?’

The messenger seized the bell-rope, and the speed of the train began to diminish. ‘ Now, good night, Gleason,’ said the disappointed robbers, moving to the sliding door; ‘we hope the company won’t discharge you for sleeping at your post. Of course we a r e disappointed—we expected to make a big haul to-night.’ The next moment they sprang from the car. and the messenger heard a prolonged whistle.

Then ho saw the bell rope moving, and the train fast returned to its usual speed. He fell back into the chair completely mystified. He could not imagine who robbed the safe, whom empty pocket started at him from one corner of the car.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the conductor, who bounded into his presence. * They did it, eh ? Money all gone ! Curse the fiends ! They had a man on each platform, masked and armed. How much did they get ? They come on board as passengers.’ ‘ Not a dollar ?’ said Gleason.

The conductor looked at the safes, and then at the man whom he seemed to regard as mad.

‘ Where is the money then ?’

‘ I don’t know.’

The train was stopped, and as the messenger had told his story, search for the packages began. It came to an abrupt termination. The engineer placed the lost valuables into Gleason’s hands.

‘Bob, the fireman, saw you climb on to the coal in the tender, and then you stuffed all these envelopes into one corner. When you went back into your car we pulled ’em out, and intended to keep ’em for you till we got to Grafton. Why, you had your eyes open, and Bob and me knew you were in a walking trance.’ Thus spoke the engineer, and the reader may imagine with what thankfulness the messenger received the envelopes, nob one of whose original number was missing. I do not know whether the robbers ever learned the story of the missing valuables, but I do know that since that night George Gleason has not been a somnambulist.