EXCITING ADVENTURE WITH ROBBERS.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1026, 25 April 1883, Page 4

EXCITING ADVENTURE WITH ROBBERS.

LITERATURE.

( Tit-Bits.)

I was telegraph-operator and stationagent, on one of the Western lines of a railroad, when this adventure of which ! am;going to tell you happened to me. It was a wild and stormy night, and, as the depot was nearly half-a-mile out of town, the set of loafers which usually: collected about the stove in the waitingroom had eventually concluded to seek some place nearer home to spend the evening, and, for a wonder, 1 was alone. The express from the West was due at 9.50. After that I should be at liberty, and I began to wish the evening was over long before the train came along, or else that I had some one to talk to, for the depot was in one of the lonliest spots that could have been selected ; the wind kept up a dismal moaning in the pines close by, and every now and then seemed positively howling in the wires of the telegraph. I began to feel nervous and fidgety. At last the train came. I was also

express agent, and the expressman on v the train handed me a heavily-sealed envelope, remarking, as he did so, “ Be careful of that, Branthwaite. There’s a big bonanza in that package, if it were yours or mine.”: • “ Money ?” I asked, noticing : that there were but two passengers gettings Toff —two men in shaggy overcoats and slouched hats, whom I concluded, without thinking much about them or paying but little attention to them, to be hunters returned from some np-conntry trip.

“ Yes; a trifle of £20,000, I believe,” answered Phillips. “ Old Powers is sending it down to his son,’ who’s putting up a mill somewhere near- here, isn’t he ?” “Yes; on the other side of the river,” I replied. “ It’s lucky to have a rich lather, Philips.” “ Yoii’re right 1 there,” answered Philips. , And then the train started off, and I turned and walked towards: the office.. . As I neared the door with .the in ipy hand, one of the men,-who had been watching me, made a, spring; towards me. I don’t know how I happened to be ,on the look out for them, but I must have been, for I jumped back almost the same instant that he made his move, and before either one of them comprehended what I was about I had made a dive between them and succeeded in getting, into the office, and had the door bolted almost before 1 knew what I was doing. ' , . ; - f - : 1 heard ayolley of ;cnrses hurled after me, and then I knew by. the sounds and the" creaking of • the door that both of the raqn were trying to break, in.; But I .had no .fears of their doing that. ~; It was of hard .wood, well seasoned, and; would resist all their efforts, in that direction. :,, *; ] ' , I put the. package :in .the-safe and locked it securely before I stopped to think what was to be done. Then I sat down to think, while I con|d hear the men talking outside. I knew they were holdings council. over;, the means to be used effect an ‘entrance and possession.--of- the money had received/'* --,n • * It was anything but a pleasant situamile" away from any assistance, at ten b’clbck at night7--ahd a Stormy night at that—dud the 1 ’probabilities were that nearly Everybody was. alteady'in bed./If they E ’were 'not,' no i; 'ohe H would think of coming’ j to’ th e depot at that time of night. ■/Outside ‘were twb desperate men/ who: knew I had a r largb sum-of rhoney 1 id'my possession, : and ; they ! kridw ! that if they "cofild effect -on entrance amount to but ’little - : in the way of pre- ; venting ah : ; accomplishment s of : their; villainous purpose;' * -. ! ‘ ' Suddenly athbught occurred' to hie: The clerk at the hotel where ! boarded had taken a Tandy io telegraphy, and we had put up a ; wire between the Hotel and’ the depot. >il Why couldn’t I advise him of iny danger, and Have him send help ? T heard a hew sbutid at the" dbor then, which sent .the blood in great surging waves nil over me. ' The men; had begun to cut their way in with pocket-knives! - ! : ' Brushed to the instrument and called “George.” What if- he had gone to bed or should be out. I turned pale at the thought. ! ; .But pretty soon'a response, came back. He was there. “Go ahead.” I began and wrote : “I am in danger. Two men arc trying to gain admittance for the purpose of robbing the express-safe, Send help immediately. Not a minute to lose.” “ Slower,” telegraphed George, who had not been practising long,enough to ; be able to read very well. ‘ * I went over with the message again. But’ I suppose excitement made my writing “ blurred,” for again he sent back word: ‘‘ Slower, and more distinct. Can’t make it out.” God help me I Before I succeeded in making him understand me, they would be tßrongß the soor, X tliougbt, -witli a cold sweat breaking but all over me. But I went over the message agaiu, and this time he cuaght it, and sent back a hurried “ All right. Hold out for ton minutes.”

The men were digging away like beavers. I could see the points of their knives once in”a while as they splintered away fragments of the panels. But I knew that it would take them some time yet to cut away enough for them to make an entrance through. How I wished I had a pistol! I waited in feverish impatience. Suddenly there was a crash, and one panel was stove in by the foot of one of the men. “ Ah !” he grinned, with his leering face at the aperture. “ You see we mean business, don’t you ? , What are you going to do when we get in, eh ?” I didn’t know. Die, I supposed, if they took an idea to put an end to me

into their heads. - Why didn't George and the help lie had' promised come ? It seemed to me that there had been time enough to make a ten-mile tramp. “ We’ve got the second panel almost ready to stave in,” said the other man chuckling horribly over the cheerful information. “ Then, I guess, Tom can crawl through. You might as'well be opening that box o’ yonr’n, an’ git out of the bundle we-re after; it’ll save all of us considerable trouble an’ time.”

Crash came his foot against the panel, and it burst into splinters;, and rny heart fairly stopped beating when I saw one of them thrust his head and shoulders through the opening. I seized the poker, and struck him over the head 'with all the force I could muster. He ’rolled out a volley pf terrible curses, but I was master of the situation, at that particular moment. Suddenly there was a sound of voices, jand then the man outside cried out that they were “ nabbed,” and tried to make his escape. But I knew by the sound That he was caught, and was struggling :with his captors. , There were several pistol-shots fired, and eager cries, during which the poor wretch in the door made no effort* to escape, i hut lay There limp and motionless. I began to fear I had killed him. ! I drew back the bolts, and got the door open just in time to see the other man overpowered, a prisoner in the hands of half-a-dozen of the boys from town. ' Then we got the man out of the door. He wasn’t dead, but he was insensible ; my blows with the poker had been too much for him.

I bought a pistol the first thing next morning, and was oh the look but for robbers after that;, but that was the only adventure of any account that happened to me while I stayed There., If it hadn’t been for that telegraph which George and I had put into -operation, I; rather think I should have finished up my earthly career that night. M