CHAPTER III 

 A WHOLESALE ROBBERY 



" Then thieves and robbers range abroad unseen in murders and in 

 outrage. ' ' RICHABD II. 



MANY years ago I had a rainy day experience in the 

 woods totally different from the above recital. The 

 time was in August of the year 1871. I was then a 

 resident of Oil City, Pa., and a month or so before that 

 date a prominent lawyer of that town whom I will call 

 Larkin, although in reality that's not his name filled 

 my ears with stories of woodcock and pheasant shoot- 

 ing, with perhaps a chance at a bear, together with 

 splendid trout fishing, and all to be found on the 

 western slope of the Alleghanies. The station was 

 about fourteen miles from the summit of the moun- 

 tains. Larkin said we should find the best shooting 

 and fishing upon a small run, which found its way into 

 the Alleghany River, and this was to be our base of 

 operations. 



In due time we arrived at the flag station, and from 

 there we lugged in our supplies tent, rifle, shotgun, 

 ammunition, etc. We soon found a likely spot to pitch 

 our tent on the bank of a swift-running brook, where 

 we were close to some fine trout pools, and also to 



