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A discussion having sprung up between some gentlemen
who had met in a social circle, as to whether it was most
proper to consider every man honest till he proved himself
to be a rogue, or to consider every one a rogue till he
proved himself to be an honest man, one of the party, who
had aforetime been a traveling bank agent, said he would
narrate an incident of his own experience, which, if it
amounted to nothing more, he thought would at least prove
pretty conclusively that it is never safe to judge of a
stranger by his appearance.

“The Spring of 18—,” he began, “found me a traveler
through a certain portion of the West, on business connected
with the bank of which I was at that time the agent,
and for the transaction of which business I carried with me
a considerable sum of money. At the town of L****, in
the State of Kentucky, where I chanced to remain some
three or four days, putting up at one of the principal hotels.
I became acquainted with a gentleman who arrived in the
place the day after myself, and whom, from his appearance

[figure description] Page 388.[end figure description]

and representations, I believed to be a clergyman from the
eastward, traveling partly for his health and partly on a
visit to some distant friends.

“We became acquainted somewhat incidentally, and
from the very first I was much taken by his appearance.
He was some thirty years of age, of a slight, genteel figure,
had pale and somewhat ascetic features, was dressed in a
plain suit of black, and wore a white neckcloth and gold
spectacles.

“In the course of conversation he gave me considerable
information concerning himself; and in return I acquainted
him with my business, and informed him that I should
shortly set out en route for the city of N****** in the
adjoining State of Tennessee.

“ `Why, then, sir,' he said, `if it be agreeable to you, we
will become fellow-travelers, for that is also one of the
places I wish to visit myself.'

“ `I should be most happy of your company,' I replied;
`but, unfortunately, my business will require me to lay over
at some two or three different towns on the way.'

“ `It will not make any material difference to me,' he
rejoined; `and merely for the sake of your company, I will
suit my time to yours. Traveling as I am for health and
pleasure, and not business, I am in no haste—a long stage
is always irksome and fatiguing—and I am satisfied I shall

[figure description] Page 389.[end figure description]

enjoy the trip much better by keeping myself with so congenial
a companion.'

“This arrangement having finally been agreed upon, the
Rev. Mr. Kinney stated that he had a friend somewhere in
the vicinity whom he wished to visit; but though this
would require his absence for the present, he would return
punctually at the time appointed for my departure.

“Shortly after this he left the hotel, and I saw nothing
more of him till near the hour agreed upon; but he
returned according to promise, and we both set off together—
the stage, which conveyed us from the town of
L****, being crowded with passengers.

“At the village of S*****, where I made my first halt,
Mr. Kinney also made his, and we both, as before, put up
at the principal public house. I proceeded to transact the
business which called me thither, and he to amuse himself
by sauntering through the place, and admiring the rather
romantic scenery in the vicinity. Three hours sufficed to
arrange all my affairs for a fresh start; but as the stage
only passed through the village once in twenty-four hours, I
supposed I should have to remain over till the following day.

“In this respect I was agreeably disappointed; for
shortly after returning to the hotel, my clerical friend
appeared, and inquired what time I should be ready to set
forward.

[figure description] Page 390.[end figure description]

“ `I am ready now, for that matter,' I replied, `but there
is no stage till to morrow.'

“ `Fortunately, my friend,' he rejoined, `I have just met
with an old acquaintance, who, with a team of his own, is
on his way from a village a few miles back of here to the
town of P******, where I believe you mentioned it was
your intention to make another halt; and if agreeable to
you, we can gain one stage by going through with him;
so that when the next regular conveyance comes along,
you will probably be ready to take it and save at least one
day's delay.'

“ `The idea,' I replied, `is a very agreeable one to me—
for in these small places, after business is over, time always
hangs heavily upon my hands; but I do not wish to be
intrusive, and your friend may not care to be encumbered
with a stranger.'

“ `Oh, I will settle that!' he rejoined; `in fact I have
already done so; for thinking that you, like myself, would
like to resume your journey at the earliest practical moment,
I have spoken to Mr. Worrell to that effect, and
he has expressed himself as being highly pleased at having
us for companions.'

“Not to prolong my story with needless detail, I will
merely state that the matter was soon arranged to the satisfaction
of all parties—my reverend companion seeking his
friend, and the latter bringing him back to our hotel in a

[figure description] Page 391.[end figure description]

covered, one-horse vehicle, to which was speedily transferred
myself and baggage.

“When we set out from S******, it wanted about an
hour and a half of sunset; and it was calculated that, by
good driving, we could reach P**** a little past midnight,
which would give me the whole of the morning in advance
of the regular stage, and enable me to be ready to take it
when it should pass that way.

“For some three or four hours every thing went on very
pleasantly—the road being a good one, and leading
through a fine but rather sparsely settled country, and
Mr. Kinney relieving the tedium of travel by congenial
conversation.

“During our intercourse I had become much attached
to him. He was a man of no little intellectual capacity,
of manners the most pleasing, and apparently possessed a
rare refinement of thought and speech. He had studied
much, read much, traveled much, and had been at all times
a deep and practical thinker—at least such seemed evident
from his conversation. There was scarcely a subject that
he did not seem familiar with, and he could at all times
express his ideas clearly and concisely. Though contending
for the highest morality, he was not, so far as I could
judge, wanting in that true benevolence which excludes
bigotry, and affirms a conviction that there are good men
among all classes and denominations. In short, by one

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means and another, he made himself so agreeable, that I
more than once thanked fortune for our acquaintance, and
secretly regretted that our arrival in the city of N******
would probably bring about a final separation.

“Night having set in as we journeyed onward—and
our route, owing to the deep darkness of the heavy wood
through which the road mostly lay, being too uncertain
for any thing like speed—and Mr. Worrell also becoming
deeply interested in the remarks of his clerical friend, who
just at this time had become more than usually entertaining—
our horse was allowed to pick his way forward at a
gait most pleasing to himself.

“When it was, therefore, that we left the main road, I
do not know; but at length my attention was called off
from the absorbing narration of the Rev. Mr. Kinney, by
discovering, from the motion of our vehicle, that we were
actually plunging into deep ruts or gullies, and jolting
over stumps or stones, in a manner inconsistent with the
idea of being upon a regularly traveled stage-route.

“ `Excuse me for interrupting you,' said I to my clerical
friend, `but have we not got off the main road?'

“ `Upon my faith, it would seem so!' he replied. `Eh!
friend Worrell—how about this? Surely no stage passes
over ground like this?'

“ `There must have been a heavy rain here, and gullied

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the road,' answered Worrell; `for my horse has been
along here too often to mistake the way.'

“ `I think it will all come right presently, Mr. Withers,'
said the clergyman, addressing me. `The road is somewhat
rough, it is true; but I believe it is the main road,
nevertheless. Let me see! where was I? Oh, yes—I
remember!' and forthwith he resumed his story, and went
on to its conclusion, occupying some fifteen minutes more,
and we all this time jolting, rocking, and pitching as badly
as ever.

“ `Well, upon my word, friend Worrell,' he said, as soon
as he had finished his narration, `I am seriously inclined
to believe you have got out of the main road indeed!'

“ `I do not see how that can be,' replied the other; `for
certainly the instinct of my horse would not permit him to
turn aside from a route which he must know leads to good
quarters.'

“ `Still,' said I, `there is a possibility of our having
turned off from the main route; and I think, before we go
any further, a careful examination should be made.'

“ `So think I,' coincided the Rev. Mr. Kinney.

“ `Well, gentlemen,' rejoined Worrell, `I will wager
half-a-dozen bottles of wine that we are right; but to
satisfy you, I will agree to make an examination in five
minutes, if we do not come to smooth traveling before that
time.'

[figure description] Page 394.[end figure description]

“We rode on, slowly but roughly, our way being very
dark and running through a heavy wood; but after a lapse
of more than the time specified, finding our road had not
improved, I insisted upon a halt and a careful examination
of the locality.

“ `Certainly,' said Mr. Kinney, `an examination must be
made here, for I think myself there is some mistake. Do
not disturb yourself, however, Mr. Withers,' he added, as
he left the vehicle with his friend, `but remain quietly
where you are, and we will soon have the matter set right.'

“After leaving the carriage, my two companions walked
away together a few paces, as if to make an examination
of the surrounding scene, and I heard them conversing
together in low, cautious tones.

“And then it was, I scarcely know how nor why, that a
strange feeling of distrust and suspicion began to creep
over me. Who were these men? Pshaw! one of them
was a clergyman—and could I suspect a man of his sacred
calling? and the other was his friend. Ha! but did I
know him to be a minister of the gospel? Might he not be
a wolf in sheep's clothing? I then remembered having
heard of noted desperadoes and robbers assuming a
clerical appearance for the purpose of carrying out some
sinister design; and my suspicions being now fully
aroused, I thought rapidly and even painfully, and recalled
a hundred little incidents, nothing as it were in

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themselves, but now seeming to form a chain of evidence that
should be duly weighed and considered.

“Who was this Mr. Kinney? I had met him as a
stranger in a strange place; he had in a manner pressed
himself upon my acquaintance; he had proposed accompanying
me, and had done so, notwithstanding such
obstacles as would have deterred most travelers from a
like proceeding; he had absented himself, perhaps to find
a confederate; he had unexpectedly, and somewhat mysteriously,
found a friend on the route, and persuaded me to
accept of a private conveyance instead of the regular
coach; and we had apparently got lost on a plain road,
or else turned into some by-path in a manner that seemed
to prove some design rather than accident!

“What could all this mean? It might mean much, or
it might mean nothing. But I was not a poor traveler; I
had a large sum of money in my possession; a large sum
of money might be a temptation to men of reputed
integrity, to say nothing of its effect upon professional
robbers or highwaymen; and under the circumstances, was
it not best for me to look out for myself? I thought so.
Could there be any harm in my being upon my guard?
Certainly not. If they were honest men, I should do them
no wrong; if they were dishonest men, I should but do
justice to them and myself.

“All these thoughts flashed through my brain, seemingly

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in a moment of time; and the first thing I did was to feel
for my pistols, a loaded pair of which I always carried
concealed about my person. I drew them forth, and
examined them with my ram-rod. To my utter amazement
and alarm, I found they were capped, but empty!

“Then it was that my suspicions became confirmed; and
I remembered of once having left them in my room, to
which my clerical friend had access. Instantly I felt the
hot blood rush to my temples, and beads of cold perspiration
seemed to start from every pore.

“Gracious heavens! perhaps I was on the point of being
murdered!

“Quickly, but quietly, I reloaded my weapons, and
capped them anew. Then stealing softly and silently from
the covered vehicle, I found myself in a deep hollow, with
a heavy wood on either side of the narrow by-road. My
companions were still conversing in low tones at a short
distance. Stealthily I crept up to within a few feet of
them, just in time to hear the voice of the reverend gentleman
say:

“ `Yes, Charley, I tell you it can be done in that way.
We will announce that we have made a mistake; and then,
in our apparent endeavor to turn the carriage, we will
manage to cramp and upset it. Then, as you pretend to
assist Withers to get out, you can seize him in such a
manner as to pitch him forward upon the ground, so that

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we can both spring upon him at the same time, drag him
into the bushes, and put an end to him where his blood will
not show upon the path.'

“I heard this, and, without waiting for a reply, stole
round to the back of the carriage, to await the result. I
could have escaped, but a large portion of my money was
contained in my traveling trunk, and I was resolved that
that should not fall into the hands of the villains, even if
they escaped themselves.

“I had scarcely got myself into the position intended,
when Mr. Worrell came up to the carriage; and addressing
me, whom he supposed to be still inside, he said, with a
laugh, that he believed he had lost the wine, for by some
means or other we had got upon a by-road, but himself and
friend would soon turn the carriage about and regain the
main route. He then advised me to keep perfectly quiet,
that he would manage the matter in a moment or two, and
so forth and so on: to which I replied—speaking through
the back portion of the vehicle, so that my voice sounded
within—that, having an easy seat, I was not disposed to
leave it unless he required more help.

“The two then commenced turning the vehicle, and so
managed matters as to upset it as they intended. I still
carried out my part and uttered a groan as if from within.

“ `Good Lord, sir, are you much hurt?' exclaimed
Worrell, in a sympathetic and anxious tone.

[figure description] Page 398.[end figure description]

“I groaned again.

“ `Ah! sir, what a blundering accident!-let me assist yon!'

“And as he began to feel carefully forward for that purpose,
I slipped quietly round to the side where he stood,
and, seizing him from behind, fiercely hurled him to the
ground, where his head, fortunately for me, struck against
a rock and deprived him of consciousness.

“ `Villain!' cried I, cocking my pistols and turning upon
Kinney, whom in the faint light I discovered in the act of
springing forward, `you are caught in your own vile snare,
and shall not escape. Take that, thou doubly-dammed
monster, and return to thy master!'

“I pulled one trigger as I spoke, but the cap only
exploded and the pistol remained undischarged. The
next moment, along with a bitter curse, there came a flash,
a report, and a seeming blow upon my forehead; and by a
strange feeling of dizziness which immediately followed, I
comprehended that I was shot myself, and believed that my
hour had come. Staggering backward, I fell to the ground;
but did not lose my consciousness, nor my presence of mind;
and as the ruffian sprung forward to finish his work, I raised
my other pistol, just as he was in the act of bending over
me, and providentially sent its contents so directly through
his heart that he fell back dead, almost without a groan.

“Gentlemen, I need not prolong my story. I was
wounded by Kinney's shot, but not seriously—the ball

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having glanced from the frontal bone without fracturing it,—
producing dizziness and confusion without depriving
me at any moment of consciousness. I therefore was
enabled to get up in time to bind Worrell before he
recovered from the effects of his fall; and righting the
vehicle, and placing him and his dead companion within
it, I led the horse back to the main road, and drove on to
the nearest village, some two or three miles distant, where
I roused the inn-keeper and several of the inhabitants, told
my story, and placed both the living and the dead in the
hands of the proper authorities.

“Subsequently I appeared at the trial of Worrell, and
had the satisfaction of seeing him convicted and sentenced
to a long period of imprisonment. During that trial it
came out that both he and Kinney were well known robbers,
belonging to an organized band of desperadoes; and
that even before the appearance of the pseudo clergyman
at L****, there had been concocted a design to waylay
and murder me for my money. Unsuspecting myself, I
had fallen into their easiest trap, and by a kind Providence
had barely been saved from a fearful doom.

“But I assure you, gentlemen, the lesson was one which
I have never forgotten, and shall ever remember; and I
think no one can blame me for henceforth insisting upon
every man proving himself worthy of confidence before I
put faith in him.”

p480-413

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