Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1884 — E. Long Done Up. [ARTICLE]

E. Long Done Up.

Last Friday evening E Long, the south side shoe merchant, left his place of business at the usual hour for closing and started for his residence on Main street south of the Air Line crossing. The walk is about a mile from the public square and a portion of tlie distance is not thickly populated. He noticed two men following him before reaching the Cochell homestead and heard them conversing, Jbut thought nothing of it until after he had crossed the railroad when he observed that they had increased their gait and were rapidly gaining on him. He too walked more briskly and had reached the gate to his door yard before they succeeded in catching up with him. He opened the gate and was entering when his lantern was snatched and thrown down in the grass, extinguishing the light, and his throat was encircled by the hands of one of the ruffians with a death-like grip. Mr. Long called for help, but his alarm brougnt no relief and he was so choked that he was helpless. After demanding his money, the robbers searched his pockets and obtained They then released him and beat a hasty retreat into the darkness. As the lantern fell on the ground when taken from him, the light flashed in the face of one of the robbers, but Mr. Long did not recognize him. He describes him as a short, heavy set man with red hair and red whiskers. The men had evidently shadowed the shoe dealer from his place of business and probably intended to assault him at Brearley’s run’ the most unfrequented point chi the road, but were startled by Cochell’s dog which came out and barked as they passed in that locality. Aside frem a very sore throat, Mr. Long sustained no personal injury and was able to attend to business next day. It ’./as a bold robbery, and the success with which it was consumated goes to show that the villains who engaged in it were not novices in acts of crime.—Mon - ticello Herald.