Page:History of John M'Pherson, Dick Balf, and Gilder Roy.pdf/5



5                   himself with some weapons, a very good staff, he betook himself to the high road, far enough from his native place not to                   be known. In his first attempt, when he                   came up with any one that he knew had money, he first requested of them to lend him some, and if by terror or persuasion he could prevail on them so to do, he                   would be pretty moderate, and common- ly took but part; but upon resistance he                   made little or nothing of taking a man by the arm, and pulling him off his horse, he then usually would give him a pretty hearty squeeze, which seldom failed to                   bring him into compliance, and to deli- ver without further trouble; yet if a man still continue sturdy, his custom was to                   throw him over his shoulder, and run a-                    way with him to some private place, and there rifle him, what became of his horse it mattered not. This was the common and usual way of robbing, which he continued for ma- ny years, very seldom with company, but mostly alone. One evening he went in                   to a country house by himself, and when he had carried all the people he met in                   his way into another room, and fastened the door, he began to put his plunder in