The Fox Always Gets Away: A Robber in the Hills

The Rice stagecoach at Gantt's House Hotel, Newport, PA

Our paternal grandfather was born in 1895, and we were very fortunate to hear his stories from the old days (although he said they weren't the good old days, with no heat except in the kitchen and having to go down the hill to the creek for water).  Once he pointed out the spot near Little Buffalo State Park where he had seen the last Rice stagecoach rotting away when he was a boy (I guess a little after 1900).  Brother Steve, in writing the family history, found a photo of one (from a 1906 postcard) at the Perry County Historical Society.  Their mail carrying service ran from 1852 to the 1890s.  Zachariah Rice, Sr.was one of the largest operators in the state with over 500 contracts.  The Perry and Cumberland county routes were operated by the family (including seven sons); others were subcontracted.  "The Rice brothers are remembered by many people whose first glimpse of the outer world came after an overland trip in one of those Rice stages." (H. H. Hain's History of Perry County, 1922).

There are other stories of his that are more widely known, the best one being about "The Robber Lewis."  He was Pennsylvania's Robin Hood, and it's a good one.  Born in Carlisle in 1790, David Lewis was tall, handsome, muscular, likeable and witty, and despite a life of crime not violent.  After some scrape with the law at home (his family had moved to what became Milesburg in Centre county just after his birth), he enlisted in the Army, deserted, reenlisted (probably for a second bonus), was discovered and imprisoned.  Due to his age, the death penalty was set aside, and he then made the first of many escapes -- by sawing through the chain which attached a 30-pound cannonball to his leg.

After learning counterfeiting in Burlington, VT,  Davy committed robberies and Albany and New York City, where his suave style is first recorded.  After using his charm to secure an invitation to a society party put on by John Jacob Astor, he relieved the guests of their valuables and jewels and informed them they had just enjoyed the distinction of being fleeched by "David Lewis, the Robber."  This scene was portrayed in the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

Returning to central Pennsylvania rather a rich man, he and accomplices went on a spree robbing wagons, stagecoaches and travelers throughout the Appalachian back country, while hiding out at the homes of friends, fans and in two caves (one today a tourist site known as Indian Caverns, and one at Doubling Gap west of Carlisle, PA).  Once, Lewis even joined a posse looking for him, later sending the sheriff a note asking if he had enjoyed his company, reminding the lawman that "the fox always gets away."

The Lewis Cave at Doubling Gap

Locals were usually ready to shelter Lewis and warn him of impending danger since he shared his loot freely and was amusingly wily but never deadly.  The story Grandad told was in this vein, here from an 1853 publication:

Lewis encountered an elderly lady, and found her penniless and distraught that the constable was on his way to take her cow in payment for the last half-year's rent.  She said, "I don't know what I'd do without her."  "How much is due?" Lewis asked.  "Twenty dollars, sir." Replied the robber, "Have you no one to help you?" "No one," she replied. He drew the sum from his pocket, saying "Pay that fellow his demand, and take the receipt, but don't say anything about me."

Lewis made his escape, and the widow paid the back rent, collecting the written receipt.  Upon leaving, Lewis jumped into the constable's path, pointing his pistol.  He got his twenty dollars back, and more besides.  He later said "that loan of $20 was a very good investment."

The end came in 1820, after his band of outlaws robbed a merchant's three-wagon train.  The posse killed one of his gang, captured the other, and wounded Davy Lewis badly in the arm.  Refusing an amputation, he died in the Bellefonte (Centre county) jail of gangrene, after writing his confessional autobiography.  He got the last laugh by stating he left over $20,000 in the nearby cave, for which generations of treasure hunters have searched in vain.

The Rice stagecoaches ran late enough in the 19th century to miss the threats of both The Robber Lewis and the Seneca natives.  But it must have been dangerous enough for those intrepid fellows, with daunting weather, breakdowns and accidents, bears and pumas and the ever-present mountain rattlesnakes.  The railroads replaced them in the mail and passenger business, and ironically their descendant our grandfather worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1918 to 1960.