In 1886, Kitch Payne, a Nelson resident, who was a great sturdy fellow, honest and good-natured as the day is long, and well into his seventies, still loved to hear the old neighbors tell of his encounter with a burglar many years ago. Kitch was chopping out a farm for himself in the forest, when a store at Garrettsville, some four miles away, was burglarized and almost every dollar’s worth of goods taken. The next night a peddle drove through the trail by Kitch’s cabin. How Kitch’s suspicions were aroused it would be hard for him to tell, as peddlers were the most common travelers in those days. But something told Kitch that the goods of the Garrettsville firm were in that wagon. Kitch quietly slipped into the woods and followed the peddler nearly a mile. Suddenly the wagon left the trail and came into the woods directly towards Kitch. He crouched in the underbrush and to his surprise saw or rather heard, a man crawl out of the wagon and enter into conversation with the driver. Soon they began to unload the wagon and they finally agreed that one should stay by the goods and conceal them in great hollow chestnut tree, nearby, while the other drove on to Parkman. It was very dark and Kitch didn’t care to tackle both the rascals single-handed. He waited until one had departed. Then, alone, in the darkness and gloom of the woods, without knowing whether his opponent was armed or not, Kitch tackled the robber. It was a surprise and the sturdy young farmer soon had his knee on the scamp’s chest. After he had conquered him, Kitch took his man by the collar and marched him home. There was no place at the cabin where the prisoner could be confined over night, but Kitch was equal to the occasion.
Kitch told his wife, Jane, to sleep in the spare chamber. The prisoner was his new bed-fellow for the night. He was told to get into bed first. Kitch told him he better sleep quiet, too, and from behind the door Kitch drew forth an ax and stood it up within easy reach.
The night wore on and the prisoner while pretending to be snoring like Kitch, inched the bed away from the wall. Slowly and noiselessly the robber slipped out of bed between the bedstead and the wall. Kitch remained asleep and snoring loudly. The robber stopped his pretense in snoring. He was going to crawl under the bed and escape. Suddenly Kitch’s snoring stopped. Quick as a cat he sprang to the floor. Kitch grasped the heavy bedstead and gave a mighty shove. It crowded the robber against the wall until his eyes bulged out. Kitch seated himself upon the bed, placed his ax upon his knee. There they stayed until daylight.
The robber was handed over to the authorities, and a search of the woods where he was caught him disclosed most of the stolen goods. It was said for years afterward, whenever Kitch went to Garrettsville and took his ax with him, the pickpockets and petty thieves would flock to the depot to start down the old Mahoning track on foot for more comfortable quarters.
