The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-11-09
G5e 9ailp yournaI.
A NEW way To DETECT A THIEF.

a NEW WAY 10 DETECT THEE.
The father of the great American Statesman
was humorous and jocose parsonage, and
Iinnumerable are the anecdotes related of him.
AS he was lourneying in Massachusetts, not
far from his native town, he stopped rather
late one night at an inn in the village Of.
In the bar-room were about twenty different
persons, whoi as he entered, called out for him
to discover a thief One of the company, it
appeared, had, few minutes before, had q
watch taken from his pocket, and he knew the
offender must bein the room with them,
Come, Mr. Almanac maker, you know the
signs og kiIIes, the. hidden things of the season
tell WHO Is the thief.''
. s'Fastan all the doors Of the room and let no
one leave it.and here landlord go and bring
your Wife's great brass kettlele." - 80
"Whe-ew! want to know! my starsi my
wifes whe-ew' quoth Bonitanee. s-s-T
"Why, you wouldn't be more struck if /
told you to go to potn' - t-.az.
I Boniface did as commanded; the great brass
kettle was placed IN the middle of the floor. its
bottom up-as black sooty and smoky as a
chimney back The landlord got into his bar,
and looked on with his eyes as big as saucers
"You don't want any hot water nor nothin'
Ito take off the bristles on a critter do you
Squirrel said the Landlord, the preparation
looking little too much like hog killing
|"The old woman's gone to bed and the Wells
dry"
"Now go into your barn and bring the biggest
cockerel you've got.'
''Well! you won't bile him, will youl he's
la tough one. can swear, squire, he didn't
steal the watch. The old rooster knows when
it is time to crow, without looking at a watch"
"Go along or l won't detect the thief"
Ia 4Ia
with tremendous fat rooster, cackling all the
way like he was mad.
"Now put him under the kettle and blow
the light out.
The old rooster was thrust under the inyert-
ed kettle and the lamp blown out
| "Now gentlemen, Idon't 'spose the thiefis
in the company; but if he is, the old rooster
will crow when the offender touches the bot
tom Of the kettle with his hands, Walk
round in circle, and the cock will make
known the watch stealer The innocent need
not be AFRAID, you know. e
The company then, to humor him. and car
Try out the joke, walked round the kettle in
the dark for three or four minutes.
"Alldone gentleman?
"All done, was the cry; where's your crow
ing! We heard no growing" aa
Bring US light.
A light was brought as ordered.
"Now hold up your hands, good folks" They
were of course black, from coming in contact
with the SCOT Of the kettle.
"All up"
"AHupn was the response: fa e.Ha
"All-- don't knowi Here's one fellow who
hasn't held up his hands,"
'Ah, ha! my old boy let 9 take peep at
at your paws.p '.9ifi
They were examined, and they were not
black like those Of the rest of the company.
| you'll find your watch about him-search.n y
And SO it proved. This fellow not being
aware, any more. than the rest of the trap that
was set for the discovery ofthe thief had kept
aloof from the kettle, lest when he touched
it the growing of the rooster should proclaim
him as the thief AS the hands ofthe others
were blackened, the whiteness of his own
showed Of course that he had not dared to
touch the old brass kettle, and he was the
offender. Hehad jumped out of the frying
pan into the fire. and was lodged in as un-
comfortable place as either to wit-the Jail.