Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-20
Anew way to Detect a Thief.

The father OF the great American statesman
was humorous and jocose parsonage, and innu-
merable are the jokes told of him. As he was
journeying in Massachusetts,, not far from his ma
inn in the village of -. In the bar root gas
about twenty different persons, who as he enter
ed, called out for him to discover thief. Qpe
of the company, it appears, had, few minutes
before, had O watch taken from his pocket, and
he knew the offender must be in the room with
them.
''Come Mr.. Almanac maker, you know the
signs of the time the hidden things Of the season
tell who is the thief"
'tFasten all the doors of the room, and let no
one leave it; and here, landlord, 60 and bring
your wife's great brass kettle"
"Whew want to know! my stars! my wifes
-whew!" guoth Boniiace.
"Whv, YOU wouldn't be more stuck if l told
you to go to pot"
Boniface did as commanded; the great brass
kettle was placed in the middle of the floor, its
bottom up--as black, soo.y, and smoky as a
chimney back. The landlord got into his bar,
and looked on, with eyes as big as sancers.
you don't want any hot water nor nothin', to
take off the bristes critter, do you, Squire y
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"
"Whew! you won't bile him, will you? he's a
tough one. / can swear, Squire, he didn't steal
the watch. The old rooster knows when it is time
to crow, without looking at watch"
$50 along or l won't detect the thief"
Bonifacc went to the barn, and soon returned
with tremendous fat rooster cackling all the
way like mad.
"Now put him under the kettle, and blow the
light out"
"Now, gentlemen, don't s'pose the thief is in
the company but if he is, the old rooster will
crow when the offender touches The bottom
of the kettle with his hands. Walk round in a
circle, and the cock will make known the watch
steaer. The innocent need not be afraid you
know"
The company then to humor him, and carry on
the joke walked round the kettle in the dark for
three or four minutes.
"All done, gentlemen?"
GAN done, was the cry; "where's your crow
ing? We heard no cockadoodiedoo."
Bring us light"
A light was brought as ordered.
snow hold up your hands, good folks They
were of course black, from coming in contact
with the SCOT of the kettle. "All up"
"All-Don't know; here's one fellow who
hasn't held up his hands,"
"Ah, ha! my OLD boy, let's take peep at
your paws" ...f. ...s
They were examined, and they were not black
Ike those of the rest OF the company.
you'll find your watch about him, search"
And SO it proved. This fellow, not being
aware, any more than the rest of the Trap that
vas set for the discovery of the thief, had kept
aoof from the KETTLE lest when he touched it
the Growing of the rooster should proclaim him
as the thief. As the hands of all the others
were blackened, the wilderness of his own showed,
of course, that he had not dared to touch the
old brass kettle, and tina. he was the offender.
He jumped out of the frying-pan into the fire,
and was lodged in as uncomfortable place as
either, to wit--thc Jail.