New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-07

l by certain amount of success, for on the Friday
preceding the burglary at my friends house, the
/ tall, dark foreigner was seen to come out, and,
4 accompanied by shorter man, TO 60 to a marine
store dealers shop and purchase some skeleton
keys. On the following day Saturday hewas
1 seen to purchase some more keys, and with these
he returned to his lodgings, aud was not seen out
i again that day. These facts, of course, proved
him to be suspicious person, and Justified the
police in putting him under surveillance. On the
next day Sunday he left his lodgings at halfpast
us O'Clock in the afternoon, and was seen oFeturn
to them at half-past Ii O'Clock at nights but alter
that hour, those who were appointed TO watch
him declared that he did not leave his house that
night, and asserted that it was totally impossible
for him to have done so without their seeing
4 him.
Now my friend'Rhouse in Fulkestone street must
have been broken into about 2 o'clock on the
Monday morning, and he man saw on the land
ing certainly did not leave the house Ill! 10 min
utesto O'Clock. 1t appeared then. quite certain,
that whatever he might have done on other coca
sons the tall, dark foreigner of PA Canon street
had nothing 10 do With this robbery. When |
described my friend on the landing as being
sstal, dark man. the inspector, as | remember
we'll had smiled grizzly; but he was not aware
that it had been watching him, that the man IN
question had not left his house after halfpast II
O'clock on Sunday night OF this fact Sergeant
Wood had given him the first intimation, when
thew had that brief consultation together in my
bedroom to which have alluded above, and for 2
moment they must have been dumtoundee-lt'
u
liant an emotion. Apparently, all their labor
had been thrown away; the tall, dark foreigner,
whom they had SO successfully traced to his lair,
could not, it seemed, be in any way connected
with this last robbery, in spite of the strong pre-
sumption which my description of HIM excited.
/ Policemen are, however, proVerbiay slow to
despair. One hope still remained, which, slender
as it then seemed to us, proved ultimately the
right solution of the difficulty. The Sunday night
! III question had been wet and misty, aud it was
| just possible that the vigilance of the watchers
might have been eluded, though from the skill
and ability, and general high character of the
men employed, this seemed hardly within the
bouads of probability. 1t was determined, there
| fore, that the house in Canon street should be
closely watched; and on leaving my room, Ser
| geant Wood himself repaired to the spot audmade
the necessary arrangements.
The sergeant left me at half-past eight, and an
hour and half afterwards the tall dark foreigne1
was seen to come out OF No 224 Canon street, and
TO walk down the street in the direction of Seven
| Dals. He was instantly followed, and in short
time was observed TO meet, as if by appointment.
4 the same short, fair man who had accompanied
him when he had made the purchase Of the skee-
ton keys. This latter man had small and appa-
rently empty blue serge.bag on his arm. The two
men linked arms, and walked on together, having
| very much the appearance, my informant said, of
| two master tradesmen. They were followed by
| three cousta6les, of whom Sergeant Wood was
one, and the question which occupied his whole
thoughts was, should he, or should he not take
these men into custody? It must be remembered
had evidence which directly exculpated the tail
dark man, and, if correct, made it impossible for
! him to nave been present at the burglary he had
| all the terrors of damages for false Imprisonment
/ and serious rebukes from magistrates for exceed
Ling his duty, floating before his eyes. But my
I friend Sergeant Wood is not nervous man aud
his hesitation was but momentary. In spite of the
testimony of the watchers, he had always felt GER
| tain that the tall dark man had planned and act
ually executed the burglary ia Folkestone street
that morning and he determined TO risk every
thing that might ensue if he made q mistakes He
4 accordingly arrested them; and after conSidera-
bic show of resistance on the part of the shorter
| man, aud great deal of Yirtuous indignation from
the affr0nted foreigner. added to considerable op-
position from mob of the lowest characters in
Seven Dials, the two were safely lodged in the
station house. Of course the blue bag was exam
med at once, and this appasently innocent Fecep-
4 taele was found to contain large housebreaker's
Jlnimy 9r croW5ar q bottle OF aqua forts for
testing gold, and, finally, small gold toothpick,
| which had been taken from the fittings of the
dressing case in my friends back drawing room,
and which had apparently been left Id the bag by
mistake, having got stuck in the lining. should
like to have seen the grim smile of my friend Ser
| geant Wood when the toothpick wass produced
| from the blue bag. think that at that moment
he could almost have forgiven the Watchers whose
negligence had SO nearly led him astray.
The next thing to be done was to search the
lodgings of the tall, dark man. This task Inspec.
tor Fairfield undertook, and he proceeded at
once to Canon street, After some opposition on
any such person was lodging, or ever had lodged, |
IN her house the inspector at last got Abundance
and proceeded to search the house, (which was |
very large one, } commencing from the attics On |
reaching the second story, on his way downWards
he inquired if any foreigner lived il any of the
rooms upon it; and 70 this end the landlady, whose
memory seemed TO have been much improved BY
Intercourse with the inspector, replied that for
algh gentleman, who was a highly respectable
wine merchant, had bedroom on this floor look
99g to the back. She did not know much Of him.
sne SAID, but he was very regular in his payments,
and very quiet in his habits, and for her part, she
did not wish for anything mere in ledger. The
courteous inspector requested permission to have
one look, merely as matter of form, at the dis
thgulsned foreigners bedrooms and to this the
landlady acceded. Unfortunately, however, the
door was locked and, as the landlady had no
other key than that which she had given to her
ledger, and which he had doubtless iii his rocket |
at that moment The inspector was compelled to
40 violence to the feelings of worthy woman
and break open the door. There was NOTHING re-
mark9ble IN the bedroom in any way. 1t was
thought small and arless for a wine merchant
perhaps; but then he might be triae eccentric
many greater men have been guilty of more strik-
ing eceentricities, aud yet not word has been
oreathed against their responsibility. But there
was one thing which seemed to surprise the land
lady, though not, perhaps, the inspector--her
lodger seemed to be about to make journey, and
the roomsw was disordered by preparations for de.
parture Above ALL in the middle of the room
stood magnificent portnantean, braud-neW, and
and found it heavy; he tried the lid, and found it
locked. Fortunately The had upon his bunch
key that fitted the lock and with many apologies
ne proceeded toopen the portmanteau. Within
i he found every Article of the property stolen
from Folkestone street, WITH the single exception
1f the gold toothpick found in the blue bag but
besides this, the Inspector found in the poriman-
eau some Of the property which had been taken
rom the houses in Hamilton Place and Kensng-
on. 1t was clear, therefore, that they had been
light ia their conclusions, and the tall, dark for.
.igner was the plapner and perpetrator Of all
hese robberies, I'D @..s
Little more remains to be said. The first exam
nation Of the prisoners was taken that afternoon
9efore the magistrate; and the landady identified
he tall, dark foreigner as her loda3f. and the
,wner of the portmantean. A policeman swore
o having seen both prisoners lettering near the
news ar.the back bfaFolkestone street on the Sun
lay evening between eight and niue o'clock; and
70 the chain of evidence was complete. Evidence
was also given that both prisoners had been pre-
yioYsiy convicted, and that they were remanded
IN order TO complete the dispositions before com
initial. But before the day Of final examination
me dark man, in utter despair to the result of
the trial, and, dreadihg a sentence which, at his
age Che was hSty-hve), would probably be tanta
mount to penal servtude fer life, committed sui
eide by hanging himself in his cell at the House of
Detention. The younger man was sentenced TO
fifteen unnal Ida iu