The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-11-22

iCEystal Palace who were Falsely ac-
\ cused of picking pockets :, !, : = =
I unbaTred tho shut and looked
Tout into our crescent. Yes,sas Ihad
i>suspected, there were two other
policemen Watching the house, from
1.-THE outside. q. 4 Il 4s IS y
i ) aHeaven bless you, Polly, said I,
with pathos; s'you atS least will know
/ that I am innocent. Then taking
advantage Of the temporary uncon2
/ soiousness induced by Mysteries, L
! tore myself away from her side. -
/ In our little hall there stood the
largest policeman I ever saw out of q
pantomime, and one almost as big
was standing behind him. Each had
O dark lantern stuck in his belt,
which gave them an awful appear
lance; and the cook and the Kitchen
maid were regarding them us though
they were couple of Guy Fawkses,
with unfeigned amusement. 1t was
not the ''amazement" spoken of in
the marriage service; however, be-
tween them and those policemen
there was, for once, no tender bond
of sympathy, I feel certain; they
were almost as frightened as their
master.
tsHere am," said I, holding my
hand, before me, rs I had seen all
heroic criminals do upon the stage,
when ''the game is up" and "the
darbies" must be put on, and why
not with good grace?
Yes, sir" returned the giant, re-
sspectfully, "I'm sorry to trouble you,
but the fact is, we suspect there's
somebody in that empty house" (he
was Irish, of course,) "next door; we
have been directed to watch it, and q
certain mark which we set upon it
has been removed, whereby we know
that some person has entered who
has no right to be there. The owner
is out of town, so if you will kindly
let us get out of your garret window,
and on to the roof"
"Gentlemen," cried 1, in q rapture,
''the whole house is at your service.
1 respect the law above all things.
What would you take to drink?"
The revulsion of feeling was almost
too much for me. 1t is unnecessary
to describe how enthusiastically I
seconded the efforts OF "the force"
accompanying them to the very roof
top and only leaving them when they
made their burglarious entry into the
next door, and the possibility arose
of contest with robbers. They
almost frightened my eldest child
into a fit as they tramped by her
apartment, but assured them that
she was used to fits and that it was of
no consequence.
In short, if ever O man showed
himself q good citizen, and deserving
of the appreciation of "the authori-
ties" it was I. I even ventured,
while pushing the big man through
the garret window, (where he stuck
fast, and had to have his lantern
taken off, J to give him the heads of
the carpet bag story, in order that he
might retail them in the proper quar-
ter. But he gave me to understand
that "misdemeanors" were not in his
line, which lay rather in the suppress
sion of 'tburglaries with violence"
I don't know whether they found
anybody in that uninhabited house
VI uOI, duu L uOu care.
The next morning I once more be-
took myself, carpet bag in hand, to
the police station. There was an
other inspector sitting at the receipt
of rascaldom, and 1 had to tell all my
story over again.
"When did you furnish this in
formation?" asked this terrible Off
cial, who was twice as ferocious as the
other.
yesterday" said I.
"Yesterday?" returned he in nm
awful voice; "why. I was here all
day yesterday. What time was it
when, according to your own nc
count, you came here to give up this
property"
'About three o'clock, said L.
''I was here at three. Number
forty-two, wasn't I here at 3 o'clock
yesterday?"
"Stop," cried IL forgot; it was
Saturday. Of course, couldn't come
here on Sunday"
You should have heard the inspec-
tors ''umph" when + said that. If
that man, ever goes to church of his
own free will, I'll forfeit my character
for the secondhand I don't intend to
do that in hurry.