Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-12-09
THE BITTER BIT.
How a Burglar was Done for by His Pals.

Some two weeks ago the police got wind
If an intended burglary, and made ar
-angements to catch the robbers. through
want of concert between the police ana
he detective force, the plan laid by the
police to catch the robbers in the act was
frustrated, tine detectives not knowing
hat the police had made any such plan,
descending upon the burglars, o IA IN
number. While preparing for the JOB. Two
# the party were arrested at the time,
md two made their escape through a WIN
dow. A few nights afCerward the detec-
ives, while hunting for these two, ar
rested a couple of men, who gave their
names as Levins and Evans, on suspi-
ion. On examination before Squire
Herman, Levins was discharged, and
evans committed for trial. While in the
hands of the detectives he acknowledged
o having been n Of the party who had
robbed the house Of Mr.. Dow, Treasurer
# the Dry Dock Company, a few nights
previous TO his arrest, of SSl5 in currency,
md a valuable gold watch. on his own
confession, and certain other evidence,
he Grand Jury yesterday found a true
Dill against him for this burglary. Mel
her the money nor the watch was recov-
ared, however. Evans story is rather a
curious one, and is very illustrative of the
bid saw, dog eat dog, or n bitter bit, }"
. va ~ N
maxim, "hOnor among thieves" It is
also an example, TO use his words, of
id bad luck" He states that after
ne and his pal" had cracked" the
house of Mr. Dow, and "tin-
gered the sway they returned to
heir crib to divideit. Haping clipped
he lush " pretty freely, they didn't
twig - two other " layers" who were
occupying the same room with them,
nd V-Fa s-,- -, haT vrhn. FTa- .araa j.,
In counting the money they found it i'm
possible to divide, a five hundred dollar
oil being a part OF The " assets so they
rolled mp the plumber, watch. greenbacks
and ali, together, and slowed il away in
me Of Evans boots, and then went to
bed. Being full of the ardent. they of
course slept sOundlY, and on awaking
next morning, found that their cOmpan-
ions had levanted. On searching the boot
a taken unto itself wings, and
their search was bOotleSs. Dressing in
haste and %hurrying from the room to their
accustomed rendezvous, they found that
their " friends " had departed on the early
train for st. Louis. As IL wouldn't do for
hem To telegraph to have the thieves ar
rested, there was no other recourse for
them except to grin and bear it,. Their
% pals - in getting away with the swag in
the boot, did not forget 10 go through their
pockets also, and they were thus left
without the money to buy even a cock
tail. or cOurse they felt happy and didn't
any. Strapped" and without
any other means of recuporating their di-
lapidated fortunes, they Immediately
planned another burglary, to consummate
which, however, IL. was necessary to have
three more pals or confederates. Two
Of the right stripe were easily found, and
the third was recruited from the = swell
mob" They had noticed hanging around
the corner of Jefferson aud Main for sew
eral days, an individual whose seedy and
dilapidated personal appearance was sug-
Of poverty, whose nose showed he
loved good whisky, and whose general
contour of feature, according to Lavater,
was the very beau ideal of a thiefs phvsi-
ognomy. Him they seized on as a fit sub
jeCt for initiation into the mysteries of the
~ cracksinan's craft and after sounding
him, and finding him 4" clay in the pot
Jer's hands " apparently, they let him
into the plot. As luck would have il, how
ever, this " cOnfidant" was IN impecuni-
Dus hummer from the inhOspitableregiOns
Df the North, soiOurning in the Sunny
South for the benefit of his health and
seeking Office-in other words a carpet
Dagger working for an appointment on
The detective force. The chance of win
nlng "a lew "greeHDaN ~ the risk OF the
or a bullet, put in the scale against
a permanent situation as a ''capper,"
free drinks, free lunches, free tick
FITS to the show. lots Of black mail and the
ctceterGS, was not a feather
and so, as soon as he had learned
he details of the plot, and a few hours be-
tore its contamination, he went 10 Super
ntendent Pearne and laid the "conspi-
before him. Then there was hur-
wing to and fro, whispered consultations,
great arrangements made to catch
he thieves-all with the result detailed
us-the detective force having been
watching the movements of the parties,
md not knowing that the police were on
heir track, dropped in on theLl and ar
them before they commenced
business. Evans is an Englishman, and
iaid to he ono of the sharpest cracksmen
n the profession.