The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-11-15
11T,omas what are you doing with that

e1Tbomas, what are you doing with that
enyelope?" oas al own NM
- nr;ed :. 81 am the dcpredator."
- ..tVhat did YOU return those letters with
,.om.rks for. in your lcft-hand writing
..Recausc | did not want my father TO
lose that money. wanted the people 20
know that it had not come to hand, so that
they might rcanclosc ii.
7 took the boy again TO his father, VINO
said in tone Of triumph ,y,
tWell, sir: suppose you are satisneu
eyes" said I, lam satishcd-that your
son is a thief sho,0 r;sht 7
"Father," said the boy, "he rish'' !
am guilty u
81 leave your boy with you," con-
cluded .'there is no charge against MN
unless you make it" .,,o
The son was soon after sent to WISH Ine
West.
ONLY ONCE THIEF, BUT FOR $40, 600.
You would be surprised to see, some
times, continued Depro, how people be-
come thieves by the mere habit OF handling
yal,ables which are exposed by somebody's
careIessness. a short time ago package
of bonds to the amount OF S4G, ooo was st0Ieii
in the New York city pOst-ofnce. IncE nau
hccn sent from Newport, Rhode Island,
and were for soldiers widows warrants,
etc. So that the outcry was natural, ana IL
came from all sides. The bonds were 100
bulky to 20 inside an envelope, so tncy were
tied to the envelope; but this fact we did
not ascertain till we found the thlei. Inc
package was put in a red-backed envelope,
sicnifyipo "registered letter. Now at
the post-o1lice a mail is tumbled upon large
table, and consecutive clerks so through 1t
theoretically, each picking out his portion;
First of all comes the clerk Unregistered
lettcrs-which are always important let
tey-and hiln we surrounded with spicstor
two wears in vain; for nothing was seen IN
any place or mt any time to give us Wink
of evidence that he was the culprlt.
The real thief Get me anticipated was the
newspaper clerk, who handled that maIl
some time afterward. The rcdbacked en-
velope turned undermost III the ransackih%,
and left the wrapper on top, SO that the re-
cistrv clerk mistook it for covered news
papcr. lie therefore left it, and so did sue
cessiye clerks, till the newspaper sorter
came along. Discovering this prize among
his books and newspapers, the latter was
seized with sudden impulse to steal 1t,
and IL was ut once transferred to the pocket
of his oYercoat, which was hanging close
The thief's name we may call Tippy
Ramsdell and when he got home ana
opened it, the poor pauper was so overcome
10 find himself the owner Of 4O,00 instead
of $40 bill that he was frightened out OF
his little wits. He hid the bonds for nearly
TWO years. and we, mean Time, haying cN-
ha,isted all means Of detection, had given
up the task.
suddenly we received dispatch :" Bond
No. IS, GGt has turned up" We traced ito
the New York house Of Jay Cooke II Co. 1t
was a small bond for 500, and the clerk 1T
Cookies remembered well that it had been
presented by a boy named RamSdcll, clerk
for a bounty agent in Park Row, who said
he had found it in the park.
Ny mind went back alta wink to the nth
crto unsupported name OF lip RanlSdeh,
the booriSh newspaper clerk. Knew llat
ne had brother at Elizabeth, and that this
brother had 4 spry son. 50 arrested the
hoy. and myself and another special agent
went seuarateIv to work with him. The
boy had been well drilled. and nothing could
shake his story that he had found the bond
in the park, While my colleague tried every
means TO bring out the truth. Then went
into him.
"Boy, where did you get that bond?"
{" found it. sir. in the park.
"Iou lie. YOU rascal. FELL me who gave
it to you, ANA II the rest are gwen UP TO-
body shall 90 to jail"
lie still protested that he had found it i'll
the park. ] talked to him awhile, and found
that he was not Il bad boy; that he hsd been
to Sunday school, and had some moral ideas,
and / pictured to him he'll in all the mate
RAJ horrors of sulphur, and thirst, and
tire.
Now said I, 81 mean TO make you
take an oath that will send you there if you
swear false"
The boys lips turned white. ~ can't
take that OATH he said; 81 can't go there.
My father gave me that bond, and told me
to sell it."
We took the boys affidavit and arrested
his father. who had become the custodian Of
Tip RamSdell's secret, for Tip being 4 poor
SINISTER, without mind, had nearly died Of
This awful responsibility Of wealth. The
brother Crosby, being little sharper, but
not more honest, had bought some ink TO
cancel the name on the bonds, and then had
Il venture with No. 1861. We found hall
the bonds on Crosby and half on Tip, and,
rs we had promised the boy, we let the
poor pair of thieves oil, us unworthy Of
further notice.