The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-10-07


ever since returning from,the sale.
What do | intend doing with It,
my dear?" / repeated, to gain time;
/ NY hy-yes-ah that is-do with 1t!
Why, open it, Of course"
She shifted sniff equal 10 two col
ums of printed matter. Although
my answer was not premedltated' L
| didn't think it altogether bad no.
| ton Accordingly, for the next two
or three weeks my house became the
constant resort of blacksmiths, White-
smiths, locksmiths, and people in the
I engineering way, all of whom, how
ever, failed utterly in the attempt to
open the unpickable, undrillable fire
and thief proof, Lot III. They fairly
! owned it beat them. l wanted the safe
opened, however, for the reason that,
being opened, it might become an arti-
Gle perhaps useful or saleable, whereas
now it was neither. One morning,
an idea Of unusual brilliancy occurred
to me, and l put on my hat, and went
cut to put it In practice. | walked to
our great model Jail, and saw the gov
ernoT, with Whome | had previously
some acquaintance. [ told him [
should feel deeply obliged if he could
render me assistance, and then came
to the pUrport of my visit.
Have you. my good sir, such q
thing as a good strong burglar on the
ablishment that you could lend me
for an hour or two?" And explain
ed what I wanted him for. But the
governor shook his head, and said be
was sorry to disoblige me, but it re-
ally couldn't be done, as all their
burglars were in use, and couldn't be
spared off the premises. Very good;
but sepposing [ were to send the safe
up to the burglar to while away few
hours of his leisure at congenial
pursuit?-No. He didn't see that he
could it would be against the rules;
besides which. their burglars had be-
come 50 reformed by attention to the
ministrations of the chaplain, that it
was exceedingly doubtful if they
would be willing to return to sinful
ways, such as breaking open safes,
least it might show a worldly spirit
that would interfere with their ticket
of-leaYe; and then, again, there were
no burglars tools in the Jail.
III tell you what, though" he
said, after bit; Il dare say [ could
fnd you a ticket of. leave man who
would do it. They report themselves
to US at stated intervals, so that we
always know where to find them. In
deed, [ think | know just the very
man, and will send him to YOU"
One evening in the twilight, about
a week after wards, our servant came
in, in some alarm, to say that two very
Unlocking men were at the back door,
who said they had come to crack the
goy'nor's money box" They were
not nice looking men. One Of them,
braWny rufiaD, with head and
neck like bull, and wisp of col
cred handkerchief over a shirtless
chest, hairy as Esau's, gave me a
stolid nod when [ went out.
The boss up at the Model" he
said, pointing with his thumb over
his shoulder In the direction of the
jail, asked me ifso be as I would
oblige you by cracking a little bit Of
box you've got. You see, gov'nor,
amt any tools O. my own, SO I've
brought pal who's got his 'Lady's
Companion with him, to do the job"
indicating his friend, who carried
parcel Of tools done up in mating. |
should say he was not nice man to
have Tor iTIend-a spare, short, cum
ming little fellow, with restless eyes;
a face that gave you the impression
of vessels; and thin nose, with
continual nervous twicthing In the
nostrils, like rabbits, as though he
was an animal always on the scent for
game or hunters, which perhaps he
was. His name was TOncy.
[ brought them in, and pointing out
the safe, asked if they thought they
could open it.
Open it'' repeated Toney, with
inefable contempt, why, kid could
open it with a pan nivel It's one Of
them Unimpeachables, Bill" he said
to his mate; you remember EN-; like
what we had at =" (some name l
couldn't catch). why, l could blow
it open with an ounce of baccer in a
quarter of hour"
well" L said, Il would give you
five shillings to open it. -
Would you, be-gar?" groWled the
big man. Our terms is 'arf suv'-
rhine and TOney-and two pots of
beer, and two ounces of baccer; and
then it's favor, on account Of our
dom it to oblige the boss. And we
amt a-going to do it here un'stan':
but if you've got e'er bit of out
house out at the back, where We can
be private, we'll do the job there on
the quiet.
CONCLUDED MORROW.
II