Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-01-26


Polite PIunderers - An ExtraOrdi.
nary Robbery Courtesy of the
Thieves.
From the New York SUM-
The cashier of the firm OF Hargous &
Co., 80 South srteet, was, on Tuesday,
between the hours of one aud two, sitting
at his desk in the office, busiIy engaged
in writing. While thus occupied, he saw
a gentleman enter the room, who was in
all respects most neatly end elegantly
dressed. A silk hat of the latest fashion
was ON his head, and fine, blue broad e.
cloth coat upon his back. He cooly
passed through the railing that separated
the desks from the rest of the room, and,
approaching the cashier, begged his par
don ior disturbing him, and asked him in
the politest possible manner for informs-
tion on some details of the shipping bust.
ness of the neighborhood.
The cashier, charmed by the mans ap-
pearance and manner, readily answered,
and an entertaining conversation ensued
After some fifteen or tw enty minutes had
in this way elapsed, the well dressed
the cashier, saying he had a letter to
write. The paper was given him, and he
turned to desk that stood directly be-
hind the cashier, and there commenced
writing. In this desk the tin box used
for taking deposits to the bank was at
that moment standing, AID in it were a
hundred dollar bill, gold watch, four
checks, two for gold and two for cur
rsncy, signed by the firm but not yet
filled, some scrip OF the Atlantic Insur-
snce Company, aud some other papers of
no great value. Of this tin box, however,
the cashier had for the moment forgotten.
The elegsntly-dressed writer continued
to ply his pen busily for about ten min :
utes, when another gentleman entered
the office. He was quite respectfully
dressed, but not 80 well as the first. The
cashier requested to know in what way
he conld possibly serve this last conner,
and was told that he merely wished a
moments conversation with that man
who is writing over there at the desk
near the window" He, too, passed
through the railing, and the cashier sat
down again, with two perfect strangers
behind his back.
The last conner seemed to have made
the wiring of the other perfectly useless,
for he at once tore up his letter, thanked
the cashier for his kindness, and the Two
walked out together. Down at the foot
of the stairs, the porter of the firm, one
of its carmen. and a custom-house officer
were standing together in the doorway.
They saw the two strangers walk out and
down the street, laughing and jostling
each other, as if in the highest spirits.
An hour afterwsrd the cashier had occa-
sion to look for his tin box, and found it
An advertisement was at once
inserted in the papers, Offering reward
of two hundred dollars for the recovery
of the box, and the untitled checks were
stonped at the bank.
Yesterday morning, at ten minutes past
ten o'clock, man entered the same
office from which the box had on the pre-
vious day been stolen. He asked if he
was right in supposing this was the Office
of Hargous 4 Co., and being assured he
was perfectly correct on that head, laid
neatly tied package on the nearest desk.
he then stepped quickly out, hastened
down the stairs, sprang into wagon that
was in waiting, and drove rapidly away.
The package he had left was opened, and
ell the contents of the box at the time of
its disappearance, except the hundred
dollar bill, found in it, not even the gold
watch being missing. 1t is surprising
that the man who brought the package
did not wait for his reward. The Messrs.
Hargous are so pleased at the politeness
of the fellow who stole the box, and of
him who returned its contents, that they
would like the affair to occur every once
in a while, merely to witness such good
behavior.
Itfs supposed that the men had been
hanging about the Office for some time,
and knowing that the stolen box often
large amounts of money, had
made that the object of their maneuvers.