The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-03-30
a conscientious = Tnies-In ss . TINE asae
- 100 ar ord Reginald and the Hen
a. cellar. a.ise. .f 4. .5E..-E.. sa1t

a so cs ord Reginnld and the Hem
..s burglar.
r,ose who do not know me may. per-
.,ns be,ieve the following story. THOSE !!
Tho do know me will not. Still it Is quite |
true -, .~o,,t,o,n.n |
Nth a fine sense Of humor. He had consi' /
derable property and lived on Wimbledon
' He had one beautiful daughter-but that
- One One afternoon, as Old Reginald was read
ing books IN his drawing-room, II was an
nol,nced to him that 4 Common mah ae-
sired to speak with him. A.,
ITe Sayc orders that the Common Man
sbould be admitted. And adaitted She
o1 mo nas very Common Man indeed. A |
+oiI' sbamhlino. i'll looking fellow, with an |
;rreSolmie manner and shrinking eye. de
uaS dressed as costermongers are dressed
when following their calling. -. :, "A
ssWhat is your pleasure, good SIR 7 sslo
Old Reginald.
mon Man. 81 hope you Won't be hard on
mot at ALL" replied Old Reginald.
"Tm-Tm burglar" said the Common
indeed" said Old Reginald. Take
a chair"
"Thank you kindly. Guv'nor," said he,
"hut I'd rather stand" ta ~
And he did stand. 8.
So FAR there is nothing very incredible in
my story. But it gets more remarkable as
it goes on.
'tHow do you like your profession" said
Old Reginald. a
"Weii, Guv'nor," said the Common Man,
"I don't like it, noways, and that's it, ------
"Thar's what"
.That'ss why Pm here. I belongs to a
gang of twelve wot's working these parts
Just now. We cracks cribs by turns. It's
it's my turn tonight"
And the burglar wept like child.
"This, / presume, is Remorse," said Old
aNo, Guv'nor, it amt Remorse," said
the burglar. cts Funk"
"The same thing" said Reginald.
cit amt the being a burglar that OBJ
ries. I like the credit of 1t, sir ; it's the
danger object to.'' ..........., 81. .,
81 See" l.. -.
"Now, by the laws of our gang, we're
bound to crack cribs In turn. That is to
say, one of us cracks the cribs while the
other eleven stops outside and gives the of.
fce."
IL th0ugnL burglars Always Worheu III
twos or threes!" said Old Reginald.
gested the burglar.
"Perhaps YOU are right. Indeed, l am
sure you ought. What crib do you propose
ocrack tonight" -. =
Hrhis here one.'
"Mine?"
ssYourn."
COIL"
And Old Reginald prepared to ring the
bell. sn-Et
J" Please don't do that. Guv'nor. You
amt never agoin' to give me into Gus
tGdy?"
IL think had better" , .....
"No,no, Guv'nor, don't dc that. Listen
to me first. amt aSoin' to hurt you. lt's
my turn to crack your crib tonight. Now:
won't you help me?"
81 hardly sec my way" said Old Regi
Maid, thougbtfully. g Still, if can be OF
any use -"
Look here, Guv'nor, each member OF
our gang is bound to get fifty pounds worth
of swag from each crib he cracks. If he
don't he's shot. Now, see u handsome
silver salver and cohe pot, and cream,jug,
of that handsome silver salver and coffee
potl"
The cream-iug is electro. The coffee
pot, with sugar-basin and salyer, may be
worth five and forty pounds"
"ThatS near enough. I'll take EN-. Here
is flmsey for the fifty quid.'
And he handed Old Reginald bank note
for the amount.
"Still | don't quite understand"
81 want you, Guv'nor to be so good as
to leave your bedroom window open TO-
night, and place that silver and them silver
traps where | can get 'em. | shall have
cracked my crib, bagged my swag. and
made myself safe until my turn came round
again" .
up the note To the light. "But, let me ask,
how can you afford to pay SO handsomely
Tor your depredation?"
''There was dozen on us, sir. Each on
us cracks crib once in four months, and
each swags at least fifty pounds worth
often more, but at least that. After each
plant the profits are divided. Last quarter
the twelve cribs cracked brought us in
eleven hundred pounds-that's ninety
pounds odd apiece. When my turn comes
pay fair price for the fifty pounds worth
Iswag Gor have been honorably brought
up, and gets forty pounds to the good.
And forty pounds quarter is hundred
and sixty pounds year.. And lives on It,.
Sometimes it's more-noW and then it's less,
but whatever it is, lives on it, .s.s
And the honest fellow took receipt for
Old Reginald was rs good as his word.
He left his bedroom window open and
placed The salyer where the honest burglar
was as good as has word, and at 2 o'clock
in the morning he came and found it.
So tar all was simple and straightforward
enough. But no,o comes the curious and
incredible part of the story. ..o..
The titty.p0und note was part of the pro.
ceeds of previous burglary. The number
of the note was known and trac ed to Old
Reginald, who had to account for its being
in his possession.
Now the twelve burglars had in the mean
time been arrested by the police (this Is also
Incredibly, and were condemned to penal
servitude for life. 80
So Old Reginald had no hesitation In
stating the facts as [ have stated them.
No one believed him, as no one will me.
SO he appealed to the honest burglar to
corroborate his story. r.s
=, But the honest burglar having discovered
The whole thing, cOtlee-pot, salver, and all,
was the commonest electric, was so shocked
at Old Re9inald's dishonesty that not only
did he decline to corroborate bis story, but
actually, and think very properly, identi-
ned him as an accomplish. srf5 80
and Old Reginald was also sentenced to
penal seryitude, and he and the honest
burglar worked for many years together on
the same works, and had many opportuni-
ties Of talking the matter over from its
moral, social, and political point of view.
--rsuu---- ff-.. z
The WRONG BABy-AX AWKWARD Ex-
CHANGE ON THE CARs.-[From the st. joseph
Clarke, of the Hannibal and St. joseph
road relates a gjnpnlar arrjdant that oo,,,r