Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-05-17
A CONSCIENTIOUS THIEF.

A CONSCIENTIOUS THEE.
From the London Fun.1
Those who do not know me may,
perhaps, believe the following story.
Those who do know me will not
still, It Is quite true:
Reginald was a pleasant old gentle
man, with q fine sense Of humOr. He
had considerable property, and lived
on WimpledOm Common.
He had one bedutlfuldaughter-but
that is not TO the point.
One afternoon, as old Reginald was
reading books in his drawiRg-rOOm, It
was announced to him that a common
man desired 70 spesk with him
He gave orders that the common
man should be admitted. And ad-
mitted the common man was.
He was a very common man, In
deed. A tall, shambling, ill-loOking
fellow, with an iTresOlute manner and
shrinking eyes. He was dressed as
costermOngers are dressed when tol-
lowing their calling
"What Is your pleasure, good sir ?''
said old Reginald.
"BeV pardon, guv'nor," said the
common man. "I hope you won't be
hard on me-"
mot at all, replied old Reginald.
"Pm-Tm burglar, 7" said the COM
mon man.
"Indeedr' said Reginald. 'Take
a chair" =,
"Thank you, kindly, guy'nor,"
said he, but I'd rather stand"
And he did stand. -
So far there is nothing very credible
in my story. But II gets more re-
markable as It goes on.
How do you hkeyour profession?"
said old Reginald.
"Well, guv' nor said the common
man. 81 don't like it noways, and
that's it.m --l
That's whatgn
That's why Pm here. Ibelong 70
q gang Of twelve wot's working these
parts Just now. We crack cribs by
turns. IGs-it's my turn tonight. -.
And the burglar wept like g child.
This, 1 presume, is remorse ~ said
old Reginald.
"No, gnvinor, It amt remOrse;n said
the burglar; sits funk"
"The same thing said Reginald.
"It amt the beinga burglar that /
object 70. It's having TO commit bur
glaries. / like the credit OF 1t, sir55 iPs
the danger 1 object to. -
"I See
Now, by the laws Of our gang, we
are bound 20 crack cribs intgTB. That
Is to say, one of Us cracks the crib
while the other eleven stop outside
and gives the Office"
"I thought burglars always worked
in twOs or threesP' said old Regin-
aid.
"Piraps I ought to know best?" sug-
gested the burglar.
"Perhaps you are right Indeed, l
am sure YOU ought. What crib did
YOU propose to crack tonight ?''
"This here oneG
"Yourn."
"Oh ~
And old Reginald prepared to ring
"Piease don't do that, guv.nor.-
You amt sgoing to give me into Gus
al think I had bstter.n
"No, no, guv'nor. don't do that
Listen to me first, I amt going to
hurt YOU. IT'S my tnrn to crack your
crib tonight. Now, win you help
me2n
81 hardly see my way said old
Reginald, thOughtfully. "Stili, II L
can be Of any pse------n
Look here, ,guvsnOr; each member
Of our gang q bound Ito get MY
pounds w0rth of swag from each crib
be craks. If he don't he is shot,
Now, 1 see a handsome salver, and
coffee pot and cream jug as came in
here. WOt might Le the value Of the
handsome silver sslyeFaRd coffee pOt?'
1.-THE cream jug IS electro. The
coffee pot, with sugar basin and sal
yer, may be worth i've and forty
pounds.n =
"That is near enough I,ll take
'em. Hefeis q fliusy for ffty quid.
And be handed old Reginald ban (
note for the amount. sa---
"Still, i donitquite understand
81 want you, gaVi nor, to be so good
as TO leave your bedroom window
open tonight, and place that salRer
and them silver traps where can get
'em.. shall have cracked my crit
bagged my sWag, and made my.
self safe until my turn comes round
again.
"CertainIy,ii said old Reginald
holding up the note TO the light
f"But let me ask, how can you afford
70 pay 50 handsomely for your depre-
l datiOn ?2
"There was a dozen on us, sir. Each
on US cracks a crib once in four months
and each swags at least forty pounds
wOrth-Often more; but at least that
| After each plant the profits are divi
ded. Last quarter the twelve bribi
cracked brought us 10 eleven hundred
pOnnds-thatis ninety pounds odd
Z apiece. When my turn comes, i psy
a fair price for the fifty pounds worth
/ sWag, tfor have been honorably
brought up, and / gets forty pounds
I to the good And forty pounds
l quarter is one hundred and sixty
pounds a year. And 1 lives OF, it,
| Sometimes it's mOre-hoR and theT
it's less, but whatever it is, 1 lives OF
it." -1.- ..'.--rr-
And the honest fellow took reeeip
Z for a note aud departed.
Old Reginald was as good as hi
l word. He left his bedroom window
/ open and placed the salver where thI
honest burglar could find it. He wa
as good as his word and at two o'clock
in the morning be came and found 1t
So far ali was simple and straigt
forward enough. But now comes th'
curious and incredible part Of m!
story.
The fifty pound note was part of thu
proceeds Of a previous burglary. Tn
/ number of the note was known, ans
traced TO old Reginald, who had &
account for it's being in his possession
Now the twelve burglars had in tn
meantime been arrested by the polio
this is also Incredibly and were con
demned to penal servitude for life.
So old Reginald had no hesitation
In stating the facts as / could hav
cited them
MOI one believed him, as no one vii
me.
So he appealed to the honest burgla
! to cOrrOborate his story.
But the honest burg ar, having dis
covered the whole thing, coffee pot
/ salver, and all was the enmmones
electro, was so shocked at old Regin
AIDS dishonesty, that not only did b
7 decline to eOrobOrate his story, bu
actually, and 1 think very proI
erly, identified. him as an aecomplicC
And old Reginald was also senteH
T aed to penal serFitude, and he and To
honest burglar worked together fo
many years in the works, and ha
many opportunities Of talking tn
matter over from its ssOcial, moral an
political point of view.