The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-01-22

now; having had a good bit to do with
him about this Warwickshire robbery.
ait Is no usc,n said, before we started,
the train was searched, as you may say,
at Rugby. Every passenger has under
gone close scrutiny, can tell you, What
causes such scientific preparation for us
here2n
"a telegraph received ten minutes ago,
he answered at seems that two Of the
thieves we are dodging are in this train
in clever dsguises. We have had pretty
lull particulars, though the discovery
wasn't made until after you left the juno
ion. Have you noticed '-he dropped his
voice a little here-"a .yosag lady and gen.
tleman together in either carriage Z"
felt bit Of an odd catching in my
breath as he spoke. "No," said, quite III
hurry. "No young lady and gentleman
belonging together; but there may be
plenty in the train. What il there are,
though There was no young lady or
gentleman among the robbers
"Among the robbers" rejtined Davis,
with suppressed enjoyment twas wo-
man who'd make herself into anything
and you must own that a gentleman with
a dark, long beard isn't bad for lady
known to us pretty VOL by her thick red
hair and cut on her upper lip"
But the young lady ~ asked, cogita-
ting this.
"Ah! the young lady. True enough;
well, what should you say, now, II ! told
you she grew out Of that boy with the
closely;cut dark hair that we are after y
| did come along, feeling very stupidity
glad that there was all the train to search
before we could reach that carriage at the
other end where sat the girl whom | had,
in way, taken under my protection.
"When are we TO be allowed to leave
this train pray2 Call me a cab," cried
the deaf old lady, plaintively, rs we
reached her carriage, and found her gazing
out IN most evident and utter ignorance Of
all that was going on around her. 81 am
locked in, ga'ad. Do you hear7"
| hear, aye, sharp enough. only wished
she could hear me us readily. Davis stood
aside watching while | unlocked her door
and helped her down. Then, seeing her
helplessness, and her countless packages,
he beckoncd porter TO her, winking ex-
preSsively to call his attention to prob
able shilling
Carriage after carriage we examined,
and though Davis detected no thief, he
turned away only more and more hope
fully from each. lie was so sure they
were there, and that escape was impOs-
siblc. Wcrcached the last carriage in the
line, and now my heart beat in the oldest
manner possible.
as this compartment empty, then !"
asked Davis, while my fingers were act
ually shaking as | put my key in the door
Of tho centre-one. empty and dark 2"
"Eyen ir II had been empty II wouldn't
have been left dark" mnttered, looking
in. "IIallo whats came to the lamp7"
might well ask what was come to the
lamp, for the compartment was us dark as
il it had never been lighted: yet had not !
myself stood and watched the lighted
lamp put in at Rugby7 And-the car
riagc was empty too!
"Why was this ~ asked the detective,
turning sharply upon me. "Why was not
the lamp lighted ~
But the laiup cdS lighted, and burning
now rs Sensibly as the Others-if we could
but have seen it. As we soon discovered,
the glass was covered by kind of tar
paulin, intensely black and strongly aa
besiye, and the carriage was so completely
dark rs IL no lamp had been there at all.
The perplcxity in Davis face was as great
as my own; when ! told him who had
travelled here. "rhey couldn't have left
the train here, at any rate," he said; and !
knew that rs well as he did.
But you have guessed the end. During
those few minutes that we stopped on the
line, the two thieves-darkenng the lamp
even after had left them, and using their
own key-had left the carriage under
cover Of the darkness managing their
escape in their black dresses out into the
blackness Of the night as cleverly as they
had managed their theft and subsequent
conceament. But how could they have
depended on this unusual dclay-this eX-
quisite opportunity given them in the
utter darkness, close to the city, yet ut no
stationl When officially made made my
deposition, and explained the cause Of our
stoppagc, something Of the truth seemed
to break upon us all; but Il wasn't for q
good while that it settled into certainty.
Then it got clear to everybody that the
older scoundrel had duped us more in
geniously than the younger ones. As the
incapable old lady ideal aS a stone, and so
blind that she had to peer through her
glttcring glasses, with eyes always half
closed, aud SO hungry that she had TO stop
the tram for a luncheon basket lie had
played upon us the neatest trick Of all.
Where on earth weTc the thick iron.gray
hair and whiskcB by which we were to
have identified him But by the time
the police saw the whole thing clearly it
was too late to follow up any clue to him.
The cab which had taken the eccentric
old lady and her parcels and t)wers from
EustOn was lost IN the city and could not
be tracked, A high reward was offered
for information, but no one ever won it.
My firm belief is that it was no legiti-
mately licensed cab at all, but one belong.
ing to the gang, and part of the finished
fraud. verify believe, too, that some
where now-tLiough perhaps on the other
side of the channel-those three practiced
knaycs enjoy n hearty laugh over that
December journey by night-express.
Davis still assures me, with the most
cheerful confidence, that he shall yet have
the pleasure some day Of trapping three
Of the most expert and skilful thieves in
Britain. wish felt rs sure OF it.-7Re
ArgoSy.
A Texas paper says: 1--WE have been