The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-10-07

they belonged. The answer he brought
me to these inquiries gave me some infor-
nation, and I then explained to Mr.. Lat
inner my plan of operations.
He authorized me, in case / should con-
slider it expedient, to offer reward of five
hundred or thusand dollars for the dis
covery Of the thief, or double the amount
for the detection of the thief and the recov-
cry of the stolen property.
My first idea now was to go to Baltimore.
But felt convinced that even if the ticket
were genuine it would not give me any in
formation as to who had bought it. Posi-
bly, could get that information from New
York agents, but dare not go there,
because they may be an acquaintance of the
man who had bought ticket No. 1710, and
in that case the thief hearing of my in
quiries, would come to the conjecture that
he had lost the ticket at Latimer's house.
gave up the thoughts of going to the
office, and at first did not know very clearly
what should do. Presently, however,
plan suggested itself to me- If the ticket
wins, thought to myself-and the win
ming numbers must be published imme-
diately after the drawing-then will offer
to the Baltimore agent the promised re-
ward of $500 or 81, 900 to find out the thief;
but if it does not win, must take into my
confidence the New York agents who sold
the ticket, that he may write to the pur-
chaser of it, to say that it had won and that
he could have the money. So being de-
cided as to what under either circumstances
would do, determined to remain in
Baltimore during the two days preceding
the drawing.
Luckily No. ITO won the prize too,
was not less than three thousand dollars.
! now went to the agent, told him how the
matter stood, offered him the promised
$500 and half the amount of the prize, and
he expressed his willingness to help me dis
cover the thief. Naturally, too, the New
York agent, who had sold the ticket, inter-
ested himself about the payment of the
prize; for that SO large an amount bad been
won by ticket procured from him, was a
matter that had to be put before the public.
But where was the ticket? The agent had
thought the purchaser of it would present
it himself without delay, but he did not
come. He wrote to him and told him of
his good fortune; upon this the man called,
but with the complaint that he had lost
the ticket whereupon the agent, who did
not want to lose his commission, wrote to the
office in Baltimore, requesting that the
money be paid only through him. 1t was
now arranged that the purchaser of the
ticket should make an affidavit in due legal
form that he had bought ticket No. 1710,
that he had not surrendered it to anybody,
but had really lost it. And--as a pretend
ed precaution, lest possibly any one who
may have found the ticket should present it
PAYMENT further determined that it
would be better for the actual purchaser of
the ticket to say in the affidavit, whether,
as is often the custom, he had put any pri-
vate mark on the ticket. l wanted this in
order to bring the recollection of the thief
to the point, and it facilitated me in get
ting from him the declaration that he had
not marked the ticket, but that he we'll re-
membered to have so doubled the paper up
together so that there were two breaks in
the paper across the figures and l.. That
was just what wanted, because it identi-
fed him as the true purchaser. He swore
that he had not parted from the ticket to
anybody, that he had upon such and such
n dow fond ha noDad tha dow ,,,o,, ,.l;ol
the robbery at Mr.. Latimer's had taken
place. lost it, as he thought, while on his
way from Broadway and Fulton Street,
(where at the time was gaming house, to
Union Square.
He had signed the affidavit but how
was 1 to know If that was his real name.
Atthe same time the N. Y. agent also made
an affidavit that he had sold the ticket
to this man, whom he again recognized.
We now agreed to arrange matters thus -
that If the ticket were not presented for
payment by anybody else within month,
then the amount should be paid over to the
signer of the affidavit but that il anyb ody
else should put in an appearance in the
meantime, he should be duly informed and
given an opportunity TO defend his claim.
These arrangements being safely made in
Baltimore, and the New York agent made
acquainted with them, returned to New
York to find out, If possible, who this
Charles f. Worden was, who had signed
the affidavit. The Baltimore agent also
came TO New York and worked ably in the