The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-10-28
A Drummer's Story.
TAKEN PRISONER ON A STEAMBOAT BY A
THREE-FINGERED BURGLAR LEvANT-
ING FROM LOUISVILLE,

| AdhEE-rlNGERED BURGLAR LEVANT-
ING FROM LOUISVILLE,
For number of years have been
acting as travelling salesman for a
manufacturing establishment. In
the early spring of 1878 I had occa-
sion to visit Maysville, KY, ON bust
ness for my employers, and | arrived
at Cincinnati in the evening, where,
learning that there Was no boat 90.
ing lip the river until tile next morn
ing, l stopped at hotel over night.
1t was scarcely daybreak when the
om!iibus called to take ttie to the
boat. In the omnibus were a mum.
Der of passengers, who, With one ex-
ception, seemed to be in that half
awake state Of wretchedness which
follows being called from comfort
able bed to mingle with the misera-
bic realities of a cold, raihy morning.
The passenger excepted was a gen
tlpman whose appearance seemed ia
miliar to me, and as l scanned his
face by the dim light of the omnibus
lamp felt confident that had seen
him before. HIS hands we're of fem
mite whiteness. and his fingers were
hejewelel with rings. While vet l
was studying his countenahce, and
trying to remember that had known
him some time in the shadowy past,
Ibis tioustache went up and his nose
catne down." so exactly like Mon
sieur Rigaud in Mr.. Dickens '.Little
Dorritt," that I confidently expected
him to commence singing:
"Who passes by this road 30 late!
C"mpaynon de IL magnlaine,
Who passes by this rad 81 late!
ALWAYS gay" g.
And 1invoIuntarily looked sharply
about for little John Baptist, his
companion. "Altro!f' he was not
there; but in the meantime it
really was a mean time-we had
reached the levee and plunged into a
bank of fog Of such density that it
was no longer safe to drive; so We
all got out into the mud and raiti,-A
The driver undertook to see IT'S on
board the steamer, though to he SIRE
it was quite impossible to see any
,hi1g, on account of the fog; aid
ever and anon, little half-smotl1ured
words, Amidst profane, explained tt
us that some one had encountered
an obstacle in the shape of box OF
bale, and was consigning it to quite
a different locality from the one in
dictated by the shippers directions
We reached the boat in a bedraggled
condition, and, as we entered the
cabin, the gentleman with the white
hands took Oft his dripping cape, and
holding it out between his thumb
anti finger, contemplated it with {
look of disgust, and mnttered, "Tt
the devil with the rain and the mud,
and again "his moustache went vi
and his nose came down." as like on,
old acquaintance, Monsieur Rigaud
as if he had made the character {
study. The rain continued, keeping
us in the cabin, where We amused
ourselves by reading and playing va
rious games. Directly opposite tt
me, across the table, sat an old gen
tlemen reading a newspaper. Look
ing up from his paper, he asked MI
if I had read the account OF burgla
ry committed in Louisville few
nights previous. l had not, and
asked him to read it out aloud, which
he did. 1t was quite lengthy &C
count of the robbing of wealth,
gentleman's house. Some reporte
had evidently made as much out o
the item as he could, celebrating i
with very minute description o
the burglar, AS seen by a young lad,
of the family, who, while she feignet
sleep, watched him as he picked NJ
the valuable trinkets which she hat
left scattered about her room. Ate
describing the burglars dress, TIN
account went on to say that his lef
hand had only three fingers, a pecu
liarity observed, and Thought i
such pity" When the reader cam
to that part Of the description I wa
looking straight into a large mirror
) in which l saw the imaged reflection
of the gentleman who had attracted
my attention in the omnibus, and