The Republican journal., 1874-01-29
old Sam

BtSi ne ) served WHO seeks ana HluS.
-.-z-..---
old Sam
| People who live in the Bowery Oh in the
vicinity ofllester street, New ork. on who
have occasion to be much in that locality,
will probably remember a hobbling old
man, somewhat lame, and supporting him
self on n thick stick, who was often to be
seen there on Sundays as well as week
days, some two years ago He was de-
Gently dressed, but was only known rs
| ''Old sam lie was supposed to live IN
New Jersey, but no one precisely knew.
| lie was generally taken for 4 farmer, or
for resident in some little outlying place
People called him also "lamc sam" arl
whoever heard his ever quiet mode #
speaking, and saw the friendly smile that
was always lighting up his face. must have
taken him for a very harmless man. And
whoever met him on Sundays, vending
| his way to church with a most dcvout
aspect, must assuredly have thought that
he was Il very good man, who was going
thither out OF pure piety.
But Tame Sam was very little of n
saint; on the contrary, he was a most AZ
rant scoundrel who to get money, was
capable of any wickedness, and only went
to church for bad motives. In everything
he did he had a dishonest object in view,
and, although he was generally considered
as Il good old man, he was, in truth, moth
ing else than crafty, deceitful scoundrel,
and confederate of notorious torger burg
lar and safe thief, named Crosby.
sam had been running his evil course
for some years and had Systematically
circulated counterfeit money wherever oc-
occasion had guided him; Il proceed
ing which was easy enough to him with
his seemingly honest face, and an aspect
from which one would have thought that
he c-uld not say ''boo to 4 goose, And
fortune favored him SO We'll, and 50 long.
that he succeeded in accumulating a sum
Of money which enabled him to buy
a fine farm in Quakertown which brought
| him 4 handsome return
| sam was always at work, ior the circu-
| lation OF counterfeit money continued to
remain his sole occupation. But he con-
| Quoted this vile business so cautiously, SO
| craitily, and under such pious air. that it
never occurred to any one to take him for
what he really was. And so, as he hob
| bled about from place to place. he was al
ways the subject of a friendly good word,
until one day the chief of the United States
detective police, Colonel Whitley, con-
ceived suspicion against him, and Thus
| the man who had for so many Years been
cheating people with false money began to
be watched
AS before remarked, sam always car
ricd a thick stick, which. as he said, he
could not do without, because he was so
lame, that he therefore required 4 strong
support Wherever he was seen, where
ever he went, sitting on standing he had
| the stick constantly in his hand. lie never
| let it go from him. But one day the
| thought occurred 10 Ine detective who was
| entrusted with the ease, that there must
| be something more about that stick than
at first appeared, and he determined to
come at the truth Of it.
| About that time there was u large mum
| Der OF counterfeit notes OF various denOm-
nations in circulation in New Jersey, and
down as far as Maryland The detective
| officer, working under the assumed name
OF Rugg, found out that sam often paid
visits in that direction.
| So the officer scraped an acquaintance
with Sam. At first, meeting him on the
| road, he would 90 with him, then he very
| soon took a journey on the railroad with
| him, and the two were constantly IN bar
rooms and beer-houses together. lie
| drank and gossiped with him, and thus the
| acquaintance grew thicker; at last on one
| occasion Sam was observed to pass a
| counterfeit ten-dollar bill in hotel and
| soon after to repeat the action in another
| house.
| Now the officer went to work. sam
was travelling about in New jersey, but
Rugg was watching him unobseryed; and,
one day, Just after Sam had come out of a
hotel in a country place, the detective
went in and asked whether sam had spent
| any money there
.Yes," answered the landlord, . fifty
| cents He is IN old miser--never stays
through the night
"What money did he give you?' asked
Rugg
| "A ten dollar note
May see 1t 2''
Yes, here it is" answered the publi-
can, taking a note out of the till.
The note is bad" Rugg quietly re-
marked.
The devil it is, " cried the host
Nothing but 4 counterfeit, my friend .
| Not worth a cent
|
| he burst INTO torrent of oaths. But Rugg
whispered to him: "Now be quiet friend
! | am 4 detective. Leave the rest to me
and take care of the note till | return
Upon this Rugg left him, and going on
| the road after Sam, soon overlook him
Sam had Just come out Of a store upon
whose proprietor he had played similar
game.
| .tAIy l..I,rbto,. coiI ba
''asked me to get her three yards of calico
Have you anything good in that way"
"4es," answered the storekpeper
How much IS it a yard p
"Twenty cents
| is not that little dear ?"
"No, on the contrary, you will not get
it as cheap anywhere else
"Well, then give me three yards Sam
took it paid for it with another bogus
ten-dollar bill. and left the store with his
calico '.for his daughter and nine dol
lars and forty cents of good money in his
pocket.
Meanwhile Rhgg had altered his dress,
beard and hat so that Sam could not recog-
nize him. He also, as he fell into Sans
road, teigned to be somewhat intoxicated.
How are you getting along, old fel-
low?" said Rugg, in stammering voice.
"Where are you going?'
Sam stopped. They gossiped for a lit
tie while, and then went on together
Rugg asked Sam what he had in his lit
tie parcel. g Calico for my daughter,
which | have just bought in that store, y
said Sam, looking backward at that place.
Upon which Rugg suddenly remembered
that he had to take some needles and
thread to his cold woman" He took a
good ten-dollar bill out of his pocket and
asked Sam if he could change it. Sam
gladly seized such a good opportunity to
do business. and he gave Rugg two counter
felt tive-dollar bills, for, thought he, the
fellow is SO drunk, he will not know bad
note from good one.
Rugg now begged Sam to 60 to the