Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-06-30
THIEF.LIFE In DUBLIN.
Extracts from n Story in the Atlanli
Monthly by ID. III. johnson.

cleverly written story In the July num-
Der of the Atlantic Monthly, entitled
"Broke JAIL" the author of which is
D. Fl. johnson, Esq, of Milwaukee:
/ suppose / was born in Dublin,
though In what corner or cellar or gar
ret | bave no idea. My first recollection
is OF leading an old woman around the
streets who pretended to be blind, but
could see like cat. She called herself
my grandmother. Ii that was true it
was the only truth I eyer heard her tell.
She begged in the streets, and did lit
tie In looking up good jobs for the bur-
glars. We lived in a cellar in the
thieves and beggars' quarter. Old
Mag Runnells- was the woman's
name-was quite character there.
People who feared the police, or who
had stolen something bad to hide or
hard to sell, used often to come to her
for advice. They always brought with
them a bottle of whisky, for devil a
word would old Mag say till her whistle
was wet. Sometimes man or woman
of our set would want to borrow a
small sum of money of her, and would
bring some valuable to be left in pawn
for the loan. She would say, $ Go away
wild yer bawble and don't be cracking
yer jokes on poor old blind body. IF
yell come back in an hour, maybe l
can find some pawnbroker where I can
spout it for yees. They all know that
ould Mag is honest, and not wan of
them fears to put out the money on
what she fetches thin. Yes, yes, come
back in an hour, honey, and I'll thry
what I can do for yees." Then she'd
send me off to play, and while she was
alone she would get the money out of
some hiding place she did have some
where.
must say that for her. She did cuff and
bang me about good deal when she
was ont of sorts or drunk, but she fed
me we'll and clothed me comfortably,
and taught me to read and write and
reckon. for she was quite scholar,
and had done something at forgery in
her day.
! It would have edited you to see the
old woman and me on our rounds iii the
streets. She went always in black,
threadbare clothes, with never a speck
of dust on them, and the whitest and
stiffest starched cap in all Dublin. She
did look as decent as church warden's
widow. Her quare old eyes stared
straight before her. She looked blind
er nor wooden god, and older nor the
Lord LieutenaGt's castle. I wore nice,
clean, patched jacket and trous-
ers, and a close-ftting skull-cap.
On, but wasn't I the meek,
dutiful little grandson, leading his
poor blind grandmother, and didn't
know how to blarney the kind gentle
men and beautiful ladies! We didn't
waste much time on the citizens, but
devoted our attention mainly to the
country gentlemen and country traders
and their good wives, who almost always
gave us something. We were the hes
beggars in Dublin. Old Mag used to
say that. If one had talent for it. beg
ging was far more profitable nor steal
ing, to say nothing of the danger. Sure,
the old body had right to know, for
she had tried both. She had been in
jail don't know how often, and had
spent fourteen years at Botany Bay.
Sometimes we would 60 into house
Or shop to beg. If we got nothing else
we were sure to get an observation of
the premises that might be useful to
the burglars. I believe Mays only no.
ton of honor was that it would be a
scaly trick to report house where the
people had given her silver, to the
burglars. But woe to those who gave
her nothing, or coppers, If there was
anything in the house worth stealing.
These same burglars did use to bor-
row me now and again of dark night,
to lift me In at windows and poke me
through holes where man couldn't go.
One morning when [ was about ten
years old, or maybe eleven, lay in my
bed of rags In one corner of our cellar
long after [ had walked up, wondering
wny the old woman didn't call, me as
she used to do. At last crawled out
of my own accord, and went to see
what allied the old body. She was dead.
I was sharp little devil, and hunted
the cellar through for old Mays money,
before I called the neighbors. I only
found few shillings. +
ssWhen [ was about thirteen or there
abouts, I went 70 learn trade. Nv
hardness at opening doors and WIN
dows from the inside, after I had been
helped through a sash where pane Of
glass had been taken out, attracted the
attention of an eminent manufacturer of
burglars tools. His name was Durfee,
and he was the most impudent rogue in
oil Ireland, [ do believe; and that same
is saying great deal for him. His shop
was on respectable street. He pre-
tended to be gunsmith. But his real
business, what kept his forge blazing
and his hammer clinking and his file
scraping in the little back shop was MAX
ingburglars' tools, and such Like deviltry.
No man could harden a bit of steel
harder nor he could. He was mighty
handy, too, working with other metals
He maze splendid gold rings for pick
pockets, with beautiful little spring
blades in them, elegant for cutting
pockets with. He was the inventor of
a nice little circular saw which wound
like watch, and would cut off steel
bar an inch thick with one winding;