Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-12-21
Little Jinks."
BY a London Detective.

- = ~t ""O ANNA ~ CAGlt NY
self to the utmost to help him out
of the mire. Ny own mother had
a hard struggle to keep her har-
um scarum Toy j / order;but sooner
than cause tear to gather in her
eye, / would have chopped off my
right hand. She was my idol
whom | used 10 worship in secret;
and many q time when she
thought me asleer, have peeped
out from under the blankets,
watching her sewing, and wishing
that l were strong enough and
big enough to work for her my
self. But let me explain. l re.
ceived the following note one
morning as / entered the Office:
81 missed my purse when I
reached home, so my pocket must
have been picked somewhere be-
tween the Mansion house and
Flnsbury square.
This brief communication was
signed by a wellknown banker, a
jolly old bachelor, living in Fins
bury square. He was q little
man, end inclined to be fat; but
he had q large warm heart-as |
had discovered long beforehand
seemed to live in a kind Of gen
ial atmosphere, liked by every.
body and enVied by none. |
even felt q momentary surprise
that q thief had found it in his
heart to vic;imize such a man.
Calling at his house, the follow.
ing ensued:
at is not so much the money
that concerns me, he said;
"thongh the loss of that would
be serious to poor man, but in
the inner pocket | had slowed
away some papers and an old
memorandum which I shall miss
very much. If you just get me
them, you can let the poor wretch
keep the money"
This proposal was against all
law and order, and he must have
known it: but / had to remind
him of the fact.
"Ah, yes, | know" he said, in
his quick way, with a merry
smile. "Its against the law, #
course, but you detectives can
easily stretch o point when you
have a mind to; ard, besides, |
only throw out the hint. Get the
con tents of the inner pocket--tLe
rest also, if you can"
"You did not feel yourself tug
ged or jostled anywhere on your
way home"
"NO, sir"
After eliciting oil the facts |
could in connection with the ma.
ter, | returned to the Office de-
termined to work with will to
trace his purse and its contents.
But did not even hear of it. No
one among my numerous acquain-
tances seemed particularly flush
of money; the empty purse was
not picked up anywhere or
brought in; and | began to fear
that it had left London, and the
thief with it. Ia this, however, |
was mistaken.
A little before ten o'clock next
morning, while we were chatting
away, q slim morsel of a boy m lde
his appearance, with his eyes all
red and swelled with crying, and
asked if this was the detective
office. We all started round and
ga2ed at the little intruder. The
strangest thing about him was
his "skinnyness"-he was mere
hadows of a boy, though be hud a
preposseSsing face, in spite of the
blearing effect of the crying.
Being answered in the alhrma-
tive, he remained q moment 81
lent, during which | could see, by
the quivering of his lip, that he
was struggling hard to appear
manly and firm while making his
next speech; he then suddenly
produced the purse of Mr.. S,
the banker, and hastily got out
the words:
"If you please. Pm a thief
and mother is dead-and I've
come for you to put me in Jail"
He was choking and shaking al
over as he got the words out, buI
it was no use. A binding rush
of tears came to his eyes, and thu
heavy purse dropped at his feet.
There was a strange silence il
the room. Nobody rushed for
ward with a pair of handouts. o.
grasped him by the collar to hus
tie him off TO a cell. He was s,
small-so forlorn and pitaGl'
looking.