Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-02-23
How She Caught n Burglar.

"The paper says that they've
caught the fellow who has been
breaking into so many houses in
this part of the town lately said
cousin Jennie. one morning, as We
sat at breakfast-table. sits o pity
he didn't come here, So that you
could have added another laurel to
your crown, mother, by capturing
him. Wouldn't it have been splen-
did if it had happened So. The
family would have been famous. ]
should have been introduced into
society the daughter of Mrs. Van
Stratton, the celebrated burglar
Seatcher, and borne the honor with
becoming meekness and satisfac-
ton. Did mother ever tell you
about catching that awful thief and
probable murderer, Toby Darrell,
years ago, before any of us ap-
peared on the stage of action =
"No, I never heard anything
about it," l answered. "Please
tell me about it, aunt Annie" ~
"I've told it so many times" an
swered aunt Annie, "that I've got
rather tired of it, but l suppose
you won't let me Off"
Aunt Annie smiled across the
table at me in a kind of self-satis-
fed way that assured me she was
quite as willing to tell me the story
as | was to hear it. Like the rest
of us, aunt Annie was probably a
tribe proud of having done a he
role deed.
ut happened year after your
uncle, George and were married.
I'VE had just begun housekeeping
here, when the neighborhood began
to be troubled over the frequent
depredatiens Of some person or
personswhom it was impossible to
obtain any clue of. House after
house was broken into, and money,
jewelry, and plate were TAKEN
The police were called upon, and
detectives were put on the alert,
but to no purpose. The officers
decided that the thefts were the
work Of an old desperate, called
Toby Darrell; one of the worst
cases in the whole list of villains
with whom they had to deal, and
one of the most careful and expert.
lie had been suspected of murder,
and dozens of other crimes had
been traced to him, but so success
full was ne in GLIDING the officers
Of justice that they had succeeded
but twice in arresting him, and on
both of these occasions he had
managed to escape. So frequent
had his thefts become, and SO
daring, that at last heavy reward
was offered for his arrest.
zone day George had to go out
of town, and l was left alone with
grandfather Van Strattan, who
had come to spend o few days with
ous. 8 / didn't know where the two
servants that we kept had gone to.
I drew down the curtains, as the
dusk settled in the streets, and put
some fresh Goals on the fire, and
sat down in our little sitting-room
, with o new book, while grand-fath-
er busted himself. over his newspa-
per. In this way, with occasional
remarks, the evening passed off /;
when the clock struck nine grand
father. declared that he was so Sleepy
ythat he was going to bed, after
which declaration Of intentions he
took out his big silver snuff-box
and took a pinch Of that fiery
4, Scotch snuf>he .nsed to be so fond
Of, and on closing It, instead Of
putting it back into his pocket, he
set it down on the little table al
my elbow, and proceeded TO warn
, feet before going of to bed
I noticed his putting the box or
the table, and supposed he would
think OF it before going to bed
But, after he had said good nigh
and left me, l saw that he had lief
- his snuf-box behind him. / tool
z itup and opened it out of idle Gu
2 riosity, and the faintest scent of IL
contents set me into q paroxysm o
sneezipg, and brought tears to m,
eyes.
AZ, sThe room was warm and cozy
and my book was very interesting