The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-12-06
FAIRLY CAUGHT.

My employment is that OF carver in
stone. Many years ago, soon after had
learned my business, the firm In whose
employ l was, undertook the erection Of a
gentleman's mansion, and | was sent 70
execute the ornamental work. The vii.
lage near to which the mansion was built
was on the shore Of an estuary OF the bay
of Slorecambe, not far from market.town
whose name I need not give, As my
work would keep me from home several
weeks, a good lodging was most desira.
bic thing; but although | tried to get &C.
cOmmOdation in private house, failed,
and was forced to lodge in the village inn,
the Lord Admiral.
Amongst those who were In the habit oil
frequeuting the Aforesaid hostelry, was a
man Of singular habits and odd temper.
His home was about mile from the vii.
lage, on the side Of lane leading to a
farms, His house, like himself, was a
queer one. Originally it had been built
for the storage Of corn, the produce Of
fields at a distance from the iarmstead.
Some how it had ceased to be needed for
that purpose so its owner turned II into a
dwelling house, and as such it was now
occupied BY the aforesaid strange man.
1t was divided into three apartments on
the ground floor, one OF which, very
large one, was set apart and used as kind
Of museum, its occupant being a stufFer Of
birds and small quadrupeds. When he
had no work Of this sort for other persons,
he worked Tor stock, and this large room
was his warehouse.
He was man Of III temper and loose
habits, and for some time had borne a
dubious character. When people were
asked why he was suspected, they could
not give q satisfactory reply. "He lives
they would say, without doing work
equal to his expenditure, which looks
bad" As got to know him, found he
had an unamiable temper; was morose,
sour, and at times passionate. He was
also fond oil display, given 10 betting, and,
like all such, led loose, uneven lie,
oitener lettering about than at work. So
did not wonder that well.meaning pep
pie did not like him.
He mostly came on wet nights to the
Lord Admiral. As we became acquailt.
ed, he invited me to look over his collec-
\ lion Of birds and Quadrupeds. | was
pleased with what saw. He had, in.
| 1nnI a mad Rnl1antinE1 auI 40 ,,.nu
could judge, had done his work we'll He
had also good assortment Of butterflies
and molhsi aud In q corner, close TO the
ceiling, had what be called butterfly
breeding-box, which he said belonged TO
his son, young man Of my own age, also
given 10 lrdstuiIing amusements.
But was most taken up with two ami.
mails which differed from the rest. One
was q beautiful dog, and the other llStp
HdtLrG-R lamb with the rudimentB Of q
18TH leg, and some other abnormal char.
Asteristic which have forgotten. The
old man said he had stuffed both for their
original owners, who had somehow failed
to take them away. They were placed at
one end Of the room, one in each corner,
away from the window, and close to the
wall, where, except in strong daylight,
they could not Oe easily seen. The con.
nection oil these particulars with my story
will be seen In the sequel.
had been in the village about six
weeks, when the neighborhoOd was arOus.
I'd and alarmed one morning by the report
Of the robbery Of jewelers. shop In the
market town already referred TO, That had
been effected during the preceding night.
Much valuable property had been taken.
This robbery had been effected In such a
way as led 10 the belief that 4 gang oil
practiced thieves had done it. The pre-.
vailing question was, ado the robbers
live among Us, or have they come from q
distanceT" This query was still going
from mouth 70 mouth when we were
startled, AstOunded indeed, by the report
81 a second robbery Of the same premises,
and on the night following by the breaking
into and purloining OF a provision ware
house incur own village. Were writing
fiction, would not have made the rob,
benz pay SO soon second visit 10 the lew.
elet's, rs such an act would have been
deemed preposterous; but am relating
what really occurred, and so am forced Il
say what have said.
The ieweller had been so taken up by
efforts 20 find out the thieves and regain
his iirst loss that he had not placed add
iional guard over what was left; besides
he was Sure, he said, that thieves woulC
not think Of rOviSiting him for . long time
AS for the provision dealer, no said In my
hearing that he had no fear Of his place
being entered, Us he believed robben
would not care to touch property 90 bulky
and Of such inferior value as his. But HI
had reCkoned without his host; for he hAC
lost Eine ham, a large lot OF tea, deal o
spices, a few boxes Of cigars, aud indeed 1
portion Of most oil what he deAltin. The
excitement aud alarm occasionetl by these
robberies were great and widespread.
Two patches OF detectives, one frou
lancaster and the other from Kendal, cant
10 our village 70 see what they could tind
out. They Were not short oil questions, |
mind; but they took care what sort Of
questions they answered. 1t vas easy 10
see that one Of their aims was to make Il
appear that they believed the robbert
came from distance, In order 10 put the
thieves OF their guard; for their own opin
ion was tho opposite Ot this.
GNo event, however 1oTious, can keeE
hold oil peoples minds beyond / rsTtSin
lime; and these robbie los yerG beginning
TO give place TO some other subject, when
the next act In the drama began to be
played, 1t was on q Friday afternoon
about month after the robberies, The
day was wet and wild; and my work wa,
The outdoor carving Of stones which had
been placed In position In the rough,
vas unable U 90 on with Il, and so hat
70 return to my quarters, had got my
Inner, and had Just called 'ioE , pint 0
ale with my pipe, when an elderly III
lrOsSed man came In, and sitting down OF
bench beside me, said, Ina broad Ian
aShiIe accent, "I'll sup wi tina lad, II thl
lOesn't eRre;" on which he lifted M,
mug to his lips sud drank freely. l hal
lot got over my sarpnSS WIEN he, wlpInl
history Of tho past day or two. The &C
iount was this; he had been . gentle
mans gardener, near Lancaster, owe
twenty years. had . capital place, bu