Daily Kennebec journal., 1879-02-20
Dailp Aennsbet Journal.
Augusta, Thursday Morn'g, Feb. 90 1879.
He WOuldut CondOnc.

Ilc rat III Il HoISt-tstI anu HV"l'" 80
four blocks that he had been robbed Of his
watch. He was an old person and seemed
TO be very much exercised about II; at one
time he stepped ont on the platform bare
headed and held up his right hand an'
swore he wouldn't condone it, SeVera
younger persons who got on the car viii
him assisted in making great row abou
the robbery; one of them talked so learn
edly about it that the passengers couldn
quite make ont whether he was cNpatiat
ing on the outrage or describing the old
gentleman as an escaped gyascutuS; the}
all agreed, however, that il was what they
called ''damshame, - and that it never
should be eondoned Then a policeman
came in, and the old person charged an
Ohio gentleman in the car with the theft.
The young fellows who had been umbling
round the stranger supported the charge.
and they all went off to the station-house
together.
"Who are these parties and what s all
this row about" said the magistrate.
"Well, this ere old 'un' said the officer,
is Sammy the Reformer;' he used to be
in with Tweed, Sweeny and that gang
You may remember, some ten years age.
we came near pulling him in with Tweed
in the Seymour-IIotfiman job, bnt he got
off on an alibi said he was only dummy
in it. He's been on the Reform lay for a
year or two, and claims 10 be connected
with the Society for the Suppression of
Vice, though the company he keeps don't
look much like it
who are the rest of these fellows P"
well, they are all Tweed'S old pals.
This ere high-shouldered fellow with a
loose chin always used to testify to Tweed's
good character when the old man got into
trouble. The black whiskered fellow lives
up the river. He used to help the old man
in the Albany business. The other fellow
is kind of a nevy or something to the
old party there"
''And the other?"
Oh, he's stranger. Never saw him
before. He says he's an Ohio man. He's
the man those fellows charge with stealing
Sammy's watch"
Then Sammy said: Il don't care any
thing about the watch, but | do want to
have stealing stopped and thieves shown
up. Don't ask me to condone it, for
won't do it."
Upon examination the watch which
Sammy claimed to have lost was found to
have the Ohio mans name on it; and so
many passengers testified to seeing the
young fellows crowding the Ohio man and
trying to pick his pockets, that two OF
them confessed it, but said they thought
it was Sammy's watch, and they wanted
to get it and restore it to him. And the
high-shouldered man, who it appeared
was making signs to the other fellows,
said he thought it was Sammy watch too,
but he had no idea of getting it back in
that way. He only made signs to the ncvy
where the watch was, and how carelesslv
the Ohio man was carrying it, as u sort OF
danger signal. Nevy said he understood
the signal to mean ''go for it," aud lie
went.
Then it SEEMS said the magistrate
''that this was only an 'inchoatc offence
attempted by these noisy witnesses in the
interest Of the person who claims to have
been robbed. Was this done with your
connivance, Samuel?"
mot at all, assure you, Judge. Never
dreamed of it; never saw any signs pass
between these young men and when |
did see them disapproved Of them. had
no idea my nevy would do any such
thing, for I've told him did not like it,
and when he was caught once or twice
before, have shown considerable impa-
tience. He did very wrong. His only
excuse was that he thought the gentle
man had my watch, which is the fact
"Well, then, as this gentleman very
pidiniS hdo MS wv IL NattH, anu tlt ut
tempt to steal it by Sammy's pals-or, as
the highshouldered man calls them, CO.
parcencers'-was only an inchoate offence.
we'll dismiss the case
Couldn't you find, Judge, said SAM
my. softly, ''that as the boys failed to
steal the watch the Ohio man must have
stolen ita That seems to be reasonable
theory"
1--WE never do business here in that
way"
What. Never?'
well, hardly ever
Then said Sammy, Il desire ON this
interesting occasion to assert my entire
belief before GCd and my country. that
he's got my watch And he stepped
down. remarking that he would never
condone il.
A Kentucky journalist met him on the
steps and whispered to him conlidentialv
as they walked away together: "lf vou
only keep that a-going the public II have
to give you watch to get rid of you. -