Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-12-04

asking me g lend Hin i ,, for :. .
few days. I agteed, for I had begun Il
feel an unaccolntable curiosity growing
within me. y. %
r. We had not walked far before We me
the naturalist's son, apparently by ap
; pointment: for my companion told hin
that I had promised him q loan, ant
that, therefore, he would be at hi
fathers house next day and make pur
chase. We parted and came home.
| About the middle of Saturday after
noon he set of, and in less than an hou
came back, bearing q tolerably sjzet
parcel. Giving me signal as he passe<
me, joined him in the back yard. HI
said: I'm on the track of the thieves
l believe. Last night, but one, on reach
ing the house, and on looking over thu
museum, the old man said that his SOL
was rather short of money; but having
exchanged q frame of moths and q few
birds for lot of provisions, if I would
buy some of the latter, mi ht sell them
at a profit, or they would keep me in
eatables for while, and the sale would
relieve his son. Iagreed to buy if
could raise the money. Now, I am not
without cash, but it would not have done
to say 50; hence I agreed to ask you fol
loan. Well, I've got lot of things
dirt cheap, which I really think belong
en- to one of tho late robberies. go
hence to- morrow on the sly; but on Mon.
day you may look for my return" Civ.
ing me playful dig in tho left side, he
left me. His absence during the night
and the day after surprised the landlord,
but said nothing. >~--
was all impotence until Monday
came. 1t come at last. I was busy at
my carving, when I heard well-known
voice hail me from below. On looking
down from my stage whom should I see
in the road beneath, smiling all the face
over, but my old friend, the gardener, in
policeman's uniform! The truth fash.
ed through me in an instant. + went
down. Grasping my hand, he said
"The secrets out, you see! Come along
with me to see the upshot."
was about to witness denouement
had not looked for. Up the road were q
couple of policemen. My old compan.
ion was the chief being a sergeant.of-
police. He led the way to the museum,
and was first to enter.
"Good morning, old FRIEND" he said,
on encountering the naturalist, ri
come to take away few more parcels OF
your cheap provisions.''
saw that the old gardener was detect.
ed in the speaker, and that the game
was seen to be up. The old mans son
rushed to the door and scrambled of,
only, however, to fall into the clutches
Of one of the officers who were on the
watch. The old man was utterly help
less and almost beside himself. Sinking
into his chair he cried out: II am not
the the thief: the thieves are there %
pointing to the door, and meaning
could see his son and his confederates,
though they were not present.
We went into the museum. The first
thing the old gardener-as I shall still
call him-did was to take hold of
Bruce" while he desired one of his
comrades to 10y hold of Wonder" On
moving them, noise Of loose metal was
heard.
A moments examination sutflced to
reveal the secret. In the off side of each
animal, in the soft part, an orifice had
been made by cutting the skin in such a
manner as would enable the operator to
replace it with little care. A part of
the stuf6ng had been removed, leaving a
vacancy just like throstle's nest. This
was filled with jewelry-watches, guards,
ear rings and finger rings. A further
examination of the museum revealed
other and as singular hiding places; for
example, a game-cock was found put out
of sight; on taking hold of it, noise of
clinking metal was heard. On lifting
up the feathers over the crop. q small
hole WAS seen, out of which rolled, when
the bird was shaken, q number of trink-
cts.
Nearly all the proceeds of the two rob.
berries of the jewelry were recovered, one
watch and few guards only being
absent. And some of the property of
the provision-Gealer were found slowed
in the breeding-box, though much of it
had been used or sold. I scarcely need
say that the parcel sold to "the gar.
dener" was a part of it, and had to do
with the detection. My friend, the ser.
geant, informed me that he had been in.
duced to assume the character, which he
had 80 we'll enacted, entirely on specula.
tion. While making q survey of the
neighborhood, few days before he began
to play his art, he had observed the
backward state OF the landlords garden
and believing that he would readily
carch at a chance of getting it finished
off in a cheap way, and being a good
hand at gardening, he had hit upon the
scheme which had answered so we'll. He
had believed that the robbers were not
far from the locality of the public-houee,
and might come there now and again,
and SO could he lodge there without
being known or suspected he mil ht come
at all that he desired. And as he had
hoped so did it GENE to pass.
The naturalist, who, it came out, had
long been a receiver of stolen property,
and his son, whose first burgiaries these
were, got each FIVE years. penal servitude;
one Of the other men-who came from a
distant town and were old hands-was
likewise convicted and punished; but
the fourth, for some forgotten reason,
got of. My friend came in for the good
reward offered in he case; and, for the
part I had taken in the affair, the lew.
eler gave me a gold pencil-holder, which
l treasure as mementO.
Pummeling the Judge.
Last Friday October 3l) an extraor-
binary crime was perpetrated at the St.
Petersburg Palais de Justice. A private
soldier, Of immense size and strength,
named AlexandroA; was condemned in
tho usual course Of the judicial proceed
ings to three years imprisonment with