The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-01-15
FAIRLY CAUGHT.

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My employment is that of a carver in
stone. Many years ago, soon after /
had learned my business, the firm in
whose employ / was undertook the cree
ton of a gentleman's mansion, and |
was sent to execute the ornamental
work. The village near to which the
mansion was built was on the shore of
an estuary of the Bay of Morecambe,
not far from market-town whose name
I need rot give. As my work would keep
me fron home for several weeks, a good
lodging was most desirable thing; but
although tried to get accommodation
in a private house, / failed, and was
forced to lodge in the village inn, the
Lord Admiral.
Among those who were in the habit of
frequenting the aforesaid hosiery was a
man of singular habits and odd temper.
His horne was about q mile from the
village, on the side of a lane leading to
a couple of farms. His house, like him
self, was queer one. Originally it had
been built for the storage of corn, the
produce of fields at distance from the
farmstead. Somehow it had ceased to be
needed for that purpose; so its owner
turned it into dwelling house, and as
such it was now occupied by the afore-
said strange man. 1t was divided into
three apartments on the ground-foor,
one Of which, very large one, was set
apart and used as a kind of museum, its
occupant being suffer of birds and
small quadrupeds. When he had no
work Of this sort for other persons, he
worked for stock, and this large room
was his warehouse.
He was man of il-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 satisfactory reply. "He
lives" they would say, g without doing
work equal to his expenditure, which
looks bad" As / got to know him, |
found that he had an unamiable tenn
per; was morOse, sour, and at times
passionate. He was also fond of dis
play, given to betting. and, like all such,
led loose, uneven life, oftener loiter-
ing about than at work. So I did not
wonder that well meaning people did
not like him.
He mostly came on wet nights to the
Lord Admiral. As we became acauaint-
ed, he invited me to look over his col
lection of birds and quadrupeds. Twas
pleased with what I saw. He had, in
deed, q good collection, and, as well as
l could judge, had done his work well.
lie had also good assortment of but
terflies and moths; and, in a corner,
close to the ceiling, had what he called
butterfly breeding-box which he said
belonged to his son, a young man of nv
own age, also given to bird-stuffine
amusements.
But was most taken up with two ami
mails which differed from the rest. One
was a beautiful dog, and the other a
tussss saatur9-a lamb with the rudi-
ments of fifth leg, and some other alb
normal characteristic which have for
gotten, 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
be easily seen. The connection of these
particulars with my story will be seen in
the sequel.
l had been in the village about six
weeks. when the neighborhood was
aroused and alarmed one morning by
the report of the robbery of a jewelers.
shop in the market-town already re-
ferred to, that had been effected during
the preceding night. Much valuable
property had been taken. This robbery
had been effected in such way as led
to the belief that gang of practiced
thieves had done it. The prevailing
question was, "Do the robbers live
among us, or have they come from a
distaneeP" This query was still going
from mouth to mouth when we were
startled, astounded indeed, by the re-
port OF second robbery of the same
premises, and on the night followise by
the breaking into and purleining of a
provision warehouse in our own village.
Were ] writing fiction, Iwould not have
made She robbers pay so soon second
visit to the jewelers., as such an act
would have been deemed preposterous !:
but | am relating what really occurred,
said.
The jeweler had been So taken up by
efforts to find out the thieves and re-
gain has first loss that he had not placed
additional guard over what was left
besides, he was sure, he said. that
thieves would not think of reyisitino
him for a long time As for the pro,
vision sipaler he Said in nv, hoor;a,.ttLA