The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-04-01

its my turn tonight"
And the burglar wept like child.
"rhis, presume, is remorsc," said ole
Reginald.
"No, Guv'nor, 1t amt rcmorse," said the
burglar. ''It's funk"
''Ihc Same thing" said Reginald.
ut amt the being q burglar that object
to- It's the having to commit burglares.
like the credit of it, sir; its the danger
object to-"
81 scc."
Nov, by the laws of our gang, we're
bound to crack cribs in turn. That Is to
say, one Of us cracks the cribs while the
other eleven steps outside and gives the
Office"
81 thought burglars always worked in
twos or threcs 2" said Old Reginald.
"P'raps | ought to know best" sug-
gcstcd the burglar.
"Pcrllaps you are right. indeed, am
sure you ought. What crib do you pro-
pose to crack tonight ~
''This here one"
"AIinc2"
"Yourn."
"Oh!"
And Old Reginald prepared to ring the
bell.
'Plcasc don't do that, guv'nor. You
amt never agoin' to give me into custody?'
81 think had better"
mo, no, guv'nor; don't do that. Listen
to ne first. | ain't agoin' to hurt you. It's
my turn to crack your crib tonight. Now,
will you help me ?"
81 hardly see my way" said old Regi-
mold, thoughtfuly. ''Slin, if can be of
any Use"
'Look here, guv'nor, each member of
our gang is bound to get fifty pounds worth
OF swag away from each crib he cracks. If
he don't he's shot. Now, see handsome
silver salvcr and coffccpot and cream Jug as
l came in here. Wot might be the value
OF that handsome silver salvcr and coffee
poi 7"
"rhc cream jug is electro. The coffee
pot with sugar basin and salvcr may be
worth five and forty pounds"
"That's near enough. I'll take cm.
Here's tlimsy for fifty quid"
And he handed Old Reginald bank
note for the amount.
'Still l don't quite undcrstand-"
81 want you, guv'nor, to be 80 good as
to leave your bedroom window open to-
night, and place that silver and them silver
traps where | can get 'cm. l shall have
cracked my crib, baggcd my swag and
made myself safe until my turn came round
again."
"Ccrlaiply," said Old Reginald, holding
up the note to the light. "But, let me ask,
how can you afford to pay so handsomely
for your depreciation
''fherc was a dozen on us, sir. Each
on us cracks crib once in four months,
and each swag's at least fifty pounds worth
often more, but at least that. After
each plant the profits are divided. Last
quarter the twelve cribs cracked brought
us in eleven hundred pounds-that's ninety
odd pounds apiece. When my turn comes
II pay fair price for the fifty pounds worth
of swag Qor have been honorably brought
up), and gets forty pound to the good.
And forty pounds quarter Is hundred
and sixty pounds year. And l lives on
it. Sometimes it's morc-now and then
it's less, but whatever it is, lives on It,"
And the honest fellow took receipt for
the note aud departed.
Old Reginald was as good as his word.
lie left his bedroom window open and
placed the salvcr where the honest burglar
was as good as his word, and at Q o'clock
In the morning he came and found it.
SO far all was simple and straightforward
enough. But now comes the curious and
Incredible part Of my story.
The fifty pound note was part of the pro-
cecds of previous burglary. The number
of the note was known, and traced to Old
Reginald, who had to account for it's being
in his possession.
Now the twelve burglars had in the
meantime been. arrested by the police (this
also is Incredibly. and were condemned to
penal servitude for life.
SO Old Reginald had no hesitation in
stating the facts as have stated them.
No one believed him, as no one will me.
So he appealed to the honest burglar to
corroborate his story.
But the honest burglar, having. discovered
the whole thing, coffce-pot, salvcr and all,
was the commonest electro, was 50 shocked
at Old Rcginald's dishonesty, that not only
did he decline to corroborate his story, but
actually, and 1 think very properly, identi-
fed him as an accomplicc.
And Old Reginald was also sentenced to
penal servitude, and he and the honest
burglar worked for years together on the
same works, and had many opportunities
of talking the matter over from its moral,
social and political point of vicw.