The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-01-13


and quietly deposited on the floor, which
was of stone. Our entertainers retired,
leaving the lamp burning dimly.
My detective friend got up and eau
tlously explored the place.
confess was not pleased with his
report.
On one side he found blind door
leading into dark passage way, which,
from the sound of running water, he
supposed TO be one of the city sewer,
through which they carried their vic
Tins. j was so alarmed that suggested
we had seen enough, but he was inexor-
able.
Let us see the end" he said. I'VE
are well armed; we're enough for them.
Why If only showed my shield they'd
beat a retreat. Keep quiet and watch
me-"
We did not wait long In sus pehse.
Charley" and his woman entered
The former examined us critically,
and, turning to the woman, said {" You
go up and tend bar, if any one drops in;
send Lize down to watch the clodhop-
pers, and have her pour little more of
the "stuff" down 'em in half an hour.
L must now go over the river and get
Bob to come over and help me plant 'em
after we close in the mornin."
Again we were alone.
The detective whispered his plans to
me, and few minutes later the woman
Lie came down with bottle in her
hand, and sitting down on the only
chair in the cellar, engaged in the occu-
patton of knitting.
Half an hour must have passed-to
me it seemed two hours-when the
woman picked the bottle up from a
shelf and walked deliberately over to
our corner. With closed eyes felt her
warm band on my forehead; then she
turned my head over, face upward, and
forcing open my mouth when my COM
panion, with quick movement, threw
himself over, and drawing pistol, hiss
ed, s" All, Lie I've got you Now open
your head, and I'll blow it off your
lousy body See this shield? Ha! ha!
trapped at last, eh ?'
So sudden was the thing done that
the woman crouched down quietly, as
the detective threw off wig, and she
identified him as one who had twice
arrested her for shoplifting.
To be brief, the woman "Lize made
clean breast" of the fact that sailers and
countrymen were drugged and taken to
to the sub-cellar, where they were visit
ed by " Big Charley" his wife and two
men.
What disposition was made of the
victims she never knew, or professed to
know not. The officer promised her
protection if she would aid him in solv-
ing the mystery of the removal of the
drugged victims who might visit the
place in future, at the same time warn
ing her that he would have her watched,
and it would be useless for her to at
tempt to flee the city. 1t was also
arranged that when the sub-cellar again
had an occupant she was to find means
to hang white cloth from the front
window as signal, and at all events to
meet him at place appointed week
hence. She then released us through
side door.
Daily the house was watched-no sig
nal. The trysting time arrived, and
Lie came not. Over another week
passed without other news of the woman.
1t was supposed she had escaped the
detectives vigilance.
Reading description of the body of q
drowned woman found at Fort Hamil-
ton, the detective believed 1t was Lie.
He went there and recognized her as the
Water street woman.
The detective always maintained that
he believed :" Big Charley' and his
gang, suspecting Lie of treachery, had
murdered her and thrown her body into
the river.
Shortly after this, my friend, who
still had the house under surveillance,
became insane, and few months later
died.
The Water street den has been demol-
ished to make way for the Brooklyn
bridge, and the inmates were scattered.
Yet still firmly believe that DIR. Harris
was right, and that there still exists in
this city, under the very eyes of the
police, one or more organized gangs
whose business is the inveigling of
strangers into suspicious places, the
robbing of their persons and the con-
signment of their bodies to the waters of
the rivers and harbor.
Where is the Vidocq who will fathom
the secrets of these malefactors Pm. Y.