The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-06-18

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! some of the latter might sell them at
4 profit, or they would keep me i'll eatable
i for a while, and the sale would relieve h
| son. agreed to buy if [ could raise tf
! money. Now am not without cash, bu
! it would not have done to say SO: Hence
( agreed to ask you for Il loan. Well,
: have bought lot of things to-day, dill
. cheap, which Ireally believe belong. to OH
: row ON the sly, but on Monday you ma
look for my return Giving me . playful
dig iii the side he left me. His absenc
/ during the night and the following da,
. surprised the landlord, but | said nothing
was all impatient till Mouday came
| was busy at my carving when | heard !
well known voice hail me from below
On looking down from my stage Whom
should sec in the road beneath, smiling
all the face over, but my old friend, tht
gardener. in policeman's uniform. Tht
truth flashed upon me i'll moment.
went down. Grasping my hand he said:
'sThe secrets out you see. Come along
and see the upsEot.
! | was about 70 witness a dcnoument
had not looked for. Up the road were q
coliple=of policemen My old companion
was the chief, being il sergeant OF police
He led the way to the museum, and was
the first to enter.
''Good-mclning, my OLD friend, H tie said
on encountering the naturalist: Tive come
to take Il few more parcels Of your cheap
provisions
/ saw that tlle5old gardener vas detect
ed in the speaker, and that the game was
seen to be up. The old mans son rushed
to the door and scrambled off only to fall
into the clutches Of one Of the officers who
| were on the watch The old man was ut
terly helpless and almost beside himself.
| Sinking into his chair, he cried out, II
am not the thief: the thieves are there, -
pointing to the door, and meaning [ could
see, his son and confederates, although
they were not present.
We went into the museum. The first
thing the old gardener-as shall still call
him--did was to lay hold Of ''Bruce"
while he directed one of his comrades to
Law hold of t'Wonder." On moving them
a noise of loose metal was heard. 4 mo-
mcnt's examination sutiiced to reveal the
secret In the otf-side of each animal in
the soft part, an oritice had been made by
cutting the skin III such Il way rs to ena-
bic the operator to replace it with ease
A part of the stuffing had been removed,
leaving a vacancy just like Il throstle's
nest. This was stuffed with jevelry,
guards, earrings and finger rings. A
further examination revealed other and
singular hiding-places; for example, d;
gamc-cock was found put out Of sight; Oh
taking hold Of it Il noise of clinking metal
was heard OH lifting up the feathers over
the crop d small hole was seen outof which
rolled Il number of trinkets.
Nearly all the proceeds Of the two rob
berries Of the ieweller were recovered one
watch and Il few guards only being absent.
And some of the property Of the provis-
ion dealer was also found slowed away i'll
the brecding-box, though most of it had
been used and sold. ! scarcely need say
the parcels sold to the gardener were a
part Of it, and had to do with the dctec-
ton of it. My friend, the sergeant in
formed me that he had been induced to as
sumo the character which he had so well
persopated, entirely on speculation. While
making a survey of the neighborhpod a
few days before he began to play his part,
he had observed the backward state Of the
landlords garden. and believing that he
would readily catch at a chance Of getting
it finished in cheap way, and being al
good hand at gardening, lie had Hit upon
the scheme which had answered so well.
HeEhad believed that the robbers were not
far from the locality Of the public-house
and might come there now and again, and
so, could he lodge there without being
known OF suspected, he might come at all
lie desired. And as lie had hoped 50 it did
come to pass,
The naturalist, who, it came out, had
long been a receiver of stolen property,
and his son, whose first burglaries these
were, got each five years penal 'servirude:
one Of the other men-who came from a
distant town. and were old hands--was
convicted and punished; but the
fourth, for some forgotten reason, got off.
Ny friend came in fora good reward of
fered in this case, and for the part Which
| had taken in the affair, the .ieweller gave
me a gold pencil-holder, which ! value as
Il mcmento.