Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-29
Written For THE EVENING srAs.
THE BURGLARY AT B,
A Thanksgiving Eve story.
BY JOHN b. Mccarthy.

on Thanksgiving Eve some years since. several
detectives and "a many newspaper reporters
The detectives said things were Gull. and the
newspaper reporters made similar coniplaiDt
1t was rather cold outside. though there was
good fire in the detectives oflihe II was inst
the kind of night for story telling; the last call
prior to the call after midnight had been sent
to the police stations asking if anything had &C.
CARED of Importance. The answer came from
them ell nothing new 10. n" was sent
back to all the stations.
The oldest of the detectives after filing his
pipe stretched himself out in al easy chair and
began: '1promised to tell you fellows Thanks
giving Eve story, and will DO it. Somehow
never was much of a success at telling stories
though in this case the facts themselves Nen if
poorly related. cannot help but be of interest
happened to be in the village of B not
twenty miles from here. working up little lob
fer the Post Office department. 4 mail CARRIER
had beea opening the mai! bags and taking let
tiers from them. It was simple case as clear
as daylight All | had to 30 was to bulltIcZo
the fellow little; he was y0Un.s and ineyper;-
eEced. and he gave the whole thing away; we
gave him fear Tor il.
/ had just returned To the village Things
were very quiet. and ! was about going to bed
1t was about 1880 O'clOc!l-when there was Il
sudden excitement of some Kind up at the end
OF tile village Loud VOICES could be heard cry
Ing out, stop him.; We've got him." About
ten o'clock, or half an hour before that the nirht
express. which generally stopped there, had
dropped several passengers at the station. 1
started mp TO see what the trouble was and
soon net couple of the clerks in q store i'm the
village coming down the road having secure i'm
their grasp by the collar and sleeves a rather
fine looking yOuij@ fellow. They took him over
To Squire -S Office. where. after the squire
arrived. he had hearing. The young man was
Charged with burglary. in entering Green's
fGr hx- \
CLERKS vert to the store that night a couple of
hours after they Lad closed up and seeing that
there was something wrGng gave the alarm.
As they were getting out of the yard by the
back fence they the man they had under
arrest pass along. ant: they arrested him. He
was stranger to every one. and had never been
in the village before. so far as any one knew
He made no explanation at ALL except that he
knew nothing about the burglary: that he
happened to pass there just when he did be-
cause he was looking for house i'm that part
OF the VILLAGE. The name of the person or per-
SONS he wanted to find he would not give i. of
course. had nothing to do with this case. In
deed there no one in the room that knew
then that was a detective. Still, took a kind
OF interest iii ii. Somehow the Young man did
not lock to be a crook. I couldn't understand
however. Why he did not straighten the thing
Out by telling what he was dom" there if. as he
Claimed. he was innocent. Squire COM
mitted him for trial to the county iaiI which
was about seven miles from there The two
clerks and an old fellow. who was a kind of a
constable. took the prisoner over to the Jail in
milk wagon.
returned to the tavern and went to bed.
Next morning got up about an hour before my
train came alcGs-for had to return to WASH
1BgtOn as soon as | could TO attend some other
cases-and went uD 10 the store The window
had been forced with Jimmy. The kit of tools
by which the safe was 20 be cracked Law on the
floor. They-were nice looking tools The
whole layout satisfied NE that whoever owned
them was professional safe burglar There were
wedges fuses. a box OF powder and everything
else that was necessary for business The safe
IN the store was the only one in the village and
was USED ny almost every one as a place of
deposit FOR tHeir money. The paynaSter of a
big concern near there usually kept his money
In the safe. This was generally known and was
the reason why the ''crac,lSmdn' wanted to blow
1t. Near the counter was found button which
had been dropped or been pulled off from an
0yereoat- The clerks in the store said they no.
ficed that there was button Off the coat
Of the man whom they had arrested and
lodged in the Jail the night before
This was very strong circumstance against his
innocence, if it happened 20 be true: and felt
satisfied from the positive way in which the
clerks told it that it was true. That was all
knew of the ease al that time. and did not ex-
pect to hear from it any more except probably
to learn what sentence the prisoner got
Ten days afterwards | went to the village
again to appear against nv mail depredator
The hearing took place before the same maris-
trate- The young fellow. my prisoner had two
lawyers engaged to defend him. There was
great deal OF tone and whisky about his reIa-
fi0ns and they did not like the idea of me even
suspeeting that their young relative would even
think OF such a thing rob mail bag and had
determined To break me down. The hearing
lasted Tor over four hours. during which time |
was eross-eXamined at a-fearful rate by two
fools OF country lawyers. who We're continually
bringing out things against their client that
had not thought Of stating. 1t was dead
open-and-Shut case. and the Squire held the
chap in $1,000 bail for trial 1t took place. as |
said before. and he got year. This hearing had
not exposed the fact that 1 was detective of
heer
week later the burglar who had given his
name as Frank Harding. got q trial in the county
court before Judge Bryan and was acquitted.
The only thing against him the button.
button was missing from his coat He said he
did not know how it got Off hut thought prob
ably II was pulled of by the Young man who
arrested MN, and that they took it in their
clothing 10 the store where il was found with
out knowing ii. The Judge instructed the iurv
that there was considerable doubt in the case
and reminded them that the doubt should 20
IN favor OF the innocence of the prisoner He
was accordingly acquitted
He Left the court room and town rs soon as DOS
eiole In company with gentleman who had
come on from some northern city 10 defend him.
No one knew who he was. nor where he came
from The iailOr'S wife and Young daUphter
that he was innocent: hut beyond that they
knew nothing
MIR. Harding" said Molly Wimsatt the iail-
ors daughter, was i'll our jail nearly three
weeks, but during that time he let no one ey-
cept my father and I. see his face. When others
were near the door Of his cell he turned his
pack TO them or covered his face with his hand
keTehief. Olc night. when he was asleep. father
SAYS he talked about Ella somebody but he
dldnt say what the balance of her name was:
and was so sorry"
ut is proper that should let YOU all catch
your breath. said the narrator $50 I'll divide
tils thing mp into chapters. In the meantime
I'll I'LL III my pipe again.
Zone day between the Christmas and New
Tear following received a note from a lady.
WHO signed her name Ella WarfIeld She asked
tiiat meet her that evening at ESQ o'clock. in
the parior Of the Metropolitan Hotel, adding
tiat her business with me was of professional
and confidential character | was there ON the
minute and sent up my card The answer was
tnat the lady would see me in the parlOr. |
went up and met-Tll not go into a description
o. her-but she was what You Young fellows call
Inc looking. Her forehead indicated stronp