Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-08-22
A "DEsPERATE CHARACTER"

| twelve, and set OIL TO my lodgings.
Knocked; there was no answer. i
knocked again; a window was thrown
up and my landlady's head appeared.
"Who are youp" she screamed
Lets in, please; it's me" l an
swered.
Then, Mr. Me- if you don't come
home before ten you may stay out till
mornin' never wait up for my lodg-
ers-my door is c'osed attenp' and then
the window c'osed with bang.
mo go" thinks 1. IL have no mon
/ ely. I'll GO to a railway station and
wait in the waitiug-room till morn
ing;" which resolution l proceeded to
carry out by walking briskly for the
bank.
turned into Moorgate street, and
was just thinking whether should go
to London, Brighton and South Coast
or the London Bridge station. stopped
to think. There was n cOnfect'oner s
shop Just in front of me Oh, that it
were open! had three-pence left
just at this moment tall. broad
shoulderod man ZANE up to me AMI
viewed me from top to toe. i looked at
him. lie was dressed in dark clothes; a
pea jacket and c)ap-trap cloth hat, with
a roak lying level on the forehead, gave
me feeling of awe. The thought
forced itself upon me that he was gar
roter He spoke first.
YOU'RE Mr. Sam?' and he laid his
finger on his nose.
"You'yc guessed it," said j, thinking
il best to agree with him, although my
name was Tom.
Then come alongp and away wo
went.
ibid Butler give yo e'er pistol?" he
asked.
NO" said /, beginning to trcmble,
"He said he wanted them himself"
Just like him. He told me L d find
you standing in Moorgate street. be-
tween twelve and one, opposite the con-
foctioner's, with your right hand in your
pocket"
Pm in for it," thinks /, "but l
must 90 through with it. But what
ever will it come to, at all, ut alp"
lie led me through labyrinth of
streets, walking rather fast, till we
emerged upon the city road. Then he |
made straight for the Angel, and from
thence took u cab for Fleet street. |
What oh Get he had in doing this can
not say He did not offer to explain;
in fact not word passed. between us
till we got out at the top of Ludgate
Hill.
From thence we went into q back |
street, and out of that into another, no
matter which, and suddenly stopping
opposite shop, exclaimed:
There's our cribn'
"Is tP" says l.
Where pom he produced from his
pocket a.rule. The shop was evidently
tailor's. rs ii had bars standing out
like the rungs # Jacobs ladder from
each side of the door. to exhibit stock |
upon NY friend stepped on the first !
OF these, which was three feet from tho |
ground. and speedily measured the
height of large glass fanlight over the
door then. stepping down again, he
measured the breadth of the door. and
as the fanlight was square. he muttered
to me by way OF giving me its dimcn-
sionS:
"Thrce and halt by two high and
chuckled quietly.
Then he crossed the road, and .ol-
lowed. he explain ng that we must wait
till the policeman passed. He hove in
sight about ten minutes afterwards, |
while we walked past him. Then we
waited till he returned. This time we
did not pass him, but watched from a
corner ut distance.
Twenty minutes and half between !
going and coming" exclaimed my COM
paniOn "And handy beat: Tor he |
comes up the corner here'-pointing |
to one II little beyond the shop" and !
goes down this street next ours"
The impression began to steal over
that \ hnI
to commit, felony, and that if caught |
l might get into trou lie. thought of |
running for it; but the remark my com
panion made ut that moment, to the eff
feet that it would be short run if de- |
serted him (for he seemed TO zee / |
didn't like the job, deferred me. 1 |
dared not explain that he had made a
mistake for felt sure that he must have |
mistaken me for some ally OF his own.
IL must go through with it," thinks |. |
"He'Il leave me outside to watch, and !
I'll hook>it then" SO went on.
He crossed the street again the mo-
ment the policeman was past interfer-
ing with us, and producing n piece of
stout black cloth be applied the rule
thereto, holding it against the shut !
tiers while he set out. "three and half
by two thereon. This done, he cut it
within two inches of the measurement |
all round; and then producing trea-
cle-pot from his pocket, he smothered |
one side OF the cloth with treaclc, and,
desiring me TO hold it, he mounted the |
shop-door, Sc to speak, again; and l
gave him the cloth, which he immedi- |
ately clapped on to the sky-light. the
treacle making it adhere firmly to the |
.,laas Thn,, tnA1ytVor nj h. toh hol
cried:
.By gosh! he'll be here this minutep'
and away he walked. A glance behind |
us, as we turned the next corner. Not
vet i'm sight! We stopped and waited, |
but the policeman came not. My friend |
uttered an oath, adding: II II go. Come |
along; but keep your weather.ey open"
And off we went.
Perhaps he is watching u.s." ! sug- |
gcsted. But the idea was discarded rs
not in the nature of n policeman like
that one we saw"
We arrived at the shop. He mounted
again, and drove string through hole |
in the cloth. Then he ran diamond
round the edge of the glass. A gentle
pat, and it gave way. Now ! saw the |
use of the cloth and string. He could |
hold the glass by the string: he then let |
il down into the shop, and, p oducing q |
long shaped pad, he laid il along the |
bottom OF the fanlight to cover the glass |
edge and threw one leg into the open
ing and got astride of it!
Follow me-" he muttcrcd. and |
duckcd his head under the door-head.
But before he could draw in the other
leg mounted the ladder, and. Selling
II, gave him pull that kept him from
going IND at the same time Yelling. |
"Policc, Th ewes! Mu der. Police"
q; the top of my voice. md, 10 and |
behold! the policeman appeared Mt the !
corner at that moment. a horrible oath |
from within. n pistol-bul'et whistling |
past my head. and ran FOR death and |
i.r. n I