Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-22

Lincoln's Inn, and until twelveI assisted
his clerk with the correspondence. Al
twelve I had to go out prospecting with
~Stoneleigh, and from two to four I had
to devote to finding out all particulars
necessary to assscientitic burglary in any
given house. AT first l did this merely
for practice, and with no view to an
actual attempt. He would tell me of q
house of which he knew we'll all the par.
ticulars and order me to ascertain oil
about that house and its inmates-their
coming and going, the number of their
servants, whether they slept in the base.
ment or not, and other details nee.
essary to be known before a burg
larry could be safely attempted. Then
he would compare my information with
his own facts and compliment o blame
me, as I might deserve. He was a strict
master, but always kind, just, and cour-
teous, as became a highly-polished gen.
tleman of the old school. He was one
of the last men who habitually wore
hessians.
After a years probation l accompa-
MED him on several expeditions, and had
the happiness to believe that l was of
some little use to him. I shot him
eventually in the stomach, installing
him for the master of the house into
which we were breaking q had mislaid
my dark lantern), and he died on tho
grand piano. His dying wish was that
his compliments might be conveyed to
me.
now set up on my w account and
engaged his poor old clerk, who nearly
broke his heart at his late masters
funeral. S%toneleigh left no family.
His money-about 912, 900, invested for
the most part in the American railways
he left to the Society for Providing
More Bishops, and his ledgers, day
books, memoranda, and papers gener-
ally he bequeathed to me.
AS the chambers required furnishing
l lost no time in commencing my pro-
fessional duties. 1 looked through the
books for a suitable house to begin
upon, and found the following attractive
entry:
Thurlow Square-No. 10e.
H~Ouse-Medium.
Occupant-John Davis, bachelor.
Observation-Disclosures of Dados.
Ag~e-Eighty-six.
Physical eculiarities-Very feeble; eccen-
trio; drinks; evangelical; SHORES.
Servants-Two housemaids, one cook.
Sex-Al female.
Particulars of Servants-Pretty housemaid,
called Rachael; Jewess. Open to attentions.
Goes out for beer at nine p. M; SHORES. Ugly
housemaid, called Bella; Presbyterian. Open
to to- atMte aat6 shores Gnes u Elderly cook; Print
-Fastenings-Chubb's lock on street door,
chain and bolts. Bars to all basement windows.
Practicable approach from third room, ground
floor, which is suffered and barred, but the
bar has no catch and can be raised with q
table-knife.
Valuable Contents of MISREPRESENTATION
plate from grateful esthetes. Gold repeater.
Mulready envelope. Two diamond rings.
present time: SIS vols, bound limp calf.
servants on third floor. bavis goes to- to bed at
ten. No one on basement. Swarms with
beetles; otherwise excellent house for pur-
pose.
This seemed to me to be a capital
house to try single-handed. At twelve
o'clock that very night I pocketed two
crowbars, q bunch of skeleton keys, a
center-bit, adark lantern, a box of silent
matches, some putty, a life-preserver,
and u knife, and [ set off at once for
Thurlow Square. l remember that it
showed heavily. There was at least a
foot Of snow on the ground. and there
was more to come. Poor Stoneleigh's
particulars were exact in every detail.
1 got into the third room on the ground
floor without the least difficulty, and
made my way into the dining-room.
There was the presentation plate, sure
enough-about eight hundred ounces, as
1 reckoned. | collected this and tied ii
up so that 1 could carry it without at
tracing attention.
Just as [ finished 1 heard a slight
cough behind me. / turned and saw
dear old silver-haired gentleman in a
dressing-gown standing in the door.
way. The venerable gentleman covered
me with a revolver.
My first impulse was to rush at and
brain him with my life preserver.
"Don't move,' said he, ''or you're s
dead man."
A rather silly remark to the effect
that if | did move it would rather prove
that l was a live man occurred to me,
but l dismissed it at once as unsuited tc
the business character of the interview.
you're a burglar?" said he.
nave lldI Iio11Ol, Sdlu 1, making
for my pistol-pocket.
Don't move" said he; 81 have often
wished to have the pleasure of encoun.
tering a burglar in order to be able tc
test a favorite theory of mine as to how
persons OF that class should be dealt
with. But you mustn't move"
I replied that J. should be happyto as.
sist him if L could do so consistent,
with a due regard to my own safety.
"Promise me-" said l, ''that you will
allow me to leave the house unmolestec
when your experiment is ut an end"
'If you will obey me promptly yor
shall be at perfectly liberty to leave the
house."
"You will neither give me into custo.
dy nor take any steps to pursue me?:'
"On my honor as a Designer o.
Dados,' said he.
"Good," said L. $50 on"
"Stand up" said he, land stretch on
your arms at right angles to you
body"
"Suppose I don't" saidI
''I'Il send 4 bullet through YOUR lef