Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-12
A Thfef,s Confession.


 am the most unhappy man that ever oe- | cupied prison cell. I say this advisedly, | knowing that hundreds are at this moment l bewailing their fate, which in many cases l may seem harder than mine; but it is not if | they still retain the elf-respect which I have ! lost. That's what tortures me; my prestige is gone; I am degraded in my own eyes; | despise myself as heartily as the most virtu- ous man in the world could. That I, to whom half the thieves in London have looked for guidance, should myself have laid plot for myself and walked into it! It is too humiliating! To fall victim to pow erful combination of adverse circumstances is no disgrace; to be outwitted by the supe- rior finesse of the police is hard, but endura- ble; but to fall into snare which should not have misled boy who had never stolen much as a handkerchief in his life-this, this is shame!
 It that diamond ring that did it. I really think some special i'll luck must have attached to the trinket, for it brought no good to it's previous possessor. It was hard ly in the regular way of business that it came into my hands-just as it had escaped from them in a most unbusiness-like fash ion. That young man must have been in great straits before he united himself to me in the business of stealing his unole's cash box in order to obtain funds to pay his gam bling debts. It was easy matter for me. He was to mix few drops of an opiate gave him with his relatives brandy and water one evening and leave the hall door open; I had only to walk in and take up the booty he had coll cted and placed req dy for me. It was 8 very fair collection of plate that awaited me well as the coveted cash-box; but am fond of jewell @hA1 1011r f,11 that l could not resist creeping up to the masters bedroom to see if there was not in it a trife worth picking up. There was the diamond ring and rather good set of studs. I took them and slipped out of the room so quietly that I should not have dis turbed their owner, even if my young friend had not, by way of making sure, doubled the prescribed dose of the opiate, and thereby plunged his uncle into, not sleep, but death. Poor young fellow The knowledge that he killed relation who had always treated him with kindness. if also with severity, was too much for his mind, which doubtless was new strong. Those debts of honor were never paid; he never came to claim his share of that nights spoil and have heard that the distant cousin who, failing him, inherited the old mans property, grumbles greatly at having to pay for his being kept in a lunatic asylum.
 This is cowardice on my part. have con- demned myself, as the fitting punishment of my folly. to set down in black and white the way in which entrapped myself, and I am postponing the task to maunder over an ir- relevant incident.
 The ring had not been long in my posses sion when paid the unlucky visit to Paris which began my fortunes. The London po- lice were very active just then, and business was in consequence dull and risky, so, being in funds, thought I might take a holiday and enjoy fortnight in the city of pleasure. 1 was pretty we'll known at home; but had not, far as I knew, a single enemy in France, and I did not intend to make any. For fortnight I would be a mere innocent pleasure taking the days amuse- ments as they came, and making no effort after either my own gain or others loss. Such was my intention; but alas! what in tention, especially if it be a good one, can withstand the force of the habits of life times Mine gave way and speedily.
 One evening-a pleasant April evening" formed one of the crowd that surrounded the platform at an open-air concert. By my side was standing stout and elderly man, whom, from 8 score of tiny indicators, I guessed to be British holiday-maker ''There's from fifteen to twenty pounds in his coat pocket I'll be bound" thought I. "He is far too cautious to leave his money at his hotel, where Frenchmen, whom he re- gards as all thieves, may lay hands on it, so he carries it about with him, thinking that on his person it cannot fail to be safe." The idea of undeceiving him in this particular was too tempting; found myself smiling in anticipation at the bewildered and horror struck expression his face would wear when he discovered his loss. It was the humor of the thing that touched me- That fatal gift of humor, which has ruined SO many honest men, led me to my destruction. Deep in my soul, beneath the outer garb of the man of the world I was wearing, dwell the instincts of the professional pickpocket. Almost unconsciously inserted my left hand Eve are all ambidexter in our profession) in his pocket and gently drew out pocketbook- the very sort of pocketbook I knew he would carry. I edged away from my victim as soon as the little operation was over, and disentangling myself from the interested auditors who were listening to gaily dressed damsel shrieking with the remains of once powerful voice, 1 soon found myself walking along the brightly lighted boulevard.s had not gone far before I noticed that the dia- mond ring which constantly wore on the third finger of my left hand was missing. It was a little too large for me, but I had not thought it advisable to have the size altered just yet; and the result was that it had slipped from my finger. knew that wore