The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-17
A THIEF CAUGHT At LAST
HOW HE PLAYED HIS LITTLE
GAME
As Piano Tuner and Insurance Agent
How He Played Upon the
Confidence OF Women.

smooth tongued young man VINO nF'
brought dismsy futo large number
of households in the upper part o.
the CITY duarig the last three months
His visit was always pleasant, but
when he went smilinglv away il
would be discovered later that be bad
taken with him s,mething Of value
usually in the shape OF jewelry. He
has been doing excellent busiut 8 rs a
thief and without taking much trou
BILE His work was done go cleverly
that although complaints have been
coming in to Inspector Byrnes nearly
every day for the lat two months
from persons who baye lost property
through the agency of this young
man, he had until lP5t Friday eludeO
the police. The compliments in leav.
ing he description OF the man who
had robbed them agreed with each
other exactly, 50 that the police bad
an abundance Of description, but they
could not get the man.
"Good afternoon" said dark COM
plexioned, smoo.hfaCed, fashionably-
dressed Young man, showing profuse
amount OF gold filing in his front
tech as he kept on his everlasting
smile TO Mrs. Cameron, of No. AGO
West Fifty seventh street a few daye
ago. He WIS lsheTed into the parlor
and said "My dear Mrs. CpmeTol, ]
am sorry that | could not get around
to see you EARLIER, but your husband
did not call at the office until nearly
noon and ! had several places to 90 Ia
on my way mp"
Mrs. Cameron assured HIM that she
did no. know anything about, aud be
continued:
"0h I'm from the PhUuix Iusur-
ance Com any and havelCome up here
t, make a survey OF your personal
property. 1t will only take few mo-
men S, if you will Kindly show me
through the rooms"
Mrs. Cameron went with the
pie SAINT young man, who never for
got 10 smile, until the bedroom WI 7
reached, and then he remarked that
he had left his book in the parlor aud
a7ked in his blandeJt way II Mrs.
Cameron would get 1t for MIN. She
did 80. He thenimade c1reful entries
in the book of her property, aud WIZ
busy calculating, when the lady went
out OF the room sgain. She returned
quickly as the young mau was
huredly putting something IN his
pocket, and he Immediately excused
himself, saying that everything WIS
all right and smiled himself away.
He had gone safe distance from the
house when Mrs. Cameron discovered
that her bureau draw had been iined
and a diamond ring worth $3.50 wfs
gone.
Sh was frantic, more at the way she
had been deceived than at the los of
the ring, but her feelings we're quieted
in = measure by seeing a le ter on
the Fl orwhich the thief had dropped.
She hurried TO Inspector Byrnes with
the letter, and it gave him the clew
to the thief.
Detectives Sheldon aud Hnrd had
been working on the cese, but had
made little headway They found
that the thief had several ways Of
working" houses. At one place he
would be an insurance agent, at an.
other he would represent him self as
coming from Knapp's furnishing store
to measure the mouse for window
shadee, and again that he had been
sent to fl the beds with springs.
When he paid pleP9ant visit to
Mrs. Heard of No. 1877 West One
Hundred aud TweHty-seventh street
h was piano.tuner, end when he
G to where the piano was standing
he ~ his hands over the keys and
shru ged his shoulders in French dis
.ust TO be in keeping with his e..
sun d French acDsnt
Would the good lady be kind
en- Ugh to get some hot water TO wash
th grease of the keys?" he asked,
pl intively. She went into the hall TO
call servant, was gone Just mo-
ment, aud after the piano had been
tuned, and the tuner had gone away,
after collecting S3 for his work, she
could not find jewelry worth Sll00,
which had been carefully put away in
an adjoining room, The detectives,
by following up the letter which Mrs
Cameron brought TO Inspector ByTnes,
found the man in house in Seventy
fifth street, near First avenue, aud
arrested him. He was highly indig-
nant when the officers told him that
he was under arrest, and protested
loudly at the indignity offered to
gentleman He went along, neverthe-
less. AT Police Headquarters he said
his name was William A. Williams,
his sge twenty-three, and that he lived
ut the Grand Union Hotel. Beyond
denying the charge upon which he
was arrested, he would say nothing.
On Saturday, out OF forty persons who
have been robbed, seventeen appeared
at headquarters, and when the thief
was pleced in a line with number of
persona, they all picked him out as
the piano-,uner, the insurance man,
or some one else who had
p robbed them, even though he had for
gotten to smile. He has be n taken
TO court siuce he was arrested and was
remsnded to the custody of Inspector
Byrnes. When the thief saw that he
was caught so that he could not escape,
he broke down aud C,ied pteouely,
and told the story of his criminal life,
"Gamhing," said he, has been my
ruin. There seemB to be a spirit with.
in me that is constantly calling NE to
go to the gambling table. Try how.
ever hard, | could not resist. / have
sod my coat and waistcoat to get
money to play red and black and /
have gone without food aud spent my
last penny at the gambling table, hop
ing that my luck would turn. l have
never won. II has always been my
luck to lose, but the spirit within
would force me on. When my money
was gone would steal to get money
to play with and for nothing else"
The letter spoken OF is dated ia this
city, and lie from a young lady who is
said by lnsp ctor Byrne5 TO be a mem
Der OF one Of the weaithiest families in
this city. II is love letter aud dis
closed the real name Of the thief. He
also belongs to one Of the most prom
inent families in this city and has a
brother who is prominent in politics
The name given by the Thief is 8 I,.-
tious one Inspector Byrnes I'D hot
think nat the ends Of justice would
be aided 10y giyiu his real -ame or
that ST the young lady, when asked