Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-09-15

'em. 1t would be wrong.
Tempt who ?"
"The pickpockets, my boy. Coney
Island is their paradise. Leave be-
hind you whatever you don't want to
part with for good. You've got Wes-
tern hay-seed in your hair, and they'll
spot you on sight"
"Do l look green 2"
"Well-ahem! Say, don't argue
that question, but take my advice.
They'd rob even Inspector Byrnes
down there"
left behind me some trinkets of no
particular value except to the owner,
distributed d the sum of SO in my seven
or eight pockets, and bought tickets
at the foot of Whitehall street.
In jaunting around New York l
had been liberal patron of the fiend
who sells lemon drops at five cents a
package, and puts prize in the bot
tom of every package. l had thus
accumulated sheepskin wallet, a big
brass watch chain, paste diamond
pin and several other valuable works
of Uirtu and art. l bored the dia-
mond into my shirt, pinned the
watch-chain into my pocket and
stuffed the wallet with pieces of news
paper until it seemed to bulge out with
about 5000 in greenbacks. l wanted
to sec what the fraternity could do
when given fair show.
On the boat going down to Bay
Ridge very nice young man brought
his camp-stool over near mine and
remarked that it was hot day. We
settled that point inside of a minute,
and he was so pleased to find that l
didn't differ with him that he stuck to
me when we landed. Between the
Battery and Coney Island he made
two attempts on that watch chain, but
didn't get it.
When we got down to Brighton he
was met by two pals. They offered to
take me into a side-show where joe
Joe, the dog-faced Russian, and a
dozen monkeys were holding forth,
and l accepted. Among the crowd
in there were several other gentlemen
of enterprise and ability, but they let
me severely alone. l was the pro-
perty of the other gang. We were
standing in front of Joe-Joe and / was
asking him few leading questions
about Russian religion and politics
when the man on the right crowded
ME and the one on my left fshed for
my watch and chain. After some
little trouble he got the chain. He
was after the wallet when l moved
away and baffled him.
| was going off to see the rest of the
sights alone, but they wouldn't have
it that way. Was | not a stranger,
far, far from home, and was it not a
duty as well as pleasure for them to
make things pleasant for me! So /
went over with them to see some more
monkeys in another show, and to hear
fat girl sing: "Gently Down the
Stream of Time" The monkeys stood
on their heads, and the fat girl trilled
her lay, and as the three pressed me
into corner to get a closer view of a
pelican-the only living pelican which
ever accompanied herself on the harp,
or something of that sort, some one got
the stuffed wallet. plainly felt the
hand which took it, but did not want
to hurt his feelings.
BY this time / was little tired of
sideshows, and | wanted to get out and
see the marine railway. My three
friends would not permit me to 60
alone. ! might get run over by the
engine, or fall through the trestle
work, and they should always blame
themselves for it. We went away
while the fat girl was trilling her lay
some more, but instead of going to the
railway we got tired and sat down on
bench to hear some music. 1t was
by an Italian opera company. There
were two fiddles and harp, and the
performance was entirely satisfactory
to the audience. After couple of airs
had been rendered ina heart-melting
manner one of my friends held his hat
upon his hand before my eyes and
asked me if | saw hole in the crown.
While | was anxiously trying to
discover one to oblige i'm he used
the other to remove my diamond. /
knew the trick, and was watching his
motion, but he got the jewel out very
deftly. 1t wasn't half minute after
that before the three pretended to see
some one on the walk they had an
engagement with, and / was suddenly
left alone.
| went over to the railway and
made the trip to Manhattan and back,
and was leaning against post
near the exhibition building when
one Of the pick-pockets walked to me.
His brow was bathed in gloom. He