Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-04-08

another of the group, as he elevated
his feet a notch higher on. the stove.
1.-Two or three years ago one of the big
distillers at Peoria, Illinois. was robbed
of goodly sum by his confidential
clerk. l was sent down from Chicago
to work up the case. The name of the
clerk was Charles Albright. and he
was described to me as dapper little
fellow without beard. and a voice as
soft. as a woman's. His photographs
showed him to be a pretty cookbook
ing fellow. The money had been
drawn to make purchase of grain. 1t
was to have been paid cut on that day.
but was not called for. and the elerk
gObbledit some time between six o clock
in the evening and eight O'Clock next
morning.
1.-The first move. as you will agree,
was to ascertain what trains had Left
Peoria during this. time and seek to
find which one Albright had taken.
The place is quite railroad center. bat
in one day ascertained that the thief
had not left the town either on freight
or passenger train. Had he gone by
the highway? visited every livery sta
BILE, but no trace of him. As a matter
of fact, was up tree. He had gone,
but how?
after two whole days spent in fruit
less search, got desperate, took train
at venture, and brought up at Deca-
tur. On the train was a young lady
whose home was at Decatur. As she
had several parcels with her, I volun-
teered to help her off the car. As her
feet touched the platform she tripped
and fell, and the result was a broken
arm. AS none of her friends were
to meet her, 1t seemed to devolve on me
to cali carriage, summon a surgeon
and accompany her home. l found
her to be the daughter of wealthy
widow having one or two other chill
dren, and their gratitude was such that
could not we'll avoid accepting an in
| vitation to make the house my home
for few days. l had given out, you
see, that | was Boston lawyer look
ing up the titles to some real estate in
Decatur.
'.At breakfast we were waited upon
by such trim, tidy second girl, that
my attention was attracted to her. The
widow must have remarked it, for she
| exclaimed:
"It is new girl, who has been
with me but two days. She is very
awkward, but seems willing to learn.
1.-The girl was indeed awkward, as /
aftcrward noticed, but the idea that
she knew any thing connected with the
Peoria robbery never entered my head
until the third day. had been at the
depot TO make some inquiries about
trains, and was about leaving when 1
| saw her enter the waiting room. She
was closely yelled, but knew her fig
ure, and l reasoned that she had give.i
the widow very short notice. 1t was
not impossible that this new girl was a
thief, and l determined to speak 10 her
and ascertain her reasons for leaving.
| AS | started toward her she sprang up
aud rushed out doors. That was Il
SIGN of guilt which could not disre-
gard. and | gave chase. She led me a
sharp run for half mile, and when
collared her she struck out from the
shoulder and gave me beautiful black
eye. In return / put the handouts on
| her wrists. and they had scarcely
snapped together, when she said:
"Well, old chap, l suppose the jig is
up. What kind of a second girl do l
make, anyhow
"'YOu'll come back to the house. and
be searched replied, not yet tum-
bling to it.
1.-THE house! I've got the money
on me, and. OF course, l have to 60 back
to Peoria. You don't take me for a
spoon thief, l hope?"
ut was Albright, and no mistake.
He had left Peoria in the evening. dis
guised rs a female. and his makeup
and appearance were so deceiving that
he made two or three mashes before
reaching Decatur. He knew that no
effort would be spared to hunt him
down, and he had the cheek to take
employment as second girl, hoping to
have a secure retreat until the hunt
had grown cold. My coming to the
house was what had sent him away.
He didn't believe | knew him, but he
saw me watching him, and he argued
that l would soon drop on his dis
guise.'
s.. 1t wouldn't be strange if luck had
stlSO uciptt lllc Oul CCtJSlOlldtiN, IOT
have been in this business over twenty
years. said the third man as he
combed his long goatec with his fin
gers. 'One of the most striking in
stances occurred last fall. A rich old
fellow named Sumner, living near
Louisville. was found dead in his bed
one morning. He had been married
twice, and had two sets of children.
and YOU can readily understand what
happened. 1t was known for fact
that he had made will. 1t was a
stranger fact that the will could not be
found. The heirs tainted each other
with having stolen the will. and pretty
soon the law and the lawyers were
called in, and there was big fight
over the estate, valued. l believe, at
about 100000. One of the heirs BY
the first wife engaged my services in
the case. He was sure that one of the
heirs by the second wife. who was
known to have visited the old man the
day before his death, had stolen and