The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-15
A SHARP NEGRO.
One of the singular Experiences OF n
Louisville Constable.
louisville TimeS1


eyes. I was constable for six years,
and you can bet had some live skirmishes
at that time" remarked Squire Frank
GOsnell to a group of friends. 1T seems
that the life is too hard for most men, for
it is next to impossible TO get good con-
stable nowadays. l can't blame a man for
not wanting TO be a constable, though, for
I don't think I would like TO go through
it again myself. 1 remember an incident
that occurred about four years ago con-
nected with the great firm of Buehanans
that is now sojourning in Canada. They
were receiving barge-load after barge
load of coal, and it was being hauled out of
their distillery by about twenty of their
own carts. By watching little signs l no.
ticed, and partially tracing up clews, 1 be-
came satisfied that the cart drivers were
systematically rObbing the firm of hum
dreds of bushels of coal. 1 spoke to one of
the Overseers about it, and he advised me
to go to George Buchanan and tell him
what l knew, and he was certain he would
pay me well to catch the fellows. So did
go to Buchanan one morning, and found
him sitting in his office with several gen
tlemen. At his bidding I told my story.
When l had finished he looked at me mo-
ment, and then said in the most insulting
way:
II don't believe it, sir; don't believe a
word of it."
Il had not counted on such reception,
and it angered me so that [ hardly knew
what 1 was doing, but L know that l told
Buchanan in very strong and not very gem
teel language that the negroes could steal
his coal, his distillery, his business house
and himself for all l cared, and walked out.
That afternoon, think it was, one of his
men came to me and said that if [ would
go ahead and catch the thieves Buchanan
would pay me, but 1 wouldn't listen to him.
He then tried to get some points from me,
so that others could trap them, but L
thought when had worked the case up it
was mine, and refused TO give it up. How
ever, the negroes got wind of what was
going on, and next morning three of the
drivers were missing, and have not been
seen in town to this day. They had a very
slick scheme and worked it well. AS l
said, there were about twenty carts
hauling the coal to the distil-
lery. Well, they would all go down
and get their load, and each driver would
get his ticket. They would drive to GER
tain point where an outsider would be in
waiting The driver of the cart would
place and drive the load of coal off and de-
liver it to some one to whom it had been
previously sold. The real driver of the cart
would accompany the other carts to the dis
tillery They would all unload and then
file in to the clerk to get their tickets sign
ed. The MAJ who had left his cart would
go i'll " tn them and get his ticket signed,
too He w0dld then go back with the carts
to the place where he had left his own, and
would there find il in waiting and empty.
When he would get back to the floats he
would present his ticket properly signed,
and never a suspicion would be aroused.
! The negro who gave the scheme away to
me stated that in one week they sold eight
cen loads of coal, and it was then selling
at So per load. You may say negro isn't
sharp, but if that isn't pretty slick L will
| give it uD.