The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-08-11
B. PHIBBS,
Burglar.
All Business Strictly Confidential.
Banks q SCe ,ialtY.

Banks Speciality.
.s.S
Mr.. Phibbs was indeed of a retiring
disposition Moreover, he stood so high
in his profession that, despite its frequent
inte. .uptions, he was beyond the fever
and heat of mrrcenary competition. Cn
q certain night Mr.. Phibbs was plodding
his way through Allen street in reply to
professional call. A dark, dismal street
it was, on which a burning sun had
beamed down all day long; u bakers
oven that had been roasting rich and poor
and was now cooling off, while the
chimes of tie far away ch"rch bells sang
themselves to rest; a black cavern of a
street. fit, you would think, only for
murder and rapine. Mr.. fhibbs was in
it,and his eyes-very sharp, black eyes -
set in dark caves OF sockets, with lashes
like,bushes above them, wandered up and
down the great stcrehousts. lie was a
well built man, with very long nose and
an over lip that was always being bitten
by his white teeth as though it had done
wrong.
On this night he carried a SIT; hel in his
hand. Who could tell his thoughts as his
eyes ran up and down the black fronts
Were they of all the precious things stored
within. of the fabr cs dainty and rare, or
of the tired, weary hands that had made
them aid tou never touch them again:
Mr.. Phibbs stopped at the door of one.
He smoothed the iron bolts gent y and
soothingly as tn ugh the bolts had no
one to blame but tn; h;mselvcs for not
knowing him sooner. He ran his hand
up and down the iron shutter also in q
rep7oachful manner How still and calm
the great street is, like cathcd al when
the organ is hushcd. Quickly the Satchel
is opened and bar OF steel is in the hand
of the burglar. Itrcsts ol the iron shutter.
Hark! VIII was that? A step? No,
only the sobbing of the wind. The bar
cuts into the iron deeper and deeper.
Again the sound lower and fainter, bat
still the same. The lar of steel IS in the
mans left hand and a g Gaming revolver
in his right, when the s1unl comes again,
this time from his very feet. The m BON
draws her veil of cloud aud the white
light shines down on little childish
face there at the crack>m"n's feet.
Mr.. Phibbs, from the nature of his
profession, was accustomed 10 surprises.
He b:nt his glance and saw that the face
below him was not of Allen street. 1t
was tender tacc--only to be kissed by
. mothers lips. On the little finger OF
the left hand cleaned tiny gold ling
The collar at the throat was of lace, and
the other garments OF rich texture. Mr.
Phibbs read the story in second. He
knew some mamma shopping in Grand
street had lost her child, and he knew
that the baking sun lad aim st stilled
the life beat in the little one. He felt
the pulse. It had almo:t ceased to beat
What would he do2 Let it die? 1t would
only be one more little unfortunate swal-
lowed up by the streets, or rerchancc
cast on the bosom of the river. If he
were to give it to a policeman he might
as we'll say he wa' Mr.. Phibbs at once
Let it die2 Had he not seen others
prettier and fairer smother and starvc
in the tenements? There is a sound of
footsteps along the way. Slow, steady
footsteps, and MIR. Phibbs knows they
belong to man in blue uniform.
Woul! he esr ape himself and trust the
policeman to find the child? The foot
steps are nearer. A memo Y comes ove,
o mans mind; al indistinct, strange
memory and face wrinklcd and care-
worn comes with it. A face it is loak
ing very calm, and Mr. Phibbs sees
rocking cradle-what is that2 The face
bends down and kisses the ore in the
cradle. How like and how unlike a
burglar. Like weird shadow u man is
speeding noisclrssly down Allen street
At his breast is the face of child. Be-
yond the great warehouses fl:es the man:
beyond the shufing men and noisy
women on lighted str ct: beyond the
dark forms sleeping in the thoroughfarc
down where the houses are thickest, but
never beyond that wrinklcd, carewo*n
ce, nor the rocking cradle fashioned
on,y in memory.
Perhaps you read this one day in your
daily paper:
Policeman Johnson of the Tenth Precinct
last night discovered complete kit OF burg
lars too's on Allen street NJ 'st of them wee
In satchel, but jimmy was found n the
pavement. and the windows of the vi olesae
house of Edwards &; Co.. dealers in silk, were
party forced. The policeman met a iran
carrying @ similar sat .hel several hours be-
FORE and Police Su 'inteudent Brown, al
though he will not admit a mu"h, is conf
dent from she description given that the
notorious era ,ksman Bill Phibbs was sur
priSsd in the perpetration of robbery.
The pol ce were looking for the man
with the satchel.
This single room with the cot in one
corner and the tatt"rcl gam;n asleep in
the other is Mr. Phlb5s's home.
denly waking: ;why thought
"Never think" says Mr.. Phibbs, ego
TO. a DOCTOR"
'Oh, see Pop" says the boy again,
"abduction, eh2 All right, Pop, I'm of, !"
as Mr.. Phibbs places senseless child on
the bed. Many strange things h d the
ragged boy seen in that room. Ho had
seen bales of silk piled on the foor and
Bill Phibbs standing over it cursing
about all old MIN with hooked nose
He had seen rough men divide piles of
greenbacks there, and more than once
had he seen Bill Phibb, totter in bruised
and bloody and pale, and many time
had he nursed the burglars wounds.
The boys returns in a minute and says
softly: mo use, Pop, the doctors