River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-04-22

Chicago to work up the case. The
name of the clerk was Charles ALI
bright, and he was described to me as
dapper little fellow without beard, and
a voice as soft as a woman 5. His
photographs showed him to be pref
ty good-looking fellow. The money
had been drawn to make TO make a
purchase of grain. II was to have
been paid out on that day, but was
not called for. and the clerk gobbled
il some time between 6 O'Clock in the
evening and 0 clock next morning.
The first move. as you viii 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 a railroad center but in
one day / ascertained that the thief
had not left the town either on a freight
or passenger train. Had he gone by
the high-way2 visited every livery
stable. but got no trace of him. As a
matter of fact / was up Il tree. He had
gone but how?
After two whole days spent in fruit
less search | got desperate, took a
train at venture, and brouget up to
Decatur. On the train was a young
lady whose home was ut Decatur. As
she had several parcels with her, vol
unteered 10 help her off the ear. As
her feet touched the platform she
tripped and fell. and the result was a
broken arm. As none of her friends
were there to meet her. it seemed to
devolye on me to call carriage, sum-
mon a surgeon, and accompany her
home. | found her to be the daughter
of a wealthy widow, having one or
two other children, and their gratitude
was such that | could not we'll avoid
accepting an invitation to make the
house my home for few days | had
given out, YOU see, that | was Boston
lawyer looking up the titles to some
real estate in Decatur.
AT breakfast we were waited on by
such trim, tidy second girl that my
attention was attracted to her. The
widow must have remarked it, for she
eXclaimed
- IT is a new girl, who has been
with me but two days. She is very
awkward. but seems willing to learn.
The girl was indeed awkward as /
afterward noticed, but the idea that
She knew anything connected with
the Peoria robbery never entered my
mind until a third day. | had been
at the depot TO make inquiries about
the trains, and was about leaving
when saw her enter the waiting room.
She was closely yeilei, but | knew her
figure, and l had reasoned that she had
given the widow very short notice. 1t
was not impossible that this new girl
was "A thief. and | determined to speak
to her and ascertain her reasons for
leaving. As ! started toward her she
she spraug up and rushed out doors.
That was a sign of guilt which | could
not disregard. and gave chase. She
led me a sharp run for half mile, ana
when l collared her She struck out
from the shoulder, and gave me u
beautiful black eve. Ia return | put
had scarcely snapped together when
she said:
"'Well. old chap, | suppose the jig
is up What kind of second girl do
Imake. anyhow
You'll come back to the house and
be searched, Ireplied, notyet tumbling
to il.
.. The house bo id! I've got
the money on me. Of course, and. of
course. I'll have to 90 back TO Peoria.
You doh { take me tor spoon thief,
| hope?'
1T was Albright. and no mistakes
He had left Peoria in the evening, dis
guished as 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 NV coming to the
4 house was what sent him away. He
didn't believe knew him, but he saw
me watching him, and he argued that
| would soon drop on his disguise.
lit wouldn't be strange if luck had
also helped me out occasionally. for |
have been in this business for twenty
years, said the third man as he comb
cd his long goatee with his fingers
/ "One of the most striking instances Oc-
Cured last fall. A rich old fellow
named Sumner, living near Louisville.
was found dead in his bed one morn
/ ing He had been married twice, and
mad two sets of children. and you can
readily understand what happened. 1t
was known for fact that lie had made
I a will
II 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 law
I yers were called in, and there was 4
/ biz fight over the estate, valued, | be-
/ lieve, at about 500. 600 One Of the
Z heirs by the first wife engaged my
services 10 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 destroyed the will. As he
could show that the provisions of the
will left the bull; Of the estate to the
/ first set of children, his charge was a
reasonable one. and | went 10 work to
see what | could do. The alleged
offender was pretty hard case, and
all the information l could acquire
went to show that he was none too
good to do a stroke of the sort.
II spent a month ON the case with
out getting anything definite and then
dropped it. The estate went into court,
each side retaining enough lawyers to
eat up every dollar, and / took up the
ease Of a horse thief. He had stolen
several horses in Ohio and run them
into Kentucky. His headquarters We're
at ElizabethtOwn. and Ihad been there
for couple of weeks, seeking for the
right clue to bring him up standing.
when, one afternoon, | had to visit a
farmer living several miles north Of the
town. This man had purchased one Of
the stolen horses, and had it taken
away from him, and was ready to give
me all aid and information. After a
talk ut the house we went to the barn
TO look over his stock, and in the yard
/ noticed a tin peddler's wagon with a
wheel missing.
-. i cant imagine what has become
Of the owner of that rig, explained the
farmer. He broke down just out here
all Of two months ago. and / let him
draw his wagon in here aud store his
bales of rag, in the barn. He was to
return ia a day or two, but he hash t
shown up since
As we went into the barn we passed
six or eight sacks of paper rags piled up
in a loose manner. There was a score
of more of loose papers on the pile, and
picked up one which proved to be a
Confederate bon l. poeketed il as a
relic. and picked up what thought
was another, but as | opened it out l
road. Last willie testament of