The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1888-01-05
A CLEVER CAPTURE


Al three O'Clock one morning iSenf!
years ago sss on railroad train soins
from Portage, Wisconsin. 10 Milwaukee
/ bad been cut on some private detective
work for parties 10 the latter city. and
hsl sacceeded 70 well thai J Was both
happy and sleepless. THIS vn The rea-
son Was not 10 a sleeping car. fast hela
10 The arms oi slnmber. instead Of occu-
p,ing seat 10 the common coach. ~i'h
nv eys very vide open and my si's all
about me.
may say. without e9o,ism, thai am
40 observing man. There are Others IN
plenty, but the greater hall of humani'y
go through life with their eyes hall shut
Ny i.iber wat Sheriff ior many years,
aud. rs boy, The taught me TO observe
aud rcmembes. II went down town or
on, for ~ait, had to tall him, When !
20. home, wLo -,nd what ] bad seen, on
ono occasion. iot failing to report lopse
horse had sect 10 the road,l gpt soaad
thrashing, spd again. for failing . report
street nehf my liberty vas tnks-~ s~ss
for four days. / can thus lruthtully say
to you that had the habit OF observation
licked into me. while nature Tad kindly
furnished me With very reteGlive memo
n.y. By aud by began TO stndy tumso
character as profession, aud liked II
learned to read meu's characteristics 10y
their faces, aud their thoughts by their
actions. aud on two occasions this faculty
VI perception prevented jail deliveries
Twas vide awake, AZ baye told you,
when the train stopped at a country sta
tion on sisnal II barely came to stand
still, and only one passenger got aboard,
Tie car was pretty we'll filled, aud such
o. the passengers as had seats alone were
sire ell Q ont in sleep. bad sized up
every ons near me, and bad counted up
two honest old farmers, droyer two
millinprs, a mechs0ic and family, and
house painter who was evidently going to
the city for work. No one seemed to no.
tice the entrance Of the ues passenger. IL
was in October, and be had on a fall over
coat. lie carried heavy yalise In one
hand, and he came down the aisle looking
from right to left, until be reached my
seat. | moved to the window as blnt
that | was ready TO share it with him, but
be hesitated long minute, aud looked at
me shnrply three or four times before he
finally sat down. The satchel he placed
between his feet. He had not uttered q
word, and after sitting down he seemed to
forget all about me.
Hello but have found two legged
hog, | said to myself, after bit. oiier-
ed him half OF my seat OF my own free
will, and be seems to be mad because
did not surrender it all. Old fellow, you
are au II. O. G., aud no mistake. Let me
look you over bit.
| leaned back against the window, pre-
tended to shut my eyes and resume my
nap, and then inventoried the fellow. de
had hard, cruel face ON him, and l felt
sure be was a mau with little mercy 10 his
heart. ! had not been looking at him
over two minutes before ! saw that he was
taking sly glances at me, and that be was
quite anxious about the satchel: In the
course OF five minutes he turned and gave
me thorough looking over, and read
in the gesture OF his hand and the toss OF
his head that he said to himself
"Rah Why should / be afraid of
him p
His dress was that OF barkeeper-
rather fashy. Tho jewelry he wore gave
him away as we'll. II he was not bar
keeper be was at least the owner OF
saloon, and, from his build, l judged him
10 be pugilist OF more or less local fame.
After one general look at his dress, |
began at bis collar to make closer 10
speclion. His shirt collar kept working
up to annoy him, and said to myself
that the button was gone and that he had
fastened it with PIN. In his twisting
around he pulled his overcoat back, and
saw that the top button on bis under
coat had been pulled out by violent jerk,
leaving the hole in the cloth. The coat
was new and it would take heavy wrench
to pull the button out that way. / fol-
lowed his arm down to his right hand, and
across the back Of it was long scratch.
It was fresh scratch for the marks OF
blood still fingered My eyes dropped to
the strangers right leg, and ! saw that bis
knee was damp and soied. He had GER
tainly fallen Oh the ground. ! might
have reasoned that be had met with very
common accident, but didn't said to
myself;
"Old fellow, you have locked horns
with somebody to get mussed up this
way. II isa scrape You don't want known
for you keep throwing anxious einnces ~
me. II ii WAS only an accident you'd get
up and fiX that collar, growl little over
the spot on your knee, and cuss the rail-
road company for having platform un-
protected by railing at the ends. Won
der what you've got in that satchel A
traveller with a few clothes 10 satchel
does not have to keep his foo, on It while
every body around him is asleep You
are no cucumber, old fellow. and you've
got something 10 there worth watching.
ri try little trick 90 you. '
had my right band 10 my pocket. !
carefully worked my knife out, and rs It
fell 10 the floor gave slsrt, woke up,
and bent down 10 look for it. As moved
nv band toward bis feet be quickly bent
4 LA. Ii a swsf,5 a.k.l.