Morning journal and courier., 1889-02-28

a veranda, and often open down to the floor | The exit was made the same way, although | in some cases through the front door. The
 house once entered, each room was searched I for valuables, and if no alarm was caused 1 nor the inmates awakened, on several occa | sions the burglar entered the dining room | lit the gas and partook of any cold collation. found on the sideboard-cake, turkey, ham | wine, 6Ic. No great skill was shown in mak | ing the entrance, but the audacity of the burglar and his immunity from capture were | unparalleled.
 About this time careful observer might 1 have noticed at one of our best hotels a man ! strikingly handsome and faultlessly dressed | whose classic features and polished manners I would have adorned any circle of society. He was about thirty years of age, remarka- | bly, we'll proportioned, dark hair, large, full, {, dark eyes full of intelligence, that seemed to look you from head to foot as soon as their owner cast them upon you.
 "A comp mplexion that would excite the envy of 8 girl, long, dark mustache, slightly | turned up at the ends, covering lips of coral \ redness, which, when parted by a smile, off, ten illuminated the owners countenance, displaying teeth of great evenness and pear \ ly whiteness. This most enchanting smile, once seen, can never be forgotten. The
 voice we'll modulated, each word and accent as clear as the chime of a silver bell. All who met or made the acquaintance of this man was most favorably impressed. So lib- erai, so generous, so unobtrusive, his person al magnetism was very great.
 "I had met this man, and he was intro duced to me as MT. Joseph Sutton, of Texas. He freely discussed the frequent burglaries then nightly occurring, and even suggested some plans by which the midnight marauder might be apprehended. Sutton was passion ately fond of card playing (poker), and fre- quently made considerable losings. At times he would excuse himself from the
 game in which he was playing, saying he
 would take walk for exercise. leaving what
 mocey and cheeks he had before him on the
 table. After an absence of an hour or two
 he would return, resume his seat and play,
 apparently very much e4hilarated by his
 walk and the fresh air.
 s'Should any one of the players be in bad
 luck. and consequently in bad humor, he
 would smilingly recommend the same course
 by short walk and fresh air, stating that
 he always was greatly benefited by so doing.
 At other times, when his finances were ap-
 parently low, he would absent himself from
 the city for three or four days, always re-
 turning flush with money. These periodical
 absences at first did not attract my attention,
 until one day 8 stranger standing on the
 sidewalk heard me introduce Sutton to
 friend of mine. After Sutton and my friend
 had conversed while and then walked off
 together, the stranger called me to one side
 and asked me what s. s name was. unhes-
 itatingly answered, Sutton
 "'You are mistaken he said; 'that is
 James Chastaine, one of the most noted
 thieves that ever lived. I know whereof I
 speak,
 ssI was so mortified and dumfounded that
 did not notice that the stranger had walked
 away, and from that day until this I have
 never seen that stran ger, nor do I know his
 name. Recovering my wits began to think.
 0o f1ar ha
 ton is the thief that is causing so much
 alarm in this city9 My suspicion being
 thoroughly aroused, from this time on kept
 close watch over Sutton and his movements.
 I noticed another important fact, that when Sutton was absent from the city there were no burglaries committed. He left one day to visit Enfaula, Alabama, and remained there one night.
 stThat night the residence of MT. Guiee, a ! wealthy citizen of that place, was burglar ized and large quantity of valuable jewelry stolen. Sutton returned the next morning | to Montgomery loaded with plunder. Hav- \ ing in the meantime been busily engaged in \ tracing up Sutton's antecedents, found out | that his real name was James Chastaine, that he formerly lived in Memphis, and was the ! trusted bookkeeper of large mercantile | firm of that city, and had defaulted to them | in a sum of several thousand dollars; also | that he was an escaped convict from the | Missouri State Prison, where he was under going sentence of twenty years for burgla- ", and was also wanted in Texas.
 'I was now thoroughly convinced that Sutton was the man that was causing such consternation among the citizens. commu I nicated the fact to Captain John W. Martin | and located Sutton in room. Captain Mar ! tin proceeded there and had no difficulty in | placing Sutton, now Chastaine, under arrest. | As he was on his way to police headquarters Chastaine made most desperate break fol | liberty and was fired upon by Captain Mar ! tin, striking him twice, both bullets passing | entirely through his body, and either would | have proved mortal. Chastaine fingered a | few hours and died, pever revealing his iden- tity or his confederates, if he had any. His politeness never forsook him even when the l icy hand of death was upon him and the misty film glazed his eyes. Asking a by stander for drink of water. which was giv- en him, he faintly murmured, Thank you. Those were the last words of Chastaine. The famous burglar was dead.
 "sHe was mild a hammered man as ever scuttled ship or cut a throat.
 "Upon his person was found a quantity of
 valuables belonging to MT. Guice. Among 1 his effects were articles of different value from almost every house that had been en- tered. It was when he excused himself from the card table to take a walk and get fresh air that he committed his burglaries. His trips off were for the purpose of disposing of his plunder, converting 1t into cash gene rally in New Orleans, from which place a considerable quantity was recovered. "This man was an anomaly of his class, the very embodiment of gentility, Hberality and personal beauty. He never smoked, had all of the modesty and reticence of 8 woman