Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-03-05

we found a leathern bag, containing
what the chief declared to be an excel
lent assortment of burglars tools The
officers and their prisoners now drove
away and we were left to q long morn
ing aap, ii we were so fortunate as to
get 1t, and late breakfast.
In the course of the trial of the three
men who had entered my house some
interesting points in regard to them
were brought out. Several detectives
and policemen from New York were
present, and their testimony proved
that my three burglars were men of
eminence in their profession, and that
which most p lzzled the metropolitan
detectives was to discover why these
men should have been willing to devote
their high talents to the comparatively
insignificant business of breaking into
suburban dwelling.
The tall man occupied q position of
peculiar eminence in criminal circles.
He was what might be called criminal
manager. He would take contracts for
the successful execution Of certain
crimes, bank robberies, for instance, and
while seldom taking part in the actual
n,
he would plan all the details of the af-
fair, and select and direct his agents
with great skill and Judgment. He had
never been arrested before, and the de-
tectives were delighted, believing they
would now have an opportunity of trac-
ing to him a series of very important
criminal operations that had taken place
in New York and some other large cities
He was known as Lewis Mandit, and
this was believed to be his real name.
The stout man was a hrst-class pro-
fessional burglar and nothing more, and
was in the employ of Mandit. The
young man was decidedly uncommon
| parsonage. He was OF good family.
had been educated at one of our princi-
pal colleges, had travelled, and was in
every way qualified to make figure in
society. He had been a newspaper man
and writer for leading periodicals, and
had shown considerable literary ability,
but life OF honest industry did not suit
his tastes, and he had now adopted
knavery as regular profession
This man, who was known among his
present associates as Sparky, still showed
himself occasionally in newspaper Of
fees and was generally supposed to be
correspondent for Western journal,
but his real business position was that
of Mandit's head man.
| Sparky was an expertin many branches
OF crime. He was an excellent forger.
skillful lockpicker, an ingenious plan
ner of shady projects, and had given a
| great deal of earnest study to the sub
| of ho -
had high reputation in criminal cir
cles for his ability in getting his fellow
rascals out of jail. There was reason to
believe that in the past year no less
than nine men, some condemned to
| terms of imprisonment and some held
for trial, had escaped by means of as
sistance given them by Sparky.
His methods of giving help to Jail birds
were various. Sometimes liberty was
conferred through the agency of saws
and ropes, at other times through that
| OF habeas corpus and an incontestible
alibi. His means were adapted to the
] circumstances of the case and it was
believed that if Sparky could be induced
to take up the case of a captured rogue
! the man had better chance of finding
himself free than the law had Of keep
ing him behind bars, especially If his
case were treated before 1t had passed
into its more chronic stages.
Sparky's success was greatly due to
his extremely specious manner and his
| power of playing the part that the occa-
sion demanded. In this particular he
vas even the superior of Mandit, VIZ o
was an adept in this line. These two
men found no difficulty in securing the
services of proficient burglars, safe rob-
bers and the like, for, in addition to the
high rewards paid these men, they were
in manner insured against permanent
imprisonment in case of misfortune. It
] was always arranged that if any Of their