Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-02-04

We found 81 ieathcrn bag, containing
what the chief declared to be an excel
lent assortment of burglars tools. Tho
officers and their prisoners now drove
away and we We're left TO d long morn
ing nap, if we were SO fortunate as to
get it, 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
we're 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 o lzzled the metropolitan
detectives was to discover why these
men should have been willing to devote
fhcir high talents to tho comparatively
insi gaiiicant business of breaking into
a Suburban dwelling.
The tall man occupied y posi!io, OF
pecuiiac sAuiinencc in criminal circles.
lie was what might be called a criminal
manager. He would take contracts for
the successful execution of certain
| crimes, bank robbcrics, for instance, and
while seldom taking part il the actuai
work of a burglary OF similar opera ton,
hc would plan ali The details OF the at
fair, and select and direct his agents
with great skill and judgments. He had
never been arrested before, and the de-
toctlves were delighted, believing they
would now have an opportunity of trac-
| ing to him Il 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 first-class pro-
fessional burglar and nothing more, and
was in the employ Of Mandit. The
| young man was 4 decidedly uncommon
| parsonage. He was of a good family,
had been educated at one of our princi-
| pal colleges, had travelled, and was in
every way qualified to make a figure in
society. He had boon a newspaper man
and a writer for leading periodicals, and
had shown considerable literary ability,
but a life of honest industry did not suit
his tastes, and he had now adopted
knavery as a 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 q
correspondent for y Western journal,
but his real business position was that
of Mandit's head man,
Sparky was an expert in many branches
of crime He was an excellent forger,
a skillful lockpicl1er, an ingenious plan
ner of shady projects, and had given a
great deal of earnest study to the sub
ject of the loopholes of the law. He
had a high reputation in criminal cir
Giles 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 thai
IF habcas corpus and an incontestible
ulibi. His means were adapted to the
circumstance 81 tho case and ii was
believed thatif sparky could be induced
to take up the case of n captured rogue
the man had a. better chance of finding
himself free than the law had of keep
ing him behind bars, especially II hi!
case were sIaated before it had passed
into its more chronic stages.
Sparlly's success was greatly due t.