Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-08-21
HONOR AMONG THIEVES li
A CASE OF CLEVER ROGUERY TOLD
BY AN OLD DETECTIVE.

BY AN OLD De EC i've
How a Visitor to the Metropolis Was
Scheme of Some Rascals to Prove the
Honesty of One of Their Number.
Have met with much honor in my
career?" replied an old detective to report
er's question the other day
Eyes, honor"
what kind of honor and whereof
Among thieves"
with laugh. "Yes, have met with a
good deal of that characteristic you mean
when you say Honor among thieves but
it's not honor, it's only selfshness, self
| interest, self preservation, and it wits
whenever it pays better to cast it aside
But have just heard of rather re-
markable display of this sort of honor
which occurred in this city not long ago.
"An elderly man, a typical hayseed, who
had come to town to see the sights, accost-
ed policeman on the Bowery and told him
with tears in his voice that he must have
been robbed of all his money. eighty dol
lars, for he could not find it in any of his
pockets, and he did not know just where
or when he had last seen it.
1.-THE old boy had been poking about in
some of the worst dives and dens of the
city, and the wonder was that in his green
ness he had not met with something
rougher than a mere pickpocket. Nothing
could be done, however, so the old fellow
was advised to pawn his watch, all he had
left, for enough money to buy return
ticket and in future to keep away from the
wickedness of the metropolis.
THE old man set out from the police
station for the pawnshop in wild despair,
but in a few hours time burst in upon the
police sergeant behind the desk with the
shout:
"'Ive been robbed againP
"Againl exclaimed the sergeant angrily,
Have you been into the dives again7 Did
you pawn your watch?'
ROBBED AGAIN.
No. cried old Hayseed; Just as was
going into the pawnshop man touched
me on the arm and said he was detective
in plain clothes, sent by the police to help
me to get back my money, and if | would
go with him he would have it returned
to mel
"'And were you fool enough to go with
hmr exclaimed the sergeant.
"'Of course | went said Hayseed.z
"'Then you deserved to be robbed OF
your watch tooP
my watch?
Yes, your watch
"'My watch is all rightp
"'You said you had been robbed again
$50 have
"'But when you left here few hours
ago you said you had nothing but your
watch
"'Neither had
"'What in the mischief could they steal
from you then?'
my money
"'You're drunk, you old idiot; I'll lock
you in the cooler for while till you can
talk sense
Gosh all fishooks, am talking sense,
captainl Don't lock me up, but let me tell
you the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth, SO help me George Washing
ton.'
J" Go on, them said the sergeant, threat
eningly, but cut it short; Eve wasted
more than enough time over you already
Then the old fellow told how he had
followed the bogus detective, by devious
ways and dark alleys into a room on the
top floor of a crowded tenement house.
There his conductor introduced him to an
other fictitious detective, who appeared to
the old man to be of higher rank than his
guide, owing to the bullying way in which
he spoke and the Difference paid him. This
fellow produced the old mans eighty dol
lars from drawer and counted it out
slowly to him
There's your money, old man, he said
and the vigilance of the finest police force
OH earth is once more attested. No other
power could have recovered it for you
Now tell me, is that every cent you lost;
Be particular and do not trifie with me, az
you value your liberty. Were you robbed
of one cent more than the eighty dollars?
NO replied the old man, trembling
with delight at the recovery of his money
That is all, captain, eighty dollars
GENEROSITY EXPLAINED
flake it and CO. said the fellow, 'ant
, be careful to let the same officer who
brought you here conduct you to the rail
way station. Speak to no one but him
till you are safe again on your way to youl
} country home, and leave the wicked city
to city folk and the all watchful police
."The old man and his guide bowed them
selves out and departed. They had moi
gone far when burning thirst seized the
conductor, and the overjoyed old fellow
was not slow to appease it. More drinks
followed, and the way to the railroad sta
ton began to grow tortuous. Present..
Hayseed missed his guide altogether in {
crowd, and no efforts on his part awaited t.
find him The old man got on horse car
and when he put his hand in his pocket tt
pay his fare he found that his money wa
gone again.
ale did not understand the case at all
> even then, and it took the police sergean
long time to make him see that he hat
been played for a sucker of the rankes
kind. Finally he took it in and then h
: exclaimed We'll, gosh darn it all dunno
which is the slickest, the rascals that dom
me or the police that can see through thei
tricks
You see," added the detective by way 0
explanation, lone of the organized band
of criminals had spotted the old fellow TIN
minute they set eyes on his toggery and hi
guileless manner. They set one of thei
light fingered members the one who played
the guide afterward. to rob him. Thu
swag' eighty dollars, was much less thai
> they had expected to get, and they sns
pected the man who had robbed him of
lack of honor among thieves and accused
him of keeping back part of the plumber.
. He had undertaken to show them that h
was square, and you have heard the cleve
way in which he led his simple old victim
to assure the captain of the gang tina
eighty dollars WAS all be had lost, AM
s honor among thieves was once more ex
emplifed, without costing the thieves any
c thing, as the plumber was soon back agail
in the gangs treasury. New York Trib
c une.
j Music While You Eat.
Several restaurants up town have SINAI
Y orchestras, principally Of Italian perform