Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-08-23

600 in it. Queer how close we get to
the promised land sometimes, isn't?'
But what became Of the S50,000?'
'Nothing-we didn't get it. Or,
what amounts to the same thing, got 1t
and lost 1t while we were getting it.
Here is how it happened, IL you care to
listen:
Zone Of the best all-round men l
ever knew was Brooklyn craftsman
whom We called THE Parson." He
was quiet and gentlemanlY In his bear
ing, well educated, and about as sharp
as men ever get in this life. He sent
for me one day, asking me to meet him
that night at Dan Curry's place. As
expected, he had planned big JOB ana
wanted me to work with him. be had
learned that a swell wedding was TO oc-
cur in Brooklyn at s o'clock the next
night and proposed TO go through the
house in the midst of the festivities.
The plan as he outlined 1t TO me was
beauty. Next to the nuptual residence
a house was in process OF construction.
The floors were not laid, but many OF
the larger beams were in place and the
ladders aud scaffolds afforded easy
access to the top story, from which the
adjoining roof could be reached.
"The Parson" proposed to enter
the residence by the skylight, ransack
the upper stories and descend to the
second floor, where the wedding pres
ents were displayed. was to stand
guard in the rear; If l noticed any COM
motion in the house l was instructed to
run around to the front door, pull the
bell, and shout "Firew to distract at
tention until THE Parson" could es-
cape by the skylight.
promptly at eight o'clock on the
wedding night 1 took my place in the
rear OF the residence where l could get
a good view of the building; 1.-The Par
son left me and entered the unOccupied
house adjoining aud l saw him mount
ladder and climb 10 tho second floor.
That was the last time | ever saw him
alive.
" L kept my vigil faithfully. The
wedding gayety was not interrupted;
there was no unusual commotion in the
house and / felt quite certain that the
Job was success. But THE ParSOn"
did not return. Nine o'clock came and
went and at last a terrible suspicion
flashed across my mind. Ny partner
had made u rich haul and had given me
the slipl 1t would be dangerous TO de-
Law longer and fastened back TO New
York, curSing my i'll luck and swearing
eternal vengeance against the man who
had cheated me out of my share OF the
spols. The newspapers next morning
made me fairly frantic, as they gave the
details of mysterious fifty thousand
dollar robbery without clew to the
men who did 1t.
"'But my raving was interrupted
shortly afterward by hearing the news
boys calling an extra editlon-''all
about the great diamond robbery
and buying paper read story which
explained the mysterious absence of my
partner. When the masOnS and carpen-
tiers resumed work that morning upon
the new building one OF them noticed
the body of man lying in the cellar.
Surprising IL to be some drunken fellow
who had crawled into the place TO sleep
off debauch they went down to inves-
tigate and found a corpse. And the
pockets Of the clothing of the dead
man were bullying with jewels and
gems. On the top Of ladder three
stories above was found a SealsSin
sacque which had caught there as The
ParSon" was hurriedly making his re-
treat, and had caused him to miss his
footing and plunge headlong to his death
below. A visit to the morgue that
afternoon ended my connection with
my old parcner. Mingling with the
throug of idle sightSeers looked upon
his face for the last Anne. Even in its
ghaStlinesS it still wore smile OF tri-
umph.