The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-09-04
HONOR AMeNo THIEVES.
a oarieus CAGE AZ Cisvsr Rogasry Ne
lated By Al Ola Dssecsive.

nv csreerPp replied az old detective to
q N. Y. Tribune reporters question the
other day. -"
Yes. honor 81, Inra -
What kind Of honor and whereof
Among thieves a.. - - -.
'Ob, that kind" said tho, rogue
catcher, with a laugh. Yes, fhave met
with good deal Of that Characteristic
you mean when you say Honor among
thieves but ISIS not honor. it's only
selfishness. self-interest. self-preserva-
ton. and it willis like q young widows
weeds whenever it pays better to cast
it aside.
But have inst heard of rather
remarkable display Of this sort OF
honor. which occurred in this city not
long ago.
IAN elderly man. typical hay-seed.
who had come to town to see the
sights. accosted y policeman on the
Bowery and told him with tears in his
voice that he must have been robbed
of all his money, $50. for he could not
find it in any Of his pockets and he did
not know Just where or when he had
last seen il.
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 greenness he had not met with
something rougher than mere pick
pocket. Nothing could be done, how
ever. 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
wickejness of the metropolis.
The old man set out from the
police station for the pawnshop. in
wild despair. and in few hours time
burst in upon the police sergeant be-
hind the desk with the shout:
again exclaimed the sergeant
angrily. Have YOU been to the dives
againP Did you pawn your watch?
NO cried old Hayseed, just as 1
was going into the pawnshop a man
touched me on the arm and said he
was a detective in plain clothes, sent
By the police to help me to get back
nv money and il would 60 with him
he would have it returned 10 mer'
land were you fool enough to 60
with himr exclaimed the sergeant.
"'Of course, / vent said Hayseed.
"Then your deserved to be robbed OF
yourwatch toor
My watchP'
| "Yes, your watchr
""My watch is all rightr'
"'You said you have been robbed
again.
$50 have
but when YOU left here q 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 awhile till
you can talk sense
Gosh all fishhooks. I am talking
sense. captain! Don't lock me up. but
let me tell you the truth. the whole
truth. and nothing but the truth, SO
help me George Washington
"Go on, then said the sergeant,
threateninglv. but cut it short; I've
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 crowded
| tenement-house. There his conductor
introduced him to another 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 $50 from a drawer and
counted 1t out slowly to him.
There's your money. old man. he
said. and the vigilence of the finest
police force on earth is once more at
tested. No other power could have
recovered it for you. Now tell me, IS
that every cent sou lostP Be particu-
lar and DO not trifie with me as you
value your liberty. Were you robbed
of one cent more than $80P"
No. replied the old man. trembling
with delight at the recovery of his
money. That is all. captain. $780,
Take it and GO said the fellow.
and be careful TO let the same officer
who brought you here conduct you to
the railway station. Speak to no one
but him. till you are safe again on
your way to your country home. and
leave the wicked city to city folk and
the all-watchful police
The old man and his guide. bowed
themselves out and departed. They
had not gone far when burning thirst
seized the conductor. and the over
loved old fellow was not slow to ap-
pease it. More drinks followed, and
the way to the railroad station began
to grow tortucus- Presently hayseed
missed his guide altogether in crowd.
and no efforts on his part awaited to
find him. The old man got on q horse
car. and when he put his hand in his
pocket to pay his fare he found that his
money was gone again.
He did not understand the case at
all. even then. and it took the police
sergeant long time to make him see
that he had been played for a sucker
of the raukest kind. Finally he took it
in and then he exclaimed: well. gosh
darn it all. I dunno which is the
slickest, the rascal that done me or
the police that can see through their
tricks
You see." added the detective. by
the way of explanation, lone of the
organized bands of criminals bad spot
ted the old fellow the minute they set
eyes on his toggery and his guileless
manner. They set one of their light
fingered members. the one who played
the guide aIterward. to rob him. The
sway $50. was much less than thew
had expected to get and they suspected
the man who had robbed him of lack
of honor among thieves and accused
him of keeping back part of the
pluuder. He had undertaken to show