Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-08-21
HONOR AMONG THIEVES.
A Curious Case of Clever Roguery Re
lated by an Old Detective.

l
| lated by an Old Detective.
Have 1 met with much honor in my
career?" replied an old detective to a
New York Tribune reporters question
the other day.
"1es, honor"
"What kind of honor and where?"
Among thieves"
ooh, that kind" said the rogue
catcher, with laugh Yes, l have
met with a good deal of that charac-
teristic you mean when you say Honor
among thieves, but its not honor, its
only selfshness, self-interest, self-pre-
servation, and it willis like a young
widows weeds 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, typical huy-seed,
accosted a 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
| it.
"The old boy had been poking about
in some of the worst dives and dens Of
:he city, and the wonder was that in
ais greenness he had not met with some
ching rongher than 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 wicked
less of the metropolis.
"The old man set out from the police
station for the pawnshop, in wild des-
pair, but in few hours time burst in
upon the police sergeant behind the
desk with the shout:
I've been robbed againp
"'Again,' exclaimed the sergeant an
grily. Have you been into the dives
again? Did you pawn your watch?'
No. cried old Hayseed, Just as I
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 meY
and were you fool enough to go
with him!' exclaimed the sergeant.
OF course. went, said Hayseed.
Then you deserved to be robbed of
your watch toop
My watch?'
Yes, your watch!
My watch is all rightr
"'You said you have 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; Til
lock you in the cooler for awhile till you
can talk sense
Gosh all fishhooks, [ 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 HELM
mo George Washington
60 on, then,' said the sergeant,
threateningly, 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 room on
the top floor of crowded tenement
house. There his conductor intro
duced him to another fictitious detec-
tive, 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 q drawer and counted it out
slowly to him.
There's your money old man, he
said, and the vigilance of the finest
police force on earth is once more at
tested. No other power could have re-
covered it for you. Now tell me, is that
every cent you lost? Be particular and
do not tritie with me as you value your
liberty. Were you robbed of one cent
more than the $S0?'
No, replied the old man, tremb-
ling with delight at the recovery of his
money. THAT is all, captain, $780,
flake it and co. said the fellow.
'and be careful to let tie same officer
"!AO oAooSsAo Joo ACAc COuu ucI you GO
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 a burning thirst
seized the conductor, and the over
joyed old fellow was not slow to APP
pease it. More drinks followed, and
the way to the railroad station began to
grow tortuous. Presently Hayseed
missed his guide altogether in a crowd,
and no efforts on his part availed to
find him. The old man got on 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 sucker
of the rankest kind. Finally he took it
in and then exclaimed: Well. gosh