The Bossier banner., 1892-09-15
PUNISHING A THIEF.
How a Burglar Was Very Clever
ly Trapped.

Asa member of the Especial staff" to
whom is intrusted the duty of dealing
with telegraph business at race meet
ings and other events of irregular and
Itinerary occurrence, L have visited
most towns of any Importance In Eng
land, and have been spectator of, and
in some cases a participator in, some
curious Incidents, one of which pro.
pose TO relate here. Many of the most
saccessful meetings, from racing
mans point of view, are those held at
places otherwise of very little size or
Importance. AS an example, It will be
sufficient to mention EPSON. 1t was to
town in the Midlands ordinarily con-
tanning about six Thousand inha abitants,
that |, with Ave colleagues, including
q supervisor, was ordered in the
autumn of 1877. The event was a two
day race meeting. The first day was
fine, with occasional showers; the
racing was good; and as large COM
pany was present, we had enough to do
not only at the grand stand, but also
later in the evening at the town office,
whence we dispatched a large quantity
of press-work by means of wheat
stone," which had been sent for the
purpose, It was eleven o'clock before
we finished, and we then had good
half-hour's walk to our lodgings.
The second day was awful. Rain fell
IN torrents the whole afternoon. Of
course the programme was carried out;
but beyond official results and "re-
ceived' messages, we had very little to
do. It is the only day can remember
duiing which our boss did not stir out
J. of the office. He generally contrived
TO have some business to transact out
side about the time fixed for each race
This day, however, the persistent down
pour was too much for him. After the
third race, he sent me to one of the re-
porters on some business. found my
man in the weighing-room, small tenn
porary wooden shed at the back of Tat
tersall's ring.
When l entered, the Jockeys were
oeing weighed in, and there was ap-
parently some difficulty or dispute, as
the process was an unusually protracted
one. WAITED, leaning against the back
wall Of the shed, and as l did SO, be-
came conscious of voices whispering
outside l caught the words: "A bloke
with big red nose and one eye;" and
my attention was arrested at once, for
this was description of our counter
clerk. listened attentively and with
Increasing astonishment. The voices
we're those of two men; and the gist of
their conversation was that plot
which had been formed to rob our office
OF the cashbox on the previous day had
Jailed, owing to the fact that Harper,
our counter-clerk. had taken the box
INTO town early in the afternoon, in
stead of, as was the practice, at the
conclusion of racing. He had, how
ever, been closely watched, and seen to
place the box in the local postmaster's
safe at the town office. The safe was
In the room in which we worked in the
evening, and was an old-fashioned, al
most obsolete contrivance. All our
movements must have been very dill
gently followed, as the men knew not
only the exact position of the safe with
respect to the doors and windows, but
also at what hour we closed the office.
and the whereabouts ofAo our lodgings.
iney had also ascertained that no one
remained during the night in or near
the room where the safe was.
The upshot of the conversation,
winch occupied less time than it has
.aken me to relate it, was that the
.own office was to be entered that
n'gnt as soon after we had gone as
would be considered safe. Entrance
was to be effected from the back yard,
through the window of a small room
aololning the larger one in which we
worked. Further details | failed to
.sernear, as the dispute at the weigh
.agchair which had gradually grown
~ ~rsrmer, now waxed loud and furious.
aAing advantage of the noise slipped
= us ana hurried to the office. Taking
sae ooss to one side, told him all. He
as ior informing the police at once,
~. ,u having the place guarded and the
ives scared off; but, after lot of
;'suasion, | talked him over, convinc-
~ nim how much more to his credit it
~ ia rebound if he himself captured
AZ loooers red-handed and unaided bv
ths ol,ee. iexpounded to him plan,
:, 'hain idea of which had struck me
tsa sue nrst moment, to which he lis
sn;Io attentively, and occasionally
sa;d. approvingly. When l ended he
' ~ would do very well but for