Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-08-04
A FAMILY OF BURGLARS.

In a large town in the North Of
Ireland many burglaries and robberies
had been committed and many de-
tectives set to work, and many fail
yures had been the result before was
sent down to investigate the affair.
The fact is, the TascalS who had
committed these depredations were
so we'll up in their business, so cum
ming and shrewd, as well as bold and
daring, that they left no trace OF
themselves anywhere by which a clue
could be gained to fix reasonable
suspicion.
And yet the nefarious work went on
at irregular intervals, sometimes only
a day or two elasping between one
burglary and another, and sometimes
a period of weeks; but the dark bust
ness so certainly continuing that no
master of a house felt perfectly safe
behind his locked and bOlted door,
while ladies everywhere became ner-
vously timid and afraid of their own
shadows.
Yet no one of these latter, as far
as my knowledge goes, was ever mo-
Tested, or ever got even a sight Of
midnight robber.
Money, watches, jewelry of all
kinds, and valuable plate were the
articles usually taken and rarely any
thing else.
OF these yaluables not trace could
subsequently be found, showing that
the scOundrels were too well of and
too cunning to dispose Of them in the
usual channels.
When l was sent for to try my skill
in ferreting out and bringing the
guilty parties to justice, ana had
everything explained to me, Isagreed
to enter upon my task on condition
that every other detective should be
recalled; that it should be given out
that the mystery was too deep to be
solved; that it should not be known
was anywhere in the neighbOrhOod;
and that 1 should be left to take my
own time and pursue my own course,
with money enough at my command
to carry out any plan / might adopt.
I started out with the theory that
these burglars knew, before operating,
exactly where Yaluables were con-
cealed, and what they had to do to
get possession of them; that they had
no ordinary means of concealing their
plumber till it could be disposed of at
a distance-perhaps across the chan
mel; and that to find the operators I
must look for them in high rather
than ia low life.
Upon my arrival in the town, en-
gagged rooms in d f1rst-class hotel.
dressed myself like a gentleman of
means, and described myself as Frank
Henderson, of Dublin.
After that soon managed to let
it be understood that 1 had been an
officer in the army; that had only
retired on coming into possession of a
large fortune left by a deceased uncle;
and that was now travelling, partly
for pleasure and with view to pur-
chase an estate, my uncle having
made it a condition Of his bequeSt
that should buy land and settle
down.
OF course I requested all this TO be
kept profound secret because l
wished it to be known; and, of course,
it was made known far and wide by
every man or woman who heard of il
telling it to some other man or wO-
man as profound secret
In the course of the next two or
three weeks l found quite a number
of the best tOwnspeople making my
acquaintance, and received numerous
invitations to visit at the houses OF
the foremost gentry.
During the next month my visiting
list became so extensive as to include
all the leading families in the place:
and as l encouraged gossip of all
kinds, / soon became cOnVerSant with
all the prominent incidents connected
with these families during the pre-
ceding decade.
Among a great many facts of more
or less interest-but which, as they
have no connection with my story,
/ shall not here recOrd-I learned
who were old families and who were
new; who were rich and who were
comparatively poor; who had property
to sell and who had not and last.
but not least who had been robbed
during the past two years.
Among the newcomers who had
taken up their residence in the town
within that period was q family of
the name of M'Lysaght, consisting Of
a venerable mother. her married son
and his wife, another son, and two
blooming daughters.
Curionsly enough. their house had
been, broken into and robbed shortly
after their arrival, and as a consider
able sum of money and much valu-
able jewelry had been taken. the
married son, as head Of the family,