The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1893-07-14
SLIDER'S ARREST.

to make a success of his profession, he
needed TO use his brain rather than his |
muscle 1t was all right enough, when |
starting out to commit q burglary, to
take a knife with you, or loaded club, |
or pistol, but Billy claimed that the
doing of this showed lack of mental
ingenuity. Any muscular fool can
bludgeon the senses out Of a half-
awakened householder aroused from his
first deep sleep by the noisy entrance
of thief through the kitchen window,
but bludgeoning Billy looked upon as
clumsy and unnecessary. The conse-
quence was that Billy, by strict atten-
ton to business, and the endeavor to
please customers, soon began to
build up for himself an enviable repu-
taticp among the police. They never
caught sight of Billy or his pals, but
they always recognized his handiwork
by the neatness and dexterity of it.
They did not even know his name, but
they called him among themselves Billy
Haven out of respect for the memory
of detective of that name who was
especially good at tracking crimes of
kind whose origin was obscure, and the
clew to which was not visible. They
said among themselves, when their at
tention was first directed to the kind of
burglary the new burglar was doing,
that this was a job Billy Haven would
like the unraveling of if he were alive,
and so they drifted on never getting a
sight of the burglar, until the crimes
were called Billy Haven jobs, and final.
ly the unknown craftsman came to be
called Billy Haven.
At last these neat burglaries ceased
and there were no traces of Billy for
years. 1t is possible that the authori-
ties would never have known any par
ticulars about Billy's career if it had
not been that convict dying in one of
the prisons told about Billy's last and
successful coup, which enabled Haven
and his gang to retire into respectable
but monotonous private life.
Billy, it seems, had long looked with
hungering eyes on a large mansion that
stood in a lonely part of lonely SUBJ
,urb. 1t was entirely surrounded by a
high brick wall, and Billy felt that if
he and his mates ever got inside that
mansion they could work in uninter-
rupted security,
Inquiry showed Billy that it was the
residence Of Mr.. Slider, the well-l1nown
banker, a man intimately connected
with numerous prosperous companies,
and a man of great reputed wealth.
The name of Slider was power in the
city. Billys investigations led him to
the knowledge that Mr. Slider was a
most careful man, who had arranged
every electrical appliance then known
for the discovery of a burglar
Billy's plans, matured, were very
simple He obtained the costume of a
police inspector for himself and the
clothes of an ordinary policeman fol
each of his four pals. Hegot, likewise
very good imitation of warrant of
arrest, made out in the name of Mr.
Slider. Billy was the man of brains il
the gang, and the other four, realizing
this, did exactly as he told them. They
were in perfect state Of dicipline ant
bad the utmost confidence in Billy's in
genuity. The plan was this: They
were to obtain entrance into the houst
at about zine o'clock in the evening, in
perfect legal form; the inspector wa.
to arrest Mr.. Siden, who might, O
course, be indignant, but the conspira
tors expected that the respect a banke
has for the forms of law at least insured
submission under protest; and Will
the inspector stood guard over the al
rested man, two of the alleged police
men were to be posted so that no on
could leave the house, even if Mr.. Slide
wanted TO send messenger away
which was not likely, because Of hi
certainty that this was mistake whic
could easily be cleared up The othe
two alleged policemen could the
search the house under the protectio
of bogus search warrant, and quietl
secrete all the valuables and none
they could lay their hands on. The il
spectoI then intended to tell Mr.. Slide
that, because of his protests, he woul
not take him to Jail, but that he mus
understand that he was under arres
and that he might have to report to I'll
head officer when called upon to do s,
This plan worked admirably up to
certain point, when Billy and his pa
were treated to a Supplying surpris
The man at the porter's lodge tren
blingly admitted the officers of the Ia
into the grounds lie was then orderC
to lock the gates, which he did, and Oh
Of the officers took the key and r
NAMED in the porters lodge with Il
man and his wife, who were certain
very much frightened. Another polio
man was left to guard the entrance
the house, while tina bogus inspect
and the remaining policemen rang
she front door. The person who a
mitted them was also terrified at q
sight Of their uniforms
pillrr ncl-nd 81 Nh. Slidcl. ,.rns .. . hnrr,